Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham. Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2021.

This wonderful book tells two stories, one each of Sadie and Clara and their shared love of books and reading. In 1915, Sadie works in the Biltmore Library at the fabulous Vanderbilt estate, she meets Oliver and falls in love. Over a century later in the same North Carolina town, Sadie’s great granddaughter Clara struggles to keep Blackwell’s, the family bookshop. As the story alternates between Sadie and Clara, we see that each has developed a special approach to identifying books that readers will enjoy. Searching through property records takes Clara from the home she shares with her mother, to the Biltmore estate, to Camden House B&B in England’s Lake District, following Sadie’s much earlier path.

Barsham is particularly adept at weaving the two stories together while keeping each easy to follow. Sadie tells her story in the first person, while Clara’s is relayed in the third. Her descriptions of the settings are amazingly visual - we can smell the books in the Biltmore Library as Sadie peeks out through upper stacks to see whether visitors accept her recommendations. And we are with Clara through dusty attics and outbuildings in the Lake District. And spend time with both on village streets.

There is everything to enjoy about this book. Warmly recommended – it is a lovely read.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Hope Between the Pages for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #HopeBetweenthePages #NetGalley

This dual-line novel is a sweet love story paired with a modern mystery. Clara Blackwell runs the family bookstore in Asheville, NC while her ancestor Sadie works as a maid at the Biltmore Estate in the early 1900s. When Clara suddenly needs to find the deed proving her family owns the building housing the bookstore she uncovers secrets in her family history.
A light and entertaining novel that required some suspension of disbelief. Certain characters "act out of character" in order to provide key clues to unravelling the family history and evidence serendipitously appears. But an engaging book nevertheless.

A Must Read "Spell-binding" Story
"Hope Between the Pages" by Pepper Basham
You really do NOT want to miss reading this story. It is a spell-binding story interweaving the past with the present. A true romance story from beginning to end with all the heartache life can deliver and plenty of the joys of life too. WARNING: if your eyes tend to leak when reading a really good story.. Bring Tissues to your reading sessions. There is so much I want to say… but I want you to read this story with no preconceived notions/expectations other than 'This is a really well written multi-generation historic-contemporary clean sweet story of true love. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher. This review is my honest unbiased opinion.

I've read my fair share of time-split novels but this one was absolutely spellbinding. I fell in love with both protagonists (Sadie and Clara) and I loved following the parallels of their stories. Despite knowing some aspects of the ending of Sadie's story given Clara's historical discovers, I found that I was still surprised and captured in the moment. What I thought would be the end was definitely not the way things went.

I loved Oliver's character and I found Max to be very endearing and original. I had to warm up to Clara's vintage style, but she was too likable to have her obsession be too annoying. I loved that Sadie's perspective was told in first person and Clara's was told in third, as I feel that this distinction allowed me to really get into Sadie's story even if I felt like I knew the end of her story (which I really didn't).

There were some great plot points and pretty good villains, though I would have liked to have seen Uncle Julian more fleshed out. I feel like he didn't really have a purpose of any kind aside from being Clara's hidden adversary in her search for the deed to Blackwell's.

Overall, great story from Pepper Basham. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely dual timeline that takes you to Sadie who is in charge of the 1915 Biltmore Estate library as one of her many duties there, and Clara who in the present time, is on a quest to save her bookshop as soon as she finds the deed. Each woman is trying to solve their own mystery. When you add in a 100 year old letter and a trip across the ocean, you will find you can't put this book down. I found this book extremely well written, very descriptive from a historical and tourist view. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper Basham is a dual timeline historical fiction novel which is part of the ‘Doors to the Past’ series. The very first line of Hope Between the Pages sums it all up beautifully: "Any story that begins with a library is bound to be an excellent tale." For a book lover like me, Ms. Basham had me at library.

The dual timeline story finds the reader moving between the story of a young bookstore owner in present day and the story of a woman who worked for the Vanderbilt’s at their Biltmore Estate Library in 1915.

Ms. Basham uses the dual timeline extremely effectively to pull together the pieces of the past and the present to create a mysterious and heartwarming family story that needs to be unraveled. I was very pleased with Ms. Bashams use of beloved childhood fairy tales and her reverence for classic books. There are so many parts of this story that are a Bibliophile’s dream!

