Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This book was okay. I thought there would be way more in the book regarding the lost colony of Roanoke. I found the book very wordy and I feel like it was longer than it needed to be. I enjoyed the understory but found there wasn’t enough of it.

This was a real interesting book. Roanoke has fascinated people from the beginning, everyone wondering what happened to those who were left behind. Told from the perspective of Eleanor Dare, the expedition leaders daughter, this is a book that will captivate and keep you interested the entire way through.

Great book, easy weekend read.

You will live (yes, I mean live—that’s not a typo) this book if you read it. It sounds trite, but it’s so good. I was totally absorbed and transported. I love this writer and hope to read more of her work.

When I first received the novel, I thought it might be set in the 16th or 17th century, around the time of the lost colony of Roanoke. And a small part of it is. But while it is related to that historical incident, the novel itself is set in WWII. The main characters, Alice and her 13 year old daughter Penn, return to the place in Georgia, Evertell, where Alice grew up. Alice is a descendent of the Dares. Her father has just died, leaving her the owner of Evertell, a place they had abandoned several decades earlier.

Penn, who is troubled by the death of her beloved father in a battle in Italy, is enchanted by the estate, even though it is the wreck they expected. What Alice didn’t expect is that her childhood friend, Sonder, who worked for her father, is still living there in a small outbuilding, and that feelings from years earlier begin to revive.

Penn is determined to get an ancient bell, that was broken decades earlier, to ring. Alice is determined to sell the place and get out of there. That is, until memories and adventures begin to draw them in.

What I love about this novel is that it is so complex. Not complicated, in terms of characters or multiple story lines, but complex in feelings, memories, in actions and interactions. I highly recommend it.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because it was about Roanoke Colony. However, this novel very rarely focused on Roanoke. It is mostly a WWII story. The story was also very slow moving. The novel Elinor by Shannon McNear is a more superior and better novel about what happened to Eleanor Dare. Still, I recommend this for those interested in Roanoke Colony.

Oh my goodness!!! Kimberly Brock pulls at every emotional string in this beautiful historical fiction! The research and time that went into this book is shown throughout her writing. If you're not too much into Historical Fiction this book is the one to start with!!!

"The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare" is much more of a romance than I expected from the description and was simply not my cup o' tea. I would perhaps recommend it to readers who love this kind of book.

What kind of book is this? It sounds as though it's going to be about the lost colony of Roanoke but it isn't. It's about a young widow and her daughter who return to her decaying home of Evertell. at the end of World War Two. The "Lost Book" is found pretty early on, and from there the story spins its wheels.

I confess,I did not make it through. I wish someone had wrangled this story into shape because there are some possibilities there.

The digital ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- I am all kinds of in love with this cover!

This was such a heartwarming mother & daughter story. ❤️ A leisurely told historical fiction that takes place during the second world war and which pulls from the stories of the lost colony of Roanoke and the Dare stones. It was beautifully written. Overall, it was well paced. However, I found that sometimes the story slowed to a snail's pace. That said, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I loved the setting. It was very atmospheric, and the author did an amazing job of immersing you into that setting. The characters were all likable and had depth. What more can I say? Yours truly is giving this one, two solid thumbs up!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Wow, this book had me glued with the mystery and also feeling all the feels because of the generational relationships that can so easily define us for better or worse. Set in two historical times, the late 1500s and the late 1940s this book dives into the mystery of the lost colony through one of the women, Eleanor Dare. This book hypothesizes that Eleanor survived and that the women descended from her have a slight mystic power that helps them see a glimpse of their future. Two of these ancestors are Alice and her daughter Pen, who have recently lost the husband and father who completed their family in WWII. Returning to her childhood home, Evertell, Alice is confronted with past hurts and mysteries. Pen, determined to learn more about her mysterious ancestor, Eleanor Dare, starts to unravel the mysterious past while also helping her mother to confront her pain that has divided her from her ancestors. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves both mysteries and history that touch the core of the mysterious motivations that create both division and unity in families. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced ecopy of this book.

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock had the best premise of a book I’d heard of all year. From the time I was in the eighth grade, I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Roanoke Island. So, this novel was right on my radar.

The idea that Elanor Dare lived and had generations of female descendants lit me up inside. I knew this was a book just for me. I adored Alice and Penn. All the residents around Evertell were amazing! I felt right at home in that decrepit run-down house that Alice thought could be fixed up with a splash of paint.

