The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox is a dual timeline story.   It jumps from 1965 to present day and as the 1965 storyline progresses the two stories intertwine into one.  I found this very interesting to read and a great way to deeper know your characters as you're reading about their older and younger selves.  

In 1965 Glory Ann confesses to her parents that she is pregnant with her dead fiancés baby.  He died in Vietnam and her parents arrange a marriage of convenience to save her reputation.  Clarence is a nice enough guy, but Glory Ann is determined to never love again.  Time though, has a way of changing things.  Clarence is so good with Rosemary and his patience and love for Glory Ann, in time, wins her over.  Soon they have a baby of their own.  When a tragedy strikes the family, Rosemary spends years blaming herself and trying to make up for her wrongs.

In present day, Sarah returns home to help her mother, Rosemary and grandmother Glory Ann, run the Old Depot Grocery store that her grandmother owns.  Sarah has just suffered the loss of her husband, but more than that she is dealing with a lot of guilt, and could it be that the nausea and lack of appetite could be caused by something else?  She soon discovers that her mother has been keeping a secret and is determined to uncover what it is.  The three woman are going to have to come together and let love heal their wounds.  The secrets that have been kept are destroying all of them.  

I really can't recommend this book enough.  I couldn't get enough of it and lost several hours of sleep trying to find out what happens next.  There is a big surprise in this book that I must not spoil, but oh is it a good one!  I was not expecting that twist!  

Thank you to Revell and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.  The review is my own opinion.

The Gold in These Hills

Joanne Bischof is one of my all time favorite authors and her recent release, The Gold in These Hills, is one of her best books yet.  It is a dual storyline.  That seems to be a very popular style of writing and although it is not my favorite, I did enjoy both of these storylines and how they complimented each other.

One of the stories is set in the late 1800s to early 1900s.  Juniper Cohen came to California to marry John as his mail order bride.  The gold mining town they are living in is slowly fading into a ghost town with no gold to be found.  John seems to have disappeared and many of the townsfolk believe him to be dead.  But not Juniper.  She refuses to believe that her beloved John is dead.  She writes him letters and turns down proposals in hopes that one day he will return, but it's not long until she finds out that John is an outlaw.  Juniper is furious.  When he finds his way back home, he is near death's door and Juniper struggles to care for this man that betrayed her.  She has to find a place of forgiveness and allow her own heart to be healed.  

The other story is set in present day and focuses on Johnny Sutherland who is going through a divorce.  He has just bought an old farmhouse and is excited to fix up a new home for him and his two children.  After discovering some old letters written by Juniper he realizes that there is a lot more history in this old house than what he realized.  He meets Sonoma who is doing some research for her family tree in hopes of discovering more about her heritage.  As they read the letters and dig into the past and new relationship begins to form between the two of them.

I really enjoyed so much about this book.  I wouldn't have minded if the whole book would have stayed centered on Juniper and the early 1900's, but it was clever how the two stories interlocked.  I am so excited for the next book in this series to come out and I'm sure I will love it just like this one. 

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.