By Sarah Loudin Thomas
Published by Bethany House
Publication Date: April 2, 2024
Description from the Publisher:
Set in the shadow of Biltmore Estate, a poignant tale of friendship, restoration, and second chances.
Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of the great Vanderbilt mansion. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt's 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn't have the creativity needed. But there's an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her--if only she knew where to begin.
To track down the mysterious weaver, Lorna sees no other way than to seek out the relationships she abandoned in shame. As she pulls at each tangled thread from her past, Lorna is forced to confront the wounds and regrets of life long ago. She'll have to risk the job that shapes her identity, as well as the hope of friendship--and love--restored.
My Review:
This book took me a bit longer to get into then the auThor's other books--having THREE different times periods (particularly ones that were so close in time, only separated by a few years, rather than decades) threw me off a bit initially. I was also a bit wary with the characters--Arthur, I loved from the start, but both Lorna and Gentry had me on my guard and I wasn't sure if I liked them or not! I think both women were realistic characters and their behaviors were consistent with their life experiences, so they were well-written (definitely realistically flawed), just not always 100% likable! I did enjoy seeing their growth in the book and how things played out for both of them as well as for sweet Arthur.
The setting--both the time period and the location--drew me in right from the start. Having never heard of Biltmore before (I spent the first half of my life in upstate NY and the second half "out west" and I can count the number of times I've been south of the Mason Dixon line on one hand--and none of those trips took me within 100 miles of Biltmore), I was really fascinated by the whole concept of the estate and the work that done there in various industries. It was just really interesting to me and in some ways, that might even have overshadowed the characters a bit for me! I also loved the details of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thomas is just so good at her settings, bringing places I've never been to life with such skill! (After reading one of her books, I always want to plan a vacation to go see the places she describes for myself, and that was definitely the case again with this book!) I also know absolutely nothing about weaving but was totally drawn in by the descriptions of that as well.
All in all, another wonderful novel by a talented author! 4 stars.
I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
