Happy Monday, Reader Friends!
Today I’m sharing a review of Jaime Jo Wright’s The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond! It’s her latest novel and one you’ll want to add to your TBR pile!
Let’s get started!
About the Book
The Blurb: “or over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant faade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through the collection, she’s wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and deadly secrets she’ll uncover.
A century earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father’s newspaper, receives an obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works with the deacon’s son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town–but it isn’t until another obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they’ve waded into.
Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it’s too late and they lose their future–or their very souls.”
Links: Amazon, B&N, CBD, Goodreads
My Thoughts
I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond except for suspense and faith. I admit, I figured it would be a little on the creepy side because of Ms. Wright’s first novel, The House on Foster Hill. While Ms. Wright does give the reader suspense and faith, the mystery aspect is so much more.
“Libby Sheffield had never stopped to wonder what she would take specific note of if she ever stumbled upon a dead body.”
From the opening line, I was pulled in. Where the deaths in 1907 Gossamer Grove, Wisconsin merely accidental? Was there something sinister in happen? And when it becomes obvious that the deaths have some link, who is to be blamed?
I loved the mystery in the 1907 thread and present day Gossamer Grove. I wanted to know how the two stories connected and I hoped that there would be some romance woven in the two (y’all know I can’t have a book without some sparks).
If the romance wasn’t enough to pull me in, the faith message certainly gripped me. My favorite quote:
“The consequence of sin is death, but grace of God brings us life. One must fear God for what He can do, while loving Him for what He doesn’t do. A contrite heart results in the withholding of discipline in exchange for mercy–and love.”
There is so much spiritual truth in this novel that you’ll want to soak up and enjoy. Ms. Wright did a great job on her second novel and has made me a fan. I eagerly await the publication of The Curse of Misty Wayfair (not to mention the cover is phenomenal).
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publishers. This review is my own, honest opinion.
About the Author
Professional coffee drinker & ECPA/Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited romantic suspense stained with the shadows of history. Coffee fuels her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy Tinkerbell, and a very mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimejowright.com.
Toni Shiloh 