Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Review: The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky

Genre: Dual-timeline, Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Releases: September 26, 2023
368 pages

About the Book:

In 2012, art historian Gwen Monroe travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she becomes acquainted with David Bradley--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she uncovers a connection to the father she never knew.

In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.
 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


I have been thinking about this review for days. I wanted to love this book as I have completed loved previous works by Ms. Turansky and the premise of this one with a dual timeline, setting of England, discovering an old journal, and the beautiful cover drew me to this one. However, I struggled to get invested in the characters and the story. I liked them well enough, but I was able to step away from the story whenever I needed to.

In 1912 Charlotte’s world in rocked after the sudden death of her father and she discovers a secret about him that drastically changes her view of him. This secret has a big impact on how she approaches people in the future. In 2012 Gwen has never known her father and begins searching for him. After making a huge mistake at work her grandfather sends her off to Longdale Manor where she meets Lily and her grandson David and discovers Charlotte’s journal. This discovery reignites her desire to find her father who she has never known, but she has very little information to help as her mother never told Gwen about him. Can she figure out who her father is, and will she be able to meet him? As the story progresses, we see these two women who struggle with father issues and trusting (men especially), discover God is the ultimate Father and find the true freedom that forgiveness provides. We also see romance bloom for both women and while I was cheering for both relationships to work, both guys frustrated me at times with the way they acted sometimes. Are guys really that dense that they were unable to see how their actions appeared to the women? The women were not mind readers. Overall, this was a beautiful story of learning to overcoming struggles, learning to trust and to put our faith in God not man. The faith message was woven in seamlessly and never felt out of place. I loved the supporting characters that each timeline had. This book transported me to beauty of England and showed how forgiving someone gives us freedom. Even though I didn’t connect with this story as much as I had hoped, I still enjoyed my time spent with these characters and the ending left me satisfied.


Favourite Quotes: 
“When we choose to forgive others, we are not excusing what they did or saying it was right. We're releasing them into God's hands and allowing Him to deal our justice as He sees fit.”
“Sometimes a setback is simply a redirection.”
(I received an ARC of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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