3.5 As I've mentioned before, it seems that books follow a trend. Either that or I am just randomly encountering books that make it seem that way. So trend or not, I am enjoying the many books that I have read lately, that contain a folklore or myth of some kind. Just love all those old stories containing people and places, old beliefs and warnings. This book that I enjoyed also contains such a story.

Set on Lake Superior this a a good story, with elements of the paranormal, a talent of reading dreams passed down through generations. The timeline is one hundred years apart, and now an event, needs to be understood and corrected in the present. Of course the lake plays a big part of the story, in fact in this book it is where it begins.

"The Lakeshore was magical was magical then, in those days, and so it remained. But people had grown to noisy, too preoccupied, too sophisticated to listen to its song."

To understand what happened in the past, Kate our main character, must learn more about the past, her own family heritage. The spirits of the past are waiting for her to connect the dots and bring peace and the truth to the forefront. Don't believe in spirits? Maybe were just not listening hard enough in our now too noisy world.

ARC from Netgalley.

Wendy Webb is always at the top of my reading list and her new book Daughters of the Lake did not disappoint. She has such a wonderful gift of weaving the past with the present and in the process adds in just the right amount of paranormal.

I am a HUGE fan of Wendy Webb's "The End of Temperance Dare" book, so when the opportunity came from NetGalley to read and review Daughter of the Lake, I jumped at the chance.

First - look at this cover. Beautiful!

Secondly - a body washes up on a lake...with a baby tucked into the gown? SIGN ME UP.

Wendy Webb has a way of writing that interweaves the present and the past. There's a mystery as to who this woman is or was. Kate Granger finds herself pulled into the mystery, with vivid dreams and a knowledge that she's afraid to share with anyone. This is a story of lost love, of betrayal, and of fate.

Thank you again to Wendy Webb, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was SO good. Suspenseful, enchanting, endearing....all the things that I require for a book to really meet all my expectations. Definitely a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Overall, I was ambivalent about this story. I felt like since it's called Daughters of the Lake, there should have been more plot and story behind that. It's barely touched on. The story mainly follows Kate, a newly single woman that stumbles onto a mystery when a body washes up on the shore near her parent's home. From there, what could be a really interesting story just turns sort of halfheartedly into an oddly proportioned mix of past and present.

While the pacing is good, I thought the focus of the story was often too muddled. I didn't really love any of the characters, and they all seemed a little flat to me. The overall mystery was also a little too pat and easy to a true psychological thriller or supernatural mystery.

This is an okay read if you're looking to kill time, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want something truly deep or twisting.

This book was nothing short of spectacular. There was definitely a strong, gothic and atmospheric feel that surrounds this tale as it moves from the present to the past seamlessly. I fell deeply in love with the characters and their backstories and the tale of the lake. I will definitely be recommending this book to all. In my opinion, this was one the best books I have read in quite some time. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley

I first came across Wendy Webb when I received The End of Temperance Dare is a book box. So when I saw Daughters of the Lake on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it.

Daughters of the Lake is the story of the mystery of a body that washes up on the shores of Lake Superior. The main characters are Addie (the body) and Kate. Addie's storyline takes place in the early 1900s and it is about her life and what leads to her death. Over a 100 years later Kate starts to have dreams about Addie and then her body appears on the beach by Kate's house looking like she had just past.

I thought I knew all of the secrets fairly early in the book but the story for me was more about the process of finding out why. Now with that being said I did not see the twist at the end coming.

I would gladly recommend this to any reader of fiction. It is historical fiction, mixing with suspense, and a little bit of horror.

So I was in the mood for something thrilling, suspenseful and fast paced. Obviously, from my low rating you can tell that I got none of those things from this book. That is unfortunate, because despite never reading anything by this author I was excited for this book. It's the cover probably (I am always a victim of pretty or intriguing covers).

​The premise was interesting enough, but as I started reading, and reading and reading... I really couldn't tell what the point of this book was. There was little to no plot development and I got to 41 percent, so I feel like I gave this book all of the chances I could.

