3.5 stars
When Gracie inherited the house from her grandmother, she was surprised to discover that the house held a secret. This puts her on a path to discover the secrets of the house while retaining ownership of it. Gracie’s ownership of the house created problems in her family that were not fully explained and were not resolved.

I did not connect with Gracie as there were too many threads in her story, many of which were not resolved or felt rushed. I enjoyed the side character of Mia and was intrigued by the hints of her story that appeared throughout this book.
In 1855, Olivia is a conductor on the Underground Railroad and her story was fascinating. I found myself looking forward to Olivia’s chapters as I waited to see what would happen to the characters. Passages of Hope gave an interesting glimpse into what life may have been like for the passengers and conductors of the Underground Railroad. Still, there were threads in Olivia’s story that felt rushed as the author tried to resolve the issues.

Readers will be reminded that God has a plan for their lives though the plan may not unfold how they expect it to.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

A fantastic story! The characters are wonderfully written, connecting the reader emotionally to the account. The future and the past collide in this heartfelt story of secrets that give hope and a chance at a new life to many. Many twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat, along with a budding romance. The author does a great job tying the past and present together in a beautiful story of family and the beauty that comes from hardships. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by this author.
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a dual time novel and my first to read by this author. Passages of Hope did not disappoint. I can say that Haynes did her research for this one very well. She formed very interesting characters both during the 1800’s and the present day. I learned a lot about the underground railroad during the time of slavery. Some things I had already read about and some things were a complete shock. Walled up rooms, hidden passages, not knowing who can be trusted, all make a most interesting novel that keeps your interest to the last line…..”I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

This book is an excellent read. It gives an historical account of the Underground Railroad using a real life person William Still who helped runaway slaves that escaped from their plantation owners to the North where they can live free.
The characters were well developed and you can feel the different emotions that they were going through. Especially since helping runaway slaves to freedom, they can be captured and sold into slavery themselves.
I like how the author intertwines the two main characters Gracie McNiel who has just inherited her grandmothers house in present day and Olivia Kingston who along with her husband Douglas owned the same house back in the 1830’s.
Olivia helped with the transition of the escaped slaves and had a secret room where they were hidden until it was safe for the slaves to move on towards freedom.. Gracie had promised her grandmother that she would open a yarn shop in the house, so when the contractor went to install the sales counter to a wall, it was discovered that there is a secret door behind the wall which leads to a secret room. Since the house is across the street from William Still’s house, perhaps Gracie’s house qualifies for historical status.
It is interesting to see how Gracie and Clarence the grandson of Gracie’s grandmother friend Lila, do research on the house, while the storyline shows what happens during the time Olivia owned the house.
There were a lot of plot twists, history lessons, family problems and romance., that made for a page-turner from beginning to the end.
I highly recommend this book to read and any other books by this author.
Cassandra H.
I voluntarily received this ARC and this review is of my own honest opinion and thoughts.

I have discovered that I really enjoy dual timeline stories, for the most part. Passages of Hope appealed to me, in part because it is a dual timeline book, and in part because it involves the Underground Railroad, which of course, is always an interesting topic for a story. Combine a mystery in an inherited house with the Underground Railroad, and we have a fascinating story waiting to be discovered.
Gracie felt very much alone. Because her mother had died when Gracie was born, her Gran was the most stable person in her life. Now, Gran was gone, and had passed her house along to Gracie. Gracie was in the process of using the house to follow her dream, despite her uncle’s animosity, when she discovered something very mysterious about the house. Coupled with the knowledge that her house was very near William Still’s house, she thought she knew what she had found. How could she find the truth, though? What would it do to her to accept help from Gran’s friend’s grandson? And, when an expensive bag went missing during a knitting class, how could she find the truth and help her students at the same time?
Olivia was very involved in helping her fellow black people to escape from slavery to Canada. Her husband was not involved in her work – until Olivia ran into trouble while helping a woman and her baby. Trying to care for them, as well as solve the mystery of a conductor who was apparently an impostor, took all the courage she could muster up. How would her story connect with Gracie‘s story over 150 years later?
What a story. I loved both parts of Passages of Hope, the contemporary and the historical. Gracie had to learn to stand up for herself, to not let people who are against her drag her down, had how to handle grief. Olivia also had things she needed to learn, such as being honest with her husband. Both women tried to do everything themselves, and had a hard time accepting help. Both also faced seemingly insurmountable challenges; could they learn to depend on God to get them through these problems? I also loved the glimpse of Baltimore in the 1850s, and the way the Black community helped those fleeing from slavery. Another plus, for me is that the romance, while there, was a fairly minor part of the story.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapters 19, 32: a kiss. Chapter 24: a woman is kidnapped and injured.

