A first my me from this author and I read it as a standalone! I absolutely loved everything about this book! The characters and story line were captivating from beginning to end! I loved the detail put into each characters story and the rich history in the entire book! I couldn't put it down! The only thing I was sad about was that I didn't get to read the first one, who now I'm definitely going to read! It has a truly surprising ending!! Loved everything about it!! Can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you NetGalley and Montlake publishing for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!!

At first I was a little put off by the overload of what felt like random historical facts. I think that it was to help you get to know the main character Megan. The families were also a little hard to keep track of because they were a lot of them and there were complicated situations.

That being said I really loved the story. Once I got the hang of it I was hooked. I devoured the second half because I was dying to know more about Diane, her siblings, and how it all tied together.

As I'm typing this I checked Goodreads to see what else the author has written only to find there is a book titled Winter Cottage that looks to be the first book of this series (even though its not titled as a series). I think everything would have made a lot more sense if I had read that first but now I do plan to go back and read that book as well.

I adored every second of this book. It didn't take me long to feel like I was among friends, helping to restore Spring House, and trying to uncover Diane's story. It was a little bit of everything I love about books. There was a little bit of romance, a little bit of history, and a little bit of intrigue, all wrapped up in a beautifully written story that spanned decades. I get a little nervous when I read books that bounce around from one time period to another. Sometimes, they can get confusing, but that did not happen with Spring House. It actually made it impossible to put the book down. I couldn't wait to see how everything played out, and how everything was connected.

This was my first Mary Ellen Taylor book, and I can't wait to go back and read Winter Cottage so I can spend a little more time in this world with these characters. This is a book I will revisit time and time again, and it's a book I will tell all of my friends about.

Spring House is a beautiful story as is the cover for the book!

The lives of those from the past entwined gorgeously with those of the present, thanks to the lovely writing by the author, Mary Ellen Taylor. Although I haven't read Winter Cottage, the first book in this series, I still really enjoyed reading Spring House. This family mystery was full of great characters, some of whom I loved and others I wanted to hate but they managed to redeem themselves. Nothing was as it appeared and I was kept on my toes throughout. I loved the writing-style of Mary Ellen Taylor and the way every detail in the novel had been well thought-out and the plot impeccably executed.

This was definitely a charming and fulfilling read and very worthy of its five stars!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Montlake Romance via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Well thought-out details entwining the life of those in the past with the present through the history of Winter Cottage and Spring House gave me a beautiful novel to read. As restoration is done at Spring House, while residing in the Winter Cottage, treasures once hidden are found in the clutter Samuel Jessup left behind. Letters from the early 1900s from Diane, who was in France, to her sister Claire, who ended up at Cape Hudson, Virginia, help guide historian Megan and her boss and friend, Lucy, toward discovering secrets, the hard war times experienced, heartaches, as well as some parts of their own roots. Samuel Jessup’s journals bridge the gap between the countries through his travels back and forth by sea as a merchant marine. This novel was enlightening, and I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving of lives from the first half of the 20th century with the present. Lucy’s story is written in the first book in this series, Winter Cottage. You may want to read it first, although you do not need to in order to enjoy this wonderful novel. [I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through NetGalley and my opinion is my own.]

Loved Winter Cottage with the intertwine of generational stories so I opened Spring House with trepidation. Would it be as griping? Oh yes! More Claire and Beth. More history, family and world. Characters you want to hate but they redeem themselves. Nothing is as it appears and you are on your toes and the edge of your seat. If you liked Lucy's and Hank's story you don't want to miss Megan and .... Nope, that would be giving it away. Read it for yourself!

This is the first book I’ve read by Mary Ellen Taylor. Women’s fiction isn’t a genre that I read a lot, but the book description appealed to me, so when I received an invitation from the published, via Net-Galley, to read and review I accepted. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Spring House is an excellent example of women’s fiction and what makes that genre such a satisfying read. I was fascinated by the journey Megan takes as she reads the journals she finds in the house she’s remodeling. The pacing is perfect, varying in intensity when needed and slowing down other times, giving me the chance to savor the story.

Megan Buchanan’s character has complexities which makes her an intriguing character. She’s had a tough time what with the death of her ex-fiancée, days after she caught him with another woman. Her focus is on her job and doing what is best for her baby. I loved her friendship with Lucy, the woman who owns the hunting lodge. They look after each other.

I loved the story that comes out as she reads the journals. Then when she finds Diane’s letters to her sister, I became absorbed in her story as well. Spring House took me from the present to the past with easy, keeping me engaged from the beginning to the end.

If you enjoy historical women’s fiction with fascinating character and a splash of romance, then you will love Spring House as much as I did. I have already downloaded Winter Cottage and can’t wait to read it. Happy reading!

Megan and Lucy, who you might have met in an earlier book, discover a cache of letters as they renovate a caretaker's cottage at Lucy's home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia-which leads to a lovely story about finding family. Moving between three time periods, it's the story of Claire, her sister Diane, and of Megan, all of whom have issues beyond their control. Megan's pregnant and her dead fiance's mother is lurking around town (what a pain she is). Of course there are family secrets. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Well done and a good read.

Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I was curious when I read about this book. I really enjoyed this and will recommend to my friends and patrons. Going back and forth in time did not seem distracting at all. Loved the characters.