The backstories of characters weren't interesting, because they were very generic - and they didn't really bring much depth to the story, but then again the whole thing lacked altogether, so depth was of my least concerns here. If I had to describe this novel in one word, I' say 'disjointed'. There were lots of bits and pieces, and I could see how they were supposed to fit, but they just didn't. And as it is the end of the year, I do not have the patience to read books that don't grab me a 100%.

The writing itself was probably the worst part - the dialog was so common, that it felt like it was taken straight up from the "dialog for dummies book" or something. The descriptions were dry and generic, and even silly sounding at times. I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times a page, and that's when I knew I needed to stop.

​I also find it's funny how I don't have much to say in this review - just as the book didn't do much in those 41% for me - Daughters of the Lake literally left zero impressions on me

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

<b>One sentence summary</b>
A haunting tale with gothic undertones...mesmerizing and superbly written!

<b>My thoughts</b>
The story is told in past and present. The past portion takes place in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. And even though this story deals with the paranormal, it is not a horror story.

The portion told in the past is the love story of Jess and Addie...both beautiful and tragic. It’s laced with ghosts and hauntings. And it is full of legend, lore and mysterious family secrets. The present deals with Kate and her connection to the past. A lot of the story takes place at the Harrison’s House B&B, which is part of Kate’s family heritage, and is run by her cousin Simon. He is a hoot and one of the funniest characters I’ve read about in a long time! He added so much to the story.

I absolutely love old houses, antiques and digging through old “treasures” and heirlooms... so when the author described the Harrison’s House B&B, with all its family photos, portraits and antique furnishings...plus the trunks full of “treasures” stowed away in the attic...I was literally drooling! I wanted to jump in the book and help dig in those trunks SO BAD.

Although I predicted parted of the ending, the story was so elegantly written, it was never dull or uninteresting...and there was a final twist that took me by surprise!

Wendy Webb is another new author for me, and one I will watch for in the future.

<b>My Rating: </b>4.5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to NetGalley / Lake Union Publishing / Wendy Webb for this digital ARC / in exchange for my honest review!
#DaughtersOfTheLake #NetGalley

<b>Book Description</b>
After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together—only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. No one can identify the woman. Except for Kate. She’s seen her before. In her dreams…

One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. It’s time for the lake to give up its secrets. As each mystery unravels, it pulls Kate deeper into the eddy of a haunting folktale that has been handed down in whispers over generations. Now, it’s Kate’s turn to listen.

As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past.

This book wants to be so many things and the author ambitiously tries to tackle each plot line. There's a dual story line that jumps time periods, a ghost story, a murder mystery, a cheating husband, and a romance. Some readers may struggle with attention deficit disorder as they try to follow along.

Enjoyed this book thoroughly. Did not see the ending coming! Will definitely recommend. to my Library patrons.

The beginning of this book was a little disjointed for me. It seemed like the story finally got going several chapters into the book.
I loved the character of Simon, Kate's cousin, who runs a B & B in an historic mansion built by their Great Grandfather. Kate visits to look into the mystery of the woman who washed up dead in the lake with an infant in her arms.
This is not a fast paced mystery with twists and turns but more like a slow, small town mystery that takes a while to play out. All in all, I enjoyed it.

It's been a really long time since I've rwad a gothic book, and I have to say Ms. Webb did not disappoint. The story is incredibly gripping from the very first pages and had me racing to find out what exactly had happened. Although some "mysteries" weren't as much of a mystery if you looked closer, and the ending wasn't as shocking as I thought it would be, it was definitely a great book.

Sometimes you just need a good ghost story. Something slightly spooky without being over the top, something that’ll give you a touch of the goosebumps. This story by Wendy Webb does just that.

After her marriage ends badly, Kate returns home to recover. Peace and quiet, time to reflect, is just what she needs. Those thoughts are tossed aside when a body washes ashore near the family home. And it’s not just any body. Kate recognizes the woman. She knows her, not from real life but from her dreams. How does one explain this to the authorities, though? Especially since Kate herself is somewhat of a suspect.