I loved that Alice had to face her fears at Evertell. She had to face the memory of her mother and learn more about herself. It was truly amazing to watch her and to watch Penn come into her own legacy. Evertell was more than a house and an estate, it was a calling to the whole town.

I cried so hard when Alice came to grips with the idea of Italians coming to work on the harvest when her husband died in Italy during the war, leaving Alice a young widow. We also got to see how important the slaves were to the building and upkeep of the estate. It was a grand old house, even falling in on itself.

I enjoyed this story, but I did spend almost the entire book confused about Alice’s mother’s illness. I understand that she had a mental illness, but what happened in the woods wasn’t explained as well as I would have liked. I was still confused, even after I’d finished.

But I did love this book and I am so happy to award it 4 out of 5 stars. I think anyone who loves a good historical novel combined with a bit of mystery will love this book.

Too much mysticism for me. I was drawn to the connection to Roanoke but this historical fiction wasn't grabbing me at all so I didn't get very far into it at all to form any lasting opnion.

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock

9781400234202

464 Pages
Publisher: Harper Muse
Release Date: April 22, 2022

Fiction, Historical Fiction, 1940s, World War II, Roanoke Colony, Dare Stones

Alice is a war widow with a thirteen-year-old daughter, Penn. After the death of her father, Alice returns to her mother’s family estate, Evertell. Alice wants to show Penn her history and find Eleanor Dare’s book. Penn becomes involved in restoring the chapel bell on the estate and Alice begins repairs on the house. She is undecided on her future – stay or go.

The story is written in third person point of view apart from Alice (first person) and Eleanor’s book. The story has a steady pace, and the characters are somewhat developed. There is a sadness throughout story and the characters. They all have suffered so much. I liked the idea of a book by Eleanor Dare and appreciate the thorough research the author did while writing the book. If you have any interest in the Roanoke Colony, you will enjoy reading this book.

I’m not a huge fan of either WitchLit or Southern Gothic (and this book is sort of a blend of the two), but I’ve certainly enjoyed both when they’re done well so I decided to give this one a whirl.

If you’re a huge fan of either of those sub genres, you’ll likely enjoy this one just fine. It’s a decent story and passably written. Unfortunately for me, it’s pretty typical for its sub genres, which wasn’t especially exciting.

I had high hopes because of the plot connection with the Roanoke Colony (why, why, why, can’t anyone write a truly good novel on this topic?), but that didn’t come to anything particularly worthy.

I also struggled with this one because, like a lot of southern gothic style books, there’s a lot of just folks, local yokel sort of content, which I do not care for at all. I did like Penn, her mother and the rest of the cast less so. And while Savannah is a great place to set something that should have eerie atmosphere, that wasn’t particularly well-executed here.

I struggled to get in this one and trudged through. I liked the premise of the book, but it took me so long to get to the plot, that I just never made connections to the characters.

I wanted to like this one so bad, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written novel written in dual timelines and with multiple points of view. A story of love and family that will absolutely warm your heart.

This was a really interesting read but lacked something for me! I loved the story and the process behind it but felt like it could have given a little more!

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

A beautifully written historical fiction novel about making your home wherever you are. In this story, you'll see how strong women have become over the generations, thanks to love and family. Throughout the novel, the point of view switches between several years.
Beautifully poignant and haunting, Brock's tale taps into the feelings of loss and longing until the weight of it all gives way to understanding and acceptance. We are who we are because of the love that has shaped us through the generations, the changes we've had to undergo, and the hardships we've faced. You'll find yourself on every page, and maybe learn to see the magic in everything you do.

The description of the book far surpasses the actual content. I really wanted to like this book because the premise was so interesting, but I couldn't stay engaged enough to finish. Grateful to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

This book really didn't engage me. It did sound like an interesting idea but didn't pull me in. I found it a slog to get through it. I found it superficial and was not really engaged in the characters. It touched on a bunch of stuff but not in a lot of detail. I would have liked more historical details. Overall, not my cup of tea.

A tale of the journey of a mother and daughter set in 1945 Georgia as WWII is ending. There is an inter-twining story of late 1500's Roanoke which broadens the historical perspective. At the heart of it is love, loss and coming of age.