The moment I saw it, I knew I had to read it. It also had bonus points that I've interacted (and read) with the author before.

Did I mention this book is dual timeline?

I love how Ms. Haynes puts us right in the beginning. Gracie has just inherited her grandmother's house in order to fulfill a dream. She's facing a lot of opposition but there's a quiet strength in her she hasn't yet discovered is there.

But then the moment comes when she finds that secret room and I was hooked (could that be a crochet joke?)!

The history of that room, and of course, the dual timeline we get to experience it in, along with personal touches of what being able to crochet/knit means to Gracie kept me turning the pages. This book will stick with me long after the end.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.

1855 and present day Philadelphia

Another nice addition to the Doors to the Past Series!

In the present day thread, Gracie has just inherited her grandmother's home, much to the displeasure of her uncle. Gracie's dream is to open a thread store on the ground level and live in the second story. Then she discovers the house may have been a part of the underground railroad.

In 1855, Olivia and her husband Douglas are living free with successful careers (seamstress and doctor). Both put their lives on the line to help slaves make their way to freedom.

The author brought the time period to life through two engaging threads.

Passages of Hope is a wonderful addition to Barbour Publishing's Doors to the Past series. I am thrilled that it has introduced me to another talented new-to-me author! This book is a dual-timeline story. Gracie McNeil lives in present day Philadelphia in the home she recently inherited from her grandmother. Olivia Kingston lived in the house in the mid 1800s, using it as her family home, her dressmaking shop, and as a station on the Underground Railroad. Emotions run high in both timelines, and the author skillfully helps the reader empathize. Both timelines have tension that keeps the reader highly engaged, among those is wondering who is behind Gracie's worries that she will lose her grandmother's house and who is threatening the Bella Vista area station houses. Passages of Hope focuses on the importance of family and the willingness to accept help when it is offered and needed.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Passages of Hope from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. I most highly recommend it.

Wonderful story! I love the Doors to the Past series, and Passages of Hope is a terrific addition!

Passages of Hope by Terri J. Haynes is a compelling dual timeline story involving the Underground Railroad in Philadephia. In the present day story, Gracie MCNeil inherits a three-story row house from her gran. She has been alone much of her life except for her close relationship with her Gran. Now she's gone and Gracie is suffering from grief. As Gracie implements a few small changes to accommodate her knitting business, a secret room is found that could have been used for the underground railroad. Her gran's best friend Miss Lila, and her grandson Clarence are very interested in this development. I love nerdy and sweet Clarence who is a researcher and helped lead to the discovery of William Still's home. Clarence "wore glasses that seemed to magnify the kindness twinkling in his eyes."

Back in 1855, Olivia Kingston lives across the street from William Still (the father of the Underground Railroad.) Olivia is a free black woman who is a conductor of the underground railroad, helping escaped slaves find freedom. She also runs a dress shop, and tries to keep many of details of her 'secret' job from her husband, one of the town's only black doctors, to protect him.

Author Terri J Haynes does a beautiful job with both timelines, I could not stop turning pages. I love the story, and the history! Immediately after finishing, I googled The Underground Railroad by William Still and put it in my Amazon cart!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for allowing me to read an early copy, all opinions are my own.

This book was fascinating to me to read about the historical fiction of the underground railroad. I enjoyed reading about the present day Gracie and Olivia in the time of the underground railroad. It gave me even more to think about in terms of that time period and the great sacrifices of the men and women who were trying to escape and those that were trying to keep them safe. My only struggle at times with the book was that Gracie was so down on herself and a little too negative for me.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Absolutely beautiful! I loved the flow of the dual time line. The suspense of the Underground Railroad story kept me turning the pages. Following Gracie and Clarence’s search for Gracie’s history and legacy was very inspirational. The book was well thought out and very well written. A wonderful story written about a very sad time in our nation’s history told showing the strength of those who took a stand while putting themselves in danger. Perseverance in adversity. Strength that continues on to future generations.