With the help of her cousin, Simon, Kate begins to dig deeper into the mystery of the dead woman. As she uncovers more and more of her family’s past, she finds secrets she’s not prepared to confront. And some of these secrets are a danger to her.

This was a really good story, better than I expected it to be. Part murder mystery, part historical fiction, part ghost story, it has a bit of everything!

This book is about a woman named Kate Granger. She has been having dreams for weeks now, and the same woman appears in each one. She has recently moved back in with her parents after she discovered that her husband was cheating on her. Her parents’ home is on Lake Superior, and one day a woman’s body washes up on the shore. The dead woman is also holding a baby in her arms. Her vintage clothing stands out, as it appears to be a night dress one would have worn 100 years ago. And you guessed it, I am sure - this is the woman who has been haunting Kate’s dreams. She is desperate to find the link between herself and this woman. As she tries to unravel the mystery, things get strange for her.
Kate goes to visit her cousin Simon at an old family estate that he and his partner have renovated to be a bed & Breakfast. While there, an old photo is discovered. In the picture, the woman, Addie and her husband Jess are having a picnic with Kate and Simon’s great- grandparents. She knows now that this woman is intertwined with her family’s past somehow, and dives even deeper into the quandry. She begins to search her family’s history to determine what that link might be. The more she discovers, the more eerie and fascinating things become, Kate feels compelled to solve the query.
This gothic tale is a told while switching back and forth in time and uses the voices of both women to the story. It is thrilling, and suspenseful. I was pulled in by this book and found myself lost in the story and mystery. It was a bit predictable, but very interesting nonetheless. Webb’s writing is flawless. Her descriptions, of the characters and settings seem so real. This novel is full of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. There is also a bit of romance.
I won’t reveal more as I don’t want to give spoilers, but this was a very enjoyable read. The writing, plot, and character development is spot on. I give this book a 4.5/5, only because of the predictability throughout the story. I would purchase a print copy for myself and would also recommend it to a friend.
This eARC was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.
This review, of portions thereof, will be posted (when able) to Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, Litsy, Pinterest, Kobo, FB, BAM, and my own blog. Unfortunately, I am able to provide all links as I am using my phone.

Loved the book!! I fell in love with Wendy Webb's books after reading "The Tale of Halcyon Crane" and always look forward when a new book comes out. This book definitely didn't disappoint. The book was full of ghosts and set on Lake Superior, as usual. The book alternated between Kate in present time and Addie in the past(the 1900s.) My favorite parts were reading about Addie and her family and the gifts the women in the family possessed. I loved the characters, writing style and story line. Although, I found the budding romance between Addie and Jess a little creepy. She was only thirteen when he was eighteen. Five years isn't a big deal, except when you are middle school aged and he is in college. The question I had was why is Celeste so mad about Kate being in the house, when Simon has lived there for so many years. Kate and Simon are related, they have the same grandmother, so why wasn't Celeste angry with Simon???

The mystery begins when a woman washes ashore with a baby in her arms. No one knows who she is except for Kate. How does Kate explain to the police that she recognizes the woman from her dreams? From there Kate decides to stay with her cousin Simon at Harrison's House, an upscale bed-and-breakfast. The house used to belong to their great-grandfather. Kate tries to find out the identity of the mystery woman and at the same time catches the eye of the handsome Detective Nick Stone. He owns a cute corgi named Queenie, how can anyone resist a corgi??? Kate eventually discovers the mystery behind the woman in her dreams and learns about secrets that have been kept hidden about her family.

I loved the ending when everything was finally revealed. Loved all the ghosts roaming around the the third floor of the house. Although I didn't find it much of a mystery about what Kate discovered about herself with all her visions. Why did Addie wait so long to get the truth about her death revealed?