The romances that spring out of this story are sweet as well as surprising.
Hope Between the Pages has everything a good story needs. It has endearing and memorable characters, beautifully descriptive settings and captivating story lines.

This is my first book by Pepper Basham but I can assure you it won’t be my last.
Well done!

I would like to thank Pepper Basham, Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hope between the pages did not grab me at first. I'm not a fan of contemporary novels and was disappointed when the Dule-time period switched between olden times and modern times. I wanted the story to flow through one story and instead it went into two. That being said, Basham did an excellent job writing in this style. Despite my dislike if the layout I admit it was done well. And like I said before it did eventually draw me in. Any book set in a library is my kind of book. I love to read. The romance between Sadie and Oliver was so adorable and romantic. Secret notes in books, what could be better than that?

I received a free ebook from Netgally I'm exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling story that begins in 1915 at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Sadie Blackwell is a Housemaid who loves books. She recently was given the job "Book Maid" that involves taking care of the massive library which she does lovingly. She also enjoys suggesting books to the Biltmore visitors. One such visitor, Oliver Camden, especially enjoys talking to Sadie about books as they discover their mutual love of reading.

Jumping to the present day, Clara Blackwell,, great-granddaughter of Sadie, along with her mother, Eleanor and cousin Robbie run the family bookstore, Blackwell Books and Things, founded by Sadie many decades earlier. A few blocks away a new chain bookstore has opened that threatens their business and wants to buy the building that Blackwell Books is housed in. Clara's uncle, who is her late father's half-brother is using intimidation to suggest the Blackwell family doesn't actually own the building. To prove him wrong Clara is on the hunt for the deed, which appears to be non-existent. All she can find is a very old letter from the former owner indicating that the ownership of the building has been transferred to Sadie and the deed would be forthcoming. This, however, is not enough legal proof of ownership.

As this story goes between the early 1900s to the present time, the beautiful, heartfelt story of Sadie and Clara unfolds. The search for the deed leads Clara on the same path to England as her great-grandmother Sadie. Both Sadie and Clara discover the power of love and how it can restore lives and bring healing. Most importantly they experience how God uses our greatest losses to lead us to places we could never have imagined.

This is a beautifully written, intriguing story with remarkable characters that will touch your heart

Clara has spent much of her life with her nose in a book. But after the death of her father, all of her energy goes into helping her aging mother keep their independent, family, bookstore afloat. But when they are asked to provide the store's deed as proof of ownership, no one knows where to turn. With the fate of her beloved bookstore hanging in the balance, Clara must follow a string of clues, but finds more than she bargained for when they take her on a journey back into the past. Will Clara find the deed, and what other family secrets will she unearth?
I will start off by saying I am NOT the target audience for this book. I am not Christian and I rarely read books that are shelved as Christian fiction. That being said, this story was pretty cute and I enjoyed most of it. I liked Sadie and Clara as characters. I always enjoy reading books where the main characters are interested in reading and promoting literacy, and it's my dream to one day own my own bookstore, so reading about how much pride Clara took in her family's shop was relatable for me. The author also does have a smooth, pleasing style. Her descriptions are particularly nice. The dialogue also was decent. There were a couple of areas that felt a bit cheesy to me, but no more so than you'd find a Hallmark movie, and I will admit to having watching my fair share of those. I liked the way the story was divided up as a dual perspective, seeing the parallels between the two lives, and romances of the main characters I think was a strong move. This is also a very clean read. There are kisses. but there is nothing that goes beyond that. I don't have a problem with clean reads, I love Heyer and Austen, and neither of these authors include sex scenes in their novels. If the romance is done well, then it isn't a deterrent for me. The only thing that annoyed me while reading was how the book sort of snuck up on you with its preachiness A lot of the things that get brought up in this book are things that come up in a lot of Christian novels: negative views of premarital relationships, belief that gender roles are important, that praying for guidance and living humbly without complaining is important to being a "good" Christian etc. And I realize that as a Christian novel, I can't really fault it for expressing beliefs that the author's audience share that I don't. That would be like going into a Chick Fil A and trying to order a hamburger and wondering why they don't have any. But I do wish the author could have been a little less heavy-handed with all of it. It felt unbalanced because there wasn't a ton of Christian content in the first part of the novel, but as it progressed it became more and more a part of the story and that's when it started to annoy me. It bothered me I think because where the author may have believed she was being subtle, I felt like the book was trying too hard to grab the reader's attention in the first half so that people who might ordinarily not enjoy something like this would keep reading, maybe not knowing how much of a religious angle this story had. I am not fond of tactics like this because I end up feeling manipulated and that makes me kind of salty. I realize though that these are conventions of the genre, and I am sure the author probably assumed that her audience already knew fully what kind of book they were getting into. I haven't read a book this long in some time though, and I kept going despite my reservations because I was trying to read a bit outside of my comfort zone. All in all, I am sure someone who loves Christian romance would really have enjoyed this probably. It's a cute, quaint, story that makes a good comfort read.

