Member Reviews

I really liked this book!
Good storyline, ghostly scary at times, good mystery blend in it too.
New author for me, but I will continue reading her books in the future, because her plot and great storytelling is priceless!
The author took me for a fun ride with this novel.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I loved this book. I was instantly captivated by the Lacewood estate. I loved reading about Katie as she discovered the story behind the house. I could picture this old mansion in the Virginia countryside; the gardens, the statue in the garden, the trees, and the haunting story of its previous inhabitants. It was beautifully written. I loved how the story was told in three parts and how they all tied together to tell us the story of Lacewood.

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Wow, this book!
This is the first book I've read by this author as I've just discovered her but she writes of one of my favorite subjects, the Civil War. I can guarantee you it won't be the last book read by her.
I was mesmerized by this book.
The haunting prose made me want to read it all the way through in one go.
The house took on a life of it's own, hauntingly beautiful, brilliantly described I felt as though I were there in the house as secrets are uncovered and we have a better understanding of the family that lived there in the past. Their story comes to life in this time split book that I know I will not forget the character's story for a long time.
I highly recommend this book!

Pub Date 18 Jun 2019
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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Lacewood: A Novel of Time and Place is about secrets, fulfilling a destiny and a love story that includes a a ghost. I especially enjoy reading haunting and ghost novels so I was looking forward to reading this book and I was not disappointed. Katie a socialite from New York purchases and abandoned 200-year old home. Well, as you can imagine it comes with colorful characters and secrets and a haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.

The characters are well written and the book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed the story-line and highly recommend this book.

I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I enjoyed the storyline very much but thought the Language was a bit overdone. The feats that Katie managed to accomplish without very little outside help were just too much to believe. One does not move into an abandoned house and find it in such good condition - perhaps I have been watching too much HGTV. However, I did enjoy the book and would readily recommend it to any of my patrons.

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The story is well thought out and nicely written making this an exciting page turner and one which I am more than happy to recommend."

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Jessica James had me from page one with this book. I loved everything about this book the couple of ghost sightings, the genealogy, the shadows of the past, the mystery, the friendship, the healing ETC

The story is described so clearly you can see everything in your minds eye as if you are actually there. The book was not overly described with useless descriptions f people, places, and things that lend nothing to the story. I personally really appreciate that.

Reluctant New York socialite Katie McCain decides to take a detour on a return trip from Washington DC home to New York. Her Grandmother passed away several years ago when Katie was a teenager. Katie remembers spending time with hr Grandmother as the happiest time in her young life. While on the detour Katie runs across Lacewood Mansion in the middle of nowhere. The Mansion and grounds are abandoned and over grown, but something about the place beckons to Katie and impulsively she buys it.

Katie decides to restore the home and do as much as possible by herself. A she beings she starts finding clues from thee past of the family who lived there 150 years before. The more

she discovers about the family the more she feels at home in Lacewood.

This is where we meet hometown hero Will Durham. Home from the war with a bit of PTSD and a lots of remorse after not being able to save his best friend. Will is sullen and hard to read for Katie but he decides to help her with restore the house if he can live in the caretakers cabin. Katie agrees. This is also where the love story begins.

The book is broken down into 3 parts. Part 1 is the build up to the love story. Part 2 is Annie's story. Annie is the past owner. Than Part 3 is the end of the book and the culmination of the first 2 parts and their love story.

Thanks Netgalley for another get book.

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I LOVED this book. It was like reading MY dream of finding a house with mystery and intrigue. Not to mention it was based in my home state of Virginia!!

Katie McCain bought a house after stumbling on it - it was love at first site. Escaping a life she never really embraced, she threw herself into rehabing the old mansion - with the help of local war hero Will. Will comes with his own baggage but together they piece together a love story from the turbulent Civil War times.

It's a ghost story, a romance, a "finding yourself" story all rolled up in one. Couldn't put it down!!

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Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

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2.5 stars.
A quote (from ARC):
«“But you know how small towns and young boys get along. New Hope was too slow and too boring. He was always the type to run toward risk. As soon as he was able, he joined the service.”»

A handsome guilt-ridden hero, dealing with survivor’s guilt, in a story about a place – Lacewood, New Hope – and American history, this book left me indifferent and didn’t really hold my interest, although I found Annie and Jonathon’s romance (past plotline) movingly sad.
The contemporary plotline felt a bit too slow, with too much telling instead of showing. I couldn’t care about the characters – Katie and Will – and I felt Will’s mentioned physical and/or emotional wounds were only barely addressed.

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Loved this book!
A haunting story crossing through the past to the present.
Beautifully written featuring strong, but flawed, characters against the backdrop of a beautiful southern mansion.

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During a drive in Virginia Katie McCain becomes lost and stumbles upon an abandoned mansion, which she impulsively buys. Leaving the glamor of her high society life in NY, she feels more at home and more herself fixing up Lacewood, her new home. She meets recently returned vet Will who is going to live in her guest cottage in exchange for his help with her renovation. An easy beach read, I liked everything about the house, the renovations, her relationship with Will, and her preoccupation with the former residents of the house. But I would not characterize this as a ghost story by any means. In the latter part of the book the chapters bring us to the past and the story of their time during the civil war. This felt like a complete departure, and I think would have been better interspersing past chapter with present chapters.
While I enjoyed the book, it felt very tepid, and following a formula. It captured my attention from the first page, then petered out and I found myself skimming pages to get to the end.

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