I really liked this book. Winter Cottage was my first Mary Ellen Taylor book and I really enjoyed it. What I liked about Spring House is that while we have Megan's story, we also get to know more about Lucy, Hank and Natasha. Spring House is a good telling of a story within a story. I really liked Megan and her struggle to deal with the death of her ex, being pregnant, and starting a new job. I didn't care for Scott's mother at all. I found her rude, pushy and very judgmental. I liked Rick and hope we will see more of him and Megan. Really good book, I highly recommend it.

A beautiful story of healing and discovery. Megan's journey of trying to go on with her life after the tragic loss of her husband while also dealing with raising the child she is pregnant with without a father is heartbreaking in parts but also a beautiful story of finding ones self and finding an inner strength to keep pushing forward after tragedy. The beautiful bonds and support of family and friends were so touching to read and the idea of Megan restoring this beautiful old house while also learning to restore her life was a wondeful parallel and made this book so wonderful to read.

I adore this series. Always a great mystery around the story of then and now. Mary Burton has always been one of my favorite authors and under this pen name she has become a whole new author to me.

Spring House can be read as a standalone; however, it is truly a continuation of Winter Cottage, with the focus on different characters. Spring House's protagonists are the very pregnant Megan in the present day and Diane (Claire's sister) in the past. Again, the author does a magnificent job of interweaving past and present. I found myself equally enthralled with both storylines. With more of Claire and Diane's siblings to learn about, I'm really hoping there will be more novels based on these characters.

This is my first Mary Ellen Taylor book but not my last. I loved this book. A historical hunting lodge is inherited by the granddaughter Lucy Kincaid and is being restored under the eye of Megan Buchanan. This book has it all - romance, mystery, history and lots of secrets. A wonderful book. I am now going to read Winter Cottage. Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author and thoroughly enjoyed love the way the author worked the time line it was seamless a wonderful story that held my attention can highly recommend.

I enjoyed the timeslip aspect of this book and the way the stories intertwined and reflected each other.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

An interesting read in so many ways. I genuinely enjoyed and would recommend it. I was fortunate to read from Net Galley.

Spring House by Mary Ellen Taylor is Women‘s Fiction told in Split Time Periods. Her delicious books include romance, secrets, history and mystery. Her characters are fun, interesting and full of energy. Spring House tells the story of a family through the generations, on two continents and two world wars. I enjoyed reading about the historical finds, the family secrets and mysteries. I look forward to reading every book by Ms. Taylor. Each new book has a unique character with their own story and mystery to tell.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

SPRING HOUSE - Mary Ellen Taylor

Cape Hudson, Virginia - Early 20th Century, 2018

Megan Buchanan has taken an important project on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The hunting lodge, Winter Cottage, was built by her great-great-grandfather in 1901 and had been inherited recently by the grandchild of Samuel Jessop, a merchant seaman. Jessop had been named the unlikely heir when Buchanan died. Now Jessop's granddaughter, Lucy Kincaid owns it and, with the trust left to her, uses the money to restore the old house and surrounding buildings. Megan is now living in Winter Cottage with Lucy and her young half-sister, Natasha, as they ready the Spring House to live in while Winter Cottage is under reconstruction. To complicate matters, however, Megan is heavily pregnant with her late fiance's baby.

Once the Spring House is readied for occupancy, Lucy and Natasha will live there, leaving Winter Cottage empty for restoration, and, eventually, to be an historic local landmark used for weddings. Megan and Lucy begin the arduous task of going through Samual Jessop's cluttered rooms. It seems the old man saved everything. What they find, though, lends mystery to both families.

In the early 20th century, the family of merchant seaman Isaac Hedrick buried his wife, Addie, who died giving birth to her seventh child. Isaac makes the decision to send his children into the care of different families and returns to the sea. Claire is sent to the Buchanan family, and twelve-year-old Diane to Madame LeBlanc in Baltimore. Diane's life is upended, but gets worse when Mr. LeBlanc dies and Madame and her houseguest, Pierre, move to France. It is on the ship that Diane discovers that Madame pretends to "hear" the dead, and she convinces several wealthy passengers to pay her to speak to their late relatives. In Paris, life is even worse and Diane begins to fear Pierre.

Megan and Lucy find letters between Claire and her sister, Diane, and the mystery deepens about what happened to Diane, and why Samuel kept the letters and other items that make no sense.
In the meantime, Megan has to come to grips in dealing with her late fiance's mother who has installed herself nearby to monitor Megan's pregnancy. After her only child, Scott, died, his mother is determined to be a part of her future grandchild's life, despite feeling that Megan was never good enough for Scott. What she doesn't know, is the reason Megan broke off the engagement two weeks before the wedding.

There is quite a lot going on in this story. History is Megan's love and discovering so many strange clues from the past sends her on a path to not only uncovering the mysteries, but understanding some of her own feelings. She resists help from others, especially Scott's Marine Corps buddy, Rick, now the Port Hudson sheriff. Scott's mother's interference only makes her more frustrated. The Spring House reveals more and more historical details to Samuel's past. How will Megan piece together all of the data? And how will that affect her own future?

SPRING HOUSE is a continuation of WINTER COTTAGE with the same characters. Beautifully written and a very intriguing story line.

After reading Winter Cottage I could not wait to read Spring House. The history of these families, so beautifully intertwined, is fascinating. I was hooked from the first chapter. This historical romance is well written and the story captivates you to a point where you can’t put the book down.