I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Christie Ryan passed up a beach vacation with her fiancé, Derek to attend her grandmother's funeral in a small town in Australia. What she thinks will be take a few days while she disposes of her grandmother's estate , including her home, becomes a much lengthier stay after she discovers some letters and a painting her grandmother had left in the attic. While she tries to solve the mystery of the letters, she makes the acquaintance of a local artist, Martin. He is rude and unfriendly but makes her feel so much more than her fiancé, Derek. Should she just leave the mystery of the letters behind her or should she stay and create a new future?

This story has a bit of a cheesy start and I almost passed on finishing it, but I'm really glad I stuck with it. In fact, I just downloaded the sequel-so I highly recommend it!

Two love stories generations apart.

I love time slip novels and this book did not disappoint.

If you are fans of Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley then i think you will enjoy this book.
The cover drew me immediately to this book, an old scroll, ribbon interlacing rings, a key and an old photo – were all elements that told a story of its own.

I was a little disheartened with the start of the book and struggled to get into the story but I can promise you, perseverance is vital.

And once you have connected with this book you will not want to put it down. The writing completely immerses you into the story and the rest of the world fades into the background and the book takes over.

Christie Ryan is a successful makeup artist whose love life is on the rocks so her fiance Derek plans a romantic getaway for them in the hopes of reconnecting them both and some well needed time together.
Unfortunately Christie’s grandmother dies unexpectedly and even though she has been estranged from her grandmother she decides to attend the funeral whilst Derek goes ahead to their holiday destination Lizard Island.

When Christie arrives in River’s End she finds that her estranged Grandmother left her a cottage, and the mystery surrounding the cottage.

She discovers an old painting and a bundle of old love letters that draw her into the heart wrenching world of Thomas and Martha in a fifty-year-old mystery. They set Christie off on a journey into the past, revealing much about her grandmother, great-aunt and a mysterious man named Thomas Blake.

She soon enlists the help of a local artist, Martin Blake, a local resident and relative of Thomas Blake. The cottage has many secrets to share but some secrets don’t want to be shared.

Tied to Christie’s story is her great-aunt Martha’s story which takes us back in time and reveals a tragic past, defined by misunderstanding and unfortunately matters left unsaid, leaving a trail of broken hearts that reverberates across the decades..

Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure this book is an emotional rollercoaster that had me in tears.

This book is simply beautiful and i can not recommend this book highly enough and it will be a book i will read again.

If you love romance books with mystery entwined you need to read this book. Breathtaking, heart wrenching, beautiful book spanning over 5 generations.

Read this book, you won’t regret it! Congratulations Phillipa Nefri Clark on this book and I can’t wait to read your next book 🙂

I will be honest about this book, I did not want to read it after a few chapters. It felt like a cheap, cookie-cutter Hallmark movie. But I kept with it and I am so glad I did. 

Christie Ryan is a successful makeup artist in Hollywood. She and her fiance Derek are going through a rough patch in their relationship, mainly due to Derek not liking Christie being gone for long periods of time. Derek spontaneously plans a romantic getaway for them, but Christie's grandmother dies unexpectedly. This leaves Christie to deal with her Gran's funeral alone while Derek continues on to Lizard Island and his getaway.

At the funeral, Christie discovers that Gran has left her a cottage, and with it the a mystery to the past. Christie is intrigued by old letters and a painting she finds in the attic. Martin Blake joins her in restoring the painting, but keeping his own secrets. As Christie unlocks the past, she discovers more about herself and what she wants for her future.  

I got halfway through this book, and I was almost ready to set it aside. I'm not a fan of clique romances found in every chic movie. But as the mystery got deeper and the character cast grew, I flew through the rest of the book. And I ended up crying happy tears at the end. 

Blog Review Publication Date: 9/8/2017

Christie travels to her grandmothers funeral alone when her fiancé leaves on a luxury vacation. To her surprise, her grandmother has left her a cottage along with a plea to heal a rift 50 years in the making. While I loved reading about the beautiful Australian countryside and the restoration of the cottage, the men in her story are creepy. Even the hero(es) are downright stalkerish.