Saturday, February 6, 2016

Book Review - Beyond the Silence

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother's dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. Murky rumors swirl around Woodward Colton, her new employer, but the gossip doesn't match the man Lillian comes to know.

Still, something dark did happen in the family's past. Lillian's seven-year-old charge hasn't spoken in over a year. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he'll one day feel safe enough to share what scared him. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. When the housekeeper is brutally attacked, the town once again suspects the worst. Will discovering the truth help Lillian clear the name of the man she has come to love---or will it endanger her even more?

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

Connect with Tracie: website, Facebook

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multipublished author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker/teacher, she's shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens live in Colorado.

Connect with Kimberley: website, Twitter, Facebook

MY REVIEW:

This book is a story of good versus evil. What's really compelling about it, is the authors don't try to whitewash the evilness of the evil character. He actually made me uncomfortable at times because he committed all types of atrocities. I thought the book started out a bit slow but it steadily gained my attention and, about mid way through, I was having a hard time putting it down.

Lillian is from a wealthy family and she feels the pull of the West because her mother wanted to go West. Her parents are both dead and she lives with her grandfather who doesn't understand her dream at all and disowns her when she chooses to accept a position as a nanny in California. 

Woody has recently been widowed after his wife was viciously murdered in her own home and her son, Jimmy, was in the house to witness it. Ever since this horrible thing happened, Jimmy hasn't spoken a word. Woody is hoping that hiring Lillian as a nanny will help his son. His housekeeper is very loving toward Jimmy, but she's older and Jimmy needs a younger person. 

It's really eye opening at how people will treat other people based on gossip. Woody is treated horribly after his wife's murder after the gossip mill starts the rumor that he actually killed her.  There's a lot of suspense in this  novel, too, because we know who the murderer is and we see the evilness of him as he does things just to be cruel and powerful. 

I think my favorite character is Harry. He's a child-like man whose heart is sweet but his evil brother is constantly making him do things he doesn't want to do. Harry loves his brother and wants to please him. I love seeing Harry blossom under the friendship of Lillian and Jimmy. 

This is a great story of love and suspense. Like I said, it seemed to start slow for me but it definitely redeemed itself as the story went a long and things because more complex. I really enjoyed this book over all and give it 4 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group



Blessings - Julie

1 comment:

Please leave me a message! I love hearing what you have to say and look forward to your comments.