This is a well written dual timeline story that combines fact with fiction to make it a wonderful read.
The dual timelines flow together beautifully and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next.
This book is a wonderful addition to Doors to the Past series. Highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing and was not required to write a review.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this split time novel for so many reasons—the modern setting, the history of the Underground Railroad, the likable characters, the main characters who are crafters and makers. This is definitely one of my favorites from the Doors to the Past series, and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author and it was so great. I loved the dual history of it and she wrote all the characters so differently that it didn’t feel like she was reusing people or personality traits. I loved Gracie but I also loved Olivia and toward the end, I really loved Douglas and his quiet love for Olivia.

This was a book I could read in one sitting. It held my attention and made me want to keep reading. I wanted to be Gracie. I loved how her grandmother nurtured her and helped her realize her dream. I wanted to do something that amazing myself. And I know with God’s help, I can! This book definitely grew my “hope”

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was under no obligation to review it. All opinions are mine.

This split time novel gives a look back into the operation of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. Olivia showed much strength and determination as she helped hide and care for fugitive slaves. Fast forward to modern day, Gracie has just inherited her grandmother's house which holds many secrets. As Gracie struggles with her grief she needs to find a way to keep the house by learning its secrets. Gracie had too much drama not related to the story for me. Uncle Rand's character needed more explanation. I liked learning about the searching for historical papers. I enjoyed the 1850's story more than the modern day because I felt it had more depth. Historical fiction readers will enjoy this addition to the series.

This was an interesting dual-timeline traveling between modern and 1800s stories. I enjoyed seeing the connection between the two times and especially the historical aspect of what it was like for free blacks to be part of the Underground Railroad and the dangers they faced even living in free states.

Passages of hope is a well written dual time line book 📕. Very good plot and character dynamics. Two time periods are woven together perfectly. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my book. This is my unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this dual time novel, the newest in Barbour Publishing’s excellent Doors to the Past series. The female lead characters in both timelines are interesting, strong women neither of whom fully recognizes their strength. Stories like this one about the Underground Railroad and the brave men and women who risked literally everything for the freedom of black slaves are equally heartbreaking and inspiring. I am awed by the courage of women like Olivia in the 1800’s timeline. Passages of Hope is beautifully written, flows easily from time period to time period with themes of hope, family, sacrifice and learning to lean on the strength of the people God places around you. I have not read any other books by Terri J. Haynes but definitely would again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour for the opportunity to read for my honest review.

This was a powerful story that sheds light on the Underground Railroad. It was so interesting how the secret room came to be in when Gracie's contractor finds it as they're renovating her gran's home that she's recently inherited.

We get to know Gracie after the loss of her beloved gran. She's had a rough life and she's dealing with a lot in this story. Her storyline was a bit depressing because honestly, not much is going well with her life. Everything and everyone seems to be against her. She has glimmers of light with her gran's friend & grandson. Clarence, as well as her cousin.

I loved Olivia's story. Loved it while it was incredibly difficult to read because of the horrible injustices done to fellow human beings. Her story, as well as the others in her community helping slaves and free Blacks find safety, was inspiring. It helps us to remember there's good in the world amidst the evil. I felt like I kept holding my breath with how fragile all of their safety was in trying to keep their work secret.

There were parts of the "present" story that seemed a bit clunky and a couple spots that I didn't quite understand. Overall I enjoyed the story and it really made me want to read more about those who aided in the Underground Railroad.

Oh, I enjoyed this! I don't think I've ever read a book set in Philadelphia during the days of the Underground Railroad, so that alone was fascinating! But adding in the contemporary storyline, and loveable characters, and it turns into something really special.

I really liked Gracie from the first chapter; I don't knit, but it's a beautiful art form, and seeing her love for it come to life was great. Her story is one of grief, but also an adorable love story between her and Clarence. The history nerd in me loves Clarence, haha!

Olivia's story was so interesting, teaching me about a part of history I haven't studied as much as I'd like to. Her plot had more harrowing moments than Gracie's, but reflected so much strength and hope.

Most of the time in a split-time novel, I prefer one storyline over the other, but here I found that I enjoyed both equally. I wanted to see both of these ladies succeed, and while Gracie's struggles didn't seem quite as dire as Olivia's, they were still relatable to life in the 21st century.

Overall, it's a lovely book, and I'm so glad I read it! 4.5 stars from me!

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**