Mystery, Ghosts, Community
Healing, Growth, Love
This is a wonderful story.
Story Line:
Lucy, 28, and her mother live in Detroit and have always been travelers; on to the next adventure until her mother became ill. As her mother lays in a hospital bed she has a request she makes of Lucy, a promise Lucy does not want to make, but must for her mothers peace of mind.
The request is for Lucy to quit her job, get on the first bus out town without looking at the destination, and spend a year working and saving money; she then wants Lucy to apply to the Van Gogh Institute of Paris for an art scholarship.
Lucy is a bundle of nerves, how can she do this-leave her mother-never, no money, no way to pay her critically ill mothers and her bills, and she doesn’t considerate herself talented enough for the art institute. The promise she makes her mother is breaking her in pieces, but deep inside she felt a spark. So begins Lucy’s adventure.
Lucy’s journey ends in Ashford, Connecticut home of the Maple Sugar Farm and the town hard to leave, according to CeCe, a passenger on the bus. Small town USA is a wonderful place. She directed to the café, the B and B and a job with Clay at the syrup farm.
Everyone is kind, warm, helpful except Clay the Hunk with a capital H. No one knows why Clay avoids everyone in town and stays at the run down farm inherited from his Uncle Jessup. The town’s people say the ghost of the former owner, Jessup, haunts the farm and walks through the orchard of maple tree he loved so much.
Clay and Lucy snark and bite at one another constantly, but Lucy will not give up, she must have the money from this job. Attraction is burning brightly.
Character, Plotting, And Development:
Author Rebecca Raisin created a wonderful story full of mysteries on the farm; ghost, Lucy’s mother and her secrets, hidden journals, paintings, small town values, small town gossip, small town caring, strong characters.
An old love story that consumed one person, the mystery of what happened to Clay to close himself off, two main characters fighting love, and a plot that was interesting from start to finish with twist and turns.
The pacing was good and moved at just the right pace. I loved watching Lucy and Clay grow in character, love, and solve the mysteries of the farm and Jessup.
This is a story of separation, healing, growth, letting go and living life, realizing dreams, acceptance, commitment, and love. There is so much emotion in this book from the heights of happiness to the depths of despair and sadness. I cried at some points in the book and laughed in others.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book and give it 5 stars, it is a wonderful story well written. There is a very small amount of sex, nothing explicit, nothing descriptive and handled wonderfully by Ms. Raisin. I look forward to Ms. Raisin’s next book.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest opinion.
Books reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; book reviews on line under my name are my opinion.
Link To Rebecca Raisin’s Website