Door to the Past Series
Book Information
The Grand Hotel Slowly Reveals Her Secrets
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.
Two successful women, a hundred-and-twenty-years apart, build walls to protect their hearts. Modern-day Willa, a successful interior decorator, is chosen to consult for the Grand Hotel’s possible redesign. She discovers a journal detailing the struggles of a young woman, Lily—which reveals dark secrets. The renowned singer wasn’t who she pretended to be. As Willa reaches out to Lily’s descendant, a charismatic and prominent landscape artist, she lets down her guard. Should she share the journal with him, or once again erect a wall as she struggles to redesign both the Grand and her life?
- Rating: ☆☆☆
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
- Length: 256 pages
- Publisher: Barbour
- Series: Doors to the Past
- Release Date: November 1, 2021
This is a dual storyline from 1895 and present-day 2020. Though I could sometimes feel the connection between the two stories, it wasn’t very obvious.
While I found each story somewhat interesting, in time my interest began to wane. Neither story moved at a quick enough pace. It almost felt as though I was reading two books at once. First one chapter, and then the next one being another book.
There were enough characters in the separate stories that I had to keep on my toes. And while the modern story referred often to Covid, which reflects history, many readers may feel this is still such a prevalent virus affecting families, that it might be a touchy subject to want to read about.
On the plus side, the writing flowed. I was very interested in Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel which were included in the story..
My Concerns
In this case, the dual timeline didn’t work for me. While each story felt somewhat interesting, the cast of characters continued to grow and the multiple subplots and relationships caused me to want to reach for a less challenging, more engaging book.
Final Thoughts
I just didn’t connect with this plot. But before you make a decision, check out other reviews. This is just my opinion.
My thanks to Barbour and Justread Tours for including me as a host, providing me with this book, and allowing me to freely express my feelings.
Rating
3 STARS
It’s okay. You might like it, maybe not.
About the Author
Carrie Fancett Pagels is a multi-published award-winning author of Christian historical romance. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!
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