How does one learn how to be true to oneself after a lifetime of repressing ones own needs and desires?
Three women. Three generations. Three women with unfulfilled dreams. Three women, in many ways, trapped by past decisions. This is their story. While quite different on the surface, they find strength and a common bond together. Art unites them and that connections provides many a surprise to them as the open up to each other and themselves. We meet Lily, young and rather lost, Cecilia, nearly 75 and still trying to find herself beneath the label of being wife to a famous artist, and her daughter Kristen, married to a famous surgeon, suffering her own pangs of emptiness and pondering an affair, before the women actually meet each other. They find each other at Dove House, where Lily has been, uh, staying without permission and fallen in love with a painting, "The Girl on the Shore", a name you'll hear frequently as the story progresses. I'm not going to ruin your joy of immersing yourself into the story by detailing the plot but will say to be sure you have some hankies handy as it definitely hits you in the feels, more than once, in fact. Family secrets, broken romances, found romance, romance not limited by age, btw, the art world, old friends, drama, snoopy reporters, and, oh, so much more. I've just hit the surface, trust me. All have lessons to learn, including accepting their own roles in creating their current places in life.
Bottom line, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to Dove House to meet these three amazing women. The men in their lives aren't perfect but the interactions add to the moment. I definitely liked Todd who, even before he appears, is painted as being his own man, not beholden to his family or heritage, and lived up to that mental image in my mind. For me, I probably related most to Cecilia but all have universal traits, dreams, and concerns, making them all the more real. Sarah Morgan, as always, has done an excellent job presenting us with full-fledged characters and putting them down in what sounds like a beautiful setting. Thanks #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing - #CanaryStreetPress for introducing me to these women. They are a great reminder that you're never to old to put the past behind you and head into the future with eyes open.
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