Then She Was Gone

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Everyone loved fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack. Vibrant and beautiful, with a promising future ahead of
her, she couldn't wait to begin a stress-free summer with her handsome boyfriend. But then
Ellie vanished after a routine visit to the library, and all those hopes and dreams slipped away. Life for the Mack family ended that fateful day.

Ten years after Ellie's mysterious disappearance, police find her discarded remains, along with a faded rucksack and various personal items scattered carelessly near the bones. Somehow, the sad news doesn't surprise Ellie's mother, Laurel. She's been waiting for this day to arrive after her
marriage disintegrated and her two remaining children drifted away, unable to bear seeing the grief in their mother's eyes after losing her favorite child. The dull ache in Laurel's heart will never go away until she knows what happened to her darling Ellie.

Just when she needs to lift her spirits, Laurel meets Floyd, a charming, intriguing stranger in a local cafe. Suddenly, her life takes on new meaning as their relationship grows to the next level. Amazing
how much Floyd reminds Laurel of ex-husband, Paul, in his mannerisms and the way he dresses.
And even more unsettling is how much his precocious daughter, Poppy, looks like her deceased daughter. When Laurel learns of a strange connection between Poppy's mother and Ellie, there's a feeling of dread which incessantly preys on her mind. Coincidence or something far more ominous?

This wickedly good, psychological thriller has all the elements for an addictive, tantalizing
read. A missing teenager, her traumatized, heartbroken mother, the suave gentleman who charms his way into her pathetic life, and the creepy innuendos that something dark and evil is about to be unveiled.

Just wait until you find out what that something is.

Beach House Reunion

Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe

Nostalgic, warm, and wonderful....just in time for Mother's Day.

Cara Rutledge is home. After years away, it suddenly feels right to return to The Isle of
Palms, where bittersweet memories fill each and every room of the Beach House. It's the place where Cara fell in love with Brett, where she learned to love the sea turtles, where she found peace and solitude after searching for the missing pieces of her life.

Her beloved mother, Lovie, is gone now, but Cara feels her presence when the familiar scent of jasmine fills the salty air.  And Brett's gone, too. The love of her life, taken from her just when the promise of a new tomorrow was on the horizon. Now she's a fifty-some-year old woman with a much-wanted child, feeling frightened and exhilarated at the thought of starting over.

Cara's niece, Linnea, arrives just in time to help her with the overwhelming challenge of raising a child and trying to make a living. But, like her aunt, Linnea must make decisions of her own when it comes to finding that perfect job, now that college days are behind her. There's constant pressure from her controlling father to choose the path he's picked for her rather than the career of her dreams.
And to complicate things, she falls hopelessly in love at a most inopportune time.

Troubles continue to mount upon Cara's return. She's dismayed by her brother's uncontrolled drinking, and the fact that her nephew seems to be headed down the same road of self-destruction. Through it all, Cara draws upon her inner strength to face a whirlwind of problems, just as Lovie did when life seemed insurmountable. She finally acknowledges feelings for a new love, letting go of the treasured memories of the past. There's a blossoming future within Cara's reach when she discovers loss can bring new beginnings.

Those readers who read Monroe's original book, The Beach House (and viewed the movie
recently on Hallmark Channel) will thoroughly enjoy spending time once again with the strong women of the Rutledge family. If you are a new reader, indulge yourself by meeting this memorable cast of characters in the earlier books of this series. By the time you finish, you'll look upon them as good friends.

How lucky her fans will be if Mary Alice Monroe chooses to continue the story about what happens next at The Beach House in sweet, sultry South Carolina.

The Home for Unwanted Girls

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Quebec, 1950. Sixteen-year-old Maggie is pregnant by Gabriel, a poor, French farm boy. Her
English-speaking father and judgmental, uncouth mother, send her away to toil on the farm of a jovial aunt and lecherous uncle until the baby is born. Adoption plans go awry, and the sickly, little girl, called Elodie, is sent to an orphanage. She knows little of the outside world beyond these walls, always surrounded by nuns who watch her every move. Little does she know that these are the good days, unaware of the torture that awaits her.

Heartbroken and naive, Maggie goes on with life, diligently working in her father's successful seed  store and eventually finding contentment with a successful businessman. She dreams of a reunion with the child she was forced to abandon years ago. Elodie's life takes a dramatic turn for the worse when the Canadian government turns Catholic orphanages into homes for the mentally ill, all in the name of making money. Overnight, children are put into psychiatric facilities, with no one caring  about their rights. Socially awkward, with visible scars of inhumane treatment, resilient Elodie learns to fend for herself. She has dreams of her own; reuniting with the mother she's never known.

This novel, based on the author's own mother's recollections of dark times, tells a story of  the sharp divide between the English and French cultures in 1950s Quebec and Montreal. Children born out of sin were cast aside and subjected to abhorrent conditions in the very institutions that were meant to protect them. It's a captivating tale full of disturbing images, but one that will ultimately make you believe that anything's possible, as long as you have hope.