Hope between the Pages by Pepper Basham is the story of Sadie Blackwell who is in charge of the library at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1915 and her great-granddaughter, Clara Blackwell, who currently owns a bookshop in Asheville in the present day which was left to her by her father. There is a problem though, as Clara and her mother cannot find the deed to the bookshop and her uncle is trying to take it from her. Was it lost or did the family never have it? Clara is determined to unravel the mystery and her inquiries take her to England where she meets some of her relatives who help her try to solve the mystery. What else will she discover on foreign soil?
This is a great read. It is a mystery but so much more. There is the family relationship between Clara, her mother and Clara’s Uncle Julian as well as his son Robbie. Clara hits many roadblocks as she investigates her family’s history to solve the mystery. It kept me intrigued and glued to the pages from one to the end. The chapters go back and forth between Sadie’s story and Clara’s so we sometimes know more than Sadie does. The characters just reached out and touched my heart. As much as wanted Clara to find a deed I had to ask myself could God have a different plan for her? The ending is great! This book gets a 5 of 5 stars; it deserves it and I highly recommend it.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hope Between the Pages is an absolute delight for any book lover. This book is a duel time line story that revolves around the love of bookshops and stories. The setting is the Biltmore in North Carolina as well as across the pond in England. The book captures the scenery and allows you to be a part of the history and mystery. There is so much to like about this book. The 1915 story reminds me of Cinderella and the present day story seems to be a nod to Beauty and the Beast. Which is a win win! The characters come alive and you get sucked into the mystery. You will love each and every character. With the exception of the antagonists, but that makes it even more of a page turner. I smiled at the love between the heroes and heroines and the precious romance that each time line shared. This is a heartwarming story that will leave you with a smile as you read the end and savor the happily ever after.

I’m not normally a fan of time-slip novels, but Pepper Basham is definitely one to watch out for in this sub-genre. From the settings to the scenes and emotions of the characters, I felt as though I had been plucked from my life and were in the story itself. Pepper continues to be a go-to author for me. If she writes it, I’ll read it, and I know I’ll love it.

An absolutely phenomenal story from Pepper Basham! Hope Between the Pages was the perfect story for my bookish soul. Poignant and deeply fulfilling, this story will captivate the hearts of anyone fortunate enough to read Basham’s writing.

This is the first book by Basham I have read, and I have been missing out in a major way. Basham has an absolutely incredible gift for storytelling, unique and powerful and utterly enchanting. I could not put this book down! Very few books make me cry, but this book made me sob. I fell in love with the characters, and despite the tragedies thrown their way, Basham wrote their triumphs in a fantastically satisfying and inspirational way. I fell in love with Max within pages of meeting him, and Clara, Sadie, and Oliver will live in my heart for a long time as well.

Hope Between the Pages is an absolute must-read. I do not have enough words to describe the beauty of this book. It is intensely emotional and fulfilling to the soul. This story needs to be moved to the top of your TBR list! 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Hope Between the Pages is pure delight for any book lover's heart. Pepper Basham weaves past and present together in this extremely enjoyable novel about family, faith, hope and love. Basham's first split time story takes the reader from America's beautiful Biltmore estate to Derbyshire, England. The author's love for the Biltmore is apparent in the lush descriptions and rich historical detail.

The discovery of an old letter sends present day Clara on a journey to uncover a century-old family secret that may save her family bookstore. As she learns more of her great-grandmother Sadie's life, she discovers a heritage that brings hope and love.