I definitely recommend the book especially if you are a fan of Wendy Webb's previous books or enjoy mysteries full of ghosts. Plus there's a corgi!!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author, Wendy Webb, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

I am so disappointed that I didn't love this book - it sounded exactly like something I would enjoy, and I had it on top of my wishlist! It's always tricky to incorporate supernatural elements in a modern day mystery, and in this case it just didn't work for me. Whilst I don't mind a good slow-burner, the story was lacking that element of suspense and mystery that kept me interested, not aided by the various POVs jumping across multiple time-lines, that kept me from ever getting truly invested in any of the characters. A lot of the backstories were telling rather than showing, with characters that remained distant and remote. It breaks my heart to say it, but I got bored with it! I think I would have needed to be a lot more emotionally connected to Kate to stay focused on the story, and the gothic element - although intriguing - wasn't scary enough for me. I concede that it's just not the right book for me at this time. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it!

Kate Granger returns to her parent's home on Lake Superior upon learning that her husband was having an affair. She hopes to use the time there to think about her life and start over. Unfortunately, one morning along with her father and her father's friend, Johnny, she came across the body of a young woman on the shores of the lake. What is most shocking to Kate, is that she recognizes the woman from dreams she has been having. Not only does she recognize the woman, she someone knows that there is a baby tucked in the folds of her nightgown. Kate's reaction to seeing the woman's body and finding the baby, make her a possible suspect in the death of the woman. Side note - I didn't see what was so suspicious about her reaction to seeing the dead woman and baby. I think if I found two dead bodies, I would have a strong reaction as well. Just saying.....

Even though the police are suspicious of her, Kate is still able to travel to Wharton to visit her cousin, Simon and the bed and breakfast he runs out of the former home of their great-grandfather, Harrison Connor. Things get even stranger while she stays in her family's home and as she attempts to put the pieces together, it appears that ghosts of the past are all around her. What secrets might the lake have?

This book is told through the past and the present though alternating chapters. I enjoyed both equally. In the past we meet Addie and Jess. Addie was literally born in the lake and Jess was the one who found her floating in the water. They had a close bond from that time on and no one was shocked when they married years later.

Wendy Webb sets her books about lakes and uses a supernatural element in them. She writes books with plots that are tied to the past, with old mansions, strong female characters, age old secrets, and yes, ghosts. Her books are described as Northern Gothic and do have an eerie and atmospheric feel to them. She also threw in a tragic love story and mysterious lake creature/entity into the mix her as well. This book had a little bit of everything, but it is not scary or creepy (at least in my opinion). It has more of an eerie feel to it, even with the supernatural elements, it won’t scare of have readers sleeping with the lights on. Plus, even with death in the book, there is nothing graphic or gory. There is mystery and the story really revolves around the past and present story-line's and Kate's attempt to make sense of her dreams and experiences.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was invested in learning if Kate would learn the woman's identity. What brought the woman to the lake? Why was she murdered? How does the lake tie in? What is going on in the bed and breakfast? Will the case ever be solved? Why was a missing person's report not filed?

I think this book is perfect for those who enjoy lighter (not scary) Gothic ghost stories involving some mystery, glimpses into the past, romance and intrigue.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A haunted house, a century old mystery, a ghost story, a mysterious creature in the lake, secrets, lies, murder…

A young woman’s body is found on the shore of Lake Superior, holding a dead baby in her arms. Kate Granger whose father has found the body while walking his dog, has seen the dead woman in her dreams before…several times.
The police are baffled. There are no missing persons’ report and they can’t even tell when the woman was murdered.
As Kate’s bizarre dreams continue, she begins her own investigations.

Who is the woman? Why did she have to die? And who is the sinister spirit who doesn’t want Kate to uncover the truth and right the wrongs?

Daughters of the Lake is a well written, albeit a bit drawn-out, atmospheric Gothic story about love, destiny, redemption and reckoning.
A perfect read for this cold season.

Thanks to Wendy Webb, Lake Union Publishing and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

DNF 25%. When I read Wendy Webb I expect a certain creep factor. This book started out with a serious bang but very quickly began to read like a romance novel. I can't believe all the background love stories, of both the present day characters and the historical characters, were actually necessary. But then I guess I really don't know since I didn't finish it. I gave it a good try but just found myself bored.