Friday, July 01, 2022

The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor

 


by Mary Ellen Taylor
Southern Fiction

Book Blurb:

When a shipwreck surfaces, old secrets are sure to follow.

Or so goes the lore in Ivy Neale’s hometown of Nags Head, North Carolina. When Ivy inherits her family’s beachfront cottage upon her grandmother’s death, she knows returning to Nags Head means facing the best friend and the boyfriend who betrayed her years ago.

But then a winter gale uncovers the shipwreck of local legend—and Ivy soon begins to stumble across more skeletons in the closet than just her own. Amid the cottage’s clutter are clues from her grandmother’s past at the enchanting seaside resort her family once owned. One fateful summer in 1950, the arrival of a dazzling singer shook the staff and guests alike—and not everyone made it to fall.

As Ivy contends with broken relationships and a burgeoning romance in the present, the past threatens to sweep her away. But as she uncovers the strength of her grandmother and the women who came before her, she realizes she is like the legendary shipwreck: the sands may shift around her, but she has found her home here by the sea.



Review by Stephanie Suesan Smith:


Coming home to a fraught world of relationships and betrayals, Ivy tries to find her feet.  I enjoyed this novel.  It was well written and I read it all in one sitting.  Everyone has skeletons in their closet, and I could empathize with this heroine as she finds hers.  I would recommend this novel.


Caroline will be back soon.  She is finishing her novel Gentry, which will be out soon.



1 comment:

Caroline Clemmons said...

That book sounds really good, Stephanie. Thank your for your review!