The magic of Sadie's romance swirled through the pages of the story, becoming embedded in my heart with the knowledge that the sheer joy of reading this story will last forever.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book, Hope Between the Pages, is a fascinating story that spans through different generations. I like the plot behind this story and it kept me wanting more after finishing the book. It is by far one of my favorite books and it should be read by anyone who loves books and/or history! I look forward to reading more books by Pepper Basham in the near future.#NetGalley#Barbour Publishing

*Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for allowing be to read an e-book copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this book! Hope Between the Pages is a completely lovely and engaging story that I read in one day. I loved everything about it! From the Biltmore estate in North Carolina to England and back again, this dual timeline story of romance and belonging has become an absolute new favorite of mine!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Hope Between the Pages:

"But you and I are kindred spirits because we both know the best way to manage the real world is to keep a firm hold on an imaginary one."

"She drew in a deep breath and for the first time in a long time prayed that she'd be hopeful enough to search for everyday magic, and brave enough to step into her own story."

"I looked up into the sky of early autumn azure and offered an impossible prayer, because of hope lived anywhere, it was with the One who wrote the stories in the stars."

"All I've ever wanted in life is a well-stocked library, a warm place to sip my tea, and a special person with which to share it all."

"My mother often says that people tend to struggle between living too much in the past or living too much for the future so they miss out on today."

"Courage wasn't courage without fear, and as my heart trembled from the uncertainty of the great unknown, I held to God's assurance. Whatever the future held, He was already there."

"Well, to be honest, what American female avid reader didn't daydream about an Englishman now and again?"

So grateful to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. Now I need to get a copy for my keeper shelf! All opinions are my own.

P.S. I loved the Literary Fairy and the Book Goblin

I like this! Sadie Blackwell is the Biltmore library maid when she meets Englishman Oliver Camden in 1915. He’s a refreshing change, an unconventional upperclassman who falls for Sadie and asks her to come to England and marry him before he leaves for the World War I battlefield.
Present day: Clara Blackwell shares her great-grandma Sadie’s love for books and operates the store Sadie started. Sadie left a lot of mystery. Didn’t she ever marry? Who was her son’s father? When the bookstore is threatened, Clara’s search for the title deed leads her to England, where amazing things wait to be discovered.
Oliver’s mother is the typical arrogant upper-class woman with a streak of madness who despises Sadie for being a servant. Likewise, Clara’s half uncle is crazy, believing he should have inherited the bookstore from his half-brother, even though he is not a descendant of Sadie.
I recommend this novel. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Set around the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, Hope Between the pages was a fascinating journey of two parallel stories. Sadie who was a maid on the estate and oversaw the library, and her descendant, Claire who is on her own journey of discovery.

The story bounces back through the two timelines, Claire is trying to solve a mystery that will allow her to keep her precious bookstore and continue to carve her own destiny. The mystery bounces between North Carolina and England. The story is a discovery for Claire, both about herself, and her great-grandmother. Secrets are uncovered during Claire's search.

This story is truly heartwarming and offers as the title says, Hope Between the Pages.

I received an advanced Copy through NetGalley and this is my honest review. All thoughts here are my own.

This book reminded me of one of my all-time favorite songs: Sleeping At Last’s song “Turning Page”

I tend to shy away from Christian Fiction and Romance novels, but since this book was about bookstores and libraries, I decided to give it a shot. And I’m so glad I did. This book was just beautiful! It wasn’t too “Christian-y” nor too “lovey-dove”. It was uplifting.

Clara Blackwell needs to save her family’s bookshop. This mission forces her into an adventure like she never thought she’d experience, and she ends up discovering the love story of her great-grandmother Sadie Blackwell and Oliver Camden while finding love herself. The stuff of fairy tales.

I loved how the author compared Sadie being dressed for her wedding to Cinderella’s transformation for the ball. It made me think that Clara and Max’s relationship was a bit like Beauty and the Beast.

And what’s not to love about people who love books?

I received this book from Netgalley.

I enjoyed this novel. I would have selected it from the bookshelf so I was very pleased when the publisher gifted me a copy. In this generational novel the "contemporary" protagonist Clara must rescue her family business by uncovering the history of her Great Grandmother Sadie. I thought the writing and structure of this story, which involved several characters and settings, was well managed. I am a big fan of letters in books and "Hope Between the Pages" had plenty of letters!

This novel is set in WW1 and "modern" times so if you like my enjoy historical fiction I recommend it. There are some themes which emerge midway which I wish were smoothed out a bit more but I understand their role in the climax of the story. Overall, an enjoyable read.