AUTHOR: Carrie Turansky
DATE: 2023
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
STARS: ****
From the back cover:
In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.
In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.
Two women a century apart are taken on a journey to healing, faith, and forgiveness in this heartfelt dual-time Edwardian romance from bestselling author Carrie Turansky.
My review:
Gwen Monroe made a mistake – one that cost her grandfather’s prestigious company money and reputation. Whether to punish or protect her, she doesn’t know, but he sends her to an old friend to appraise the belongings in Longdale Manor. In her shame, she doesn’t trust her own judgment and mistrusts David Bradley, the grandson of the manor’s owner.
Through an old journal shown her by the mistress of the manor, Gwen discovers a story of a young woman a hundred years earlier who also mistrusts everything she’d believed in. Their kinship of heartbreak leads to hints of another kind of bond.
Dual time stories are not my usual choice, but this one caught me from the beginning. The relationships are realistic, the plot intriguing, and the characters became quite real. I enjoyed The Legacy of Longdale Manor and give it four stars. I was given a copy of this book by Baker Publishing Group and Graf Martin Communications Ltd.