Publisher: Lake Union Press
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.
She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.
A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.
“Suspense fans will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly
“The heart is a formidable thing, and time a slow but powerful healer.”
The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell is an incredible journey into the healing process of families broken by pain, heartache, loss, and secrets. Two stories intertwined make up the overall plot of The Caretakers, with all the details parceled out expertly and beautifully. Tessa Shepherd and her twin sister, Margot, have been estranged for years following an accident that set Margot on a long road of recovery. Feeling responsible and heavy with guilt, Tessa flees to New York to pursue academics and a career in producing documentaries. Oliver Barlow is her latest project about a man she eventually proves has been wrongfully imprisoned for fourteen years. His eventual release sets in motion a series of events that will change everyone’s lives, especially Tessa’s.
Following a death in the family, Tessa and Margot are reluctantly reunited and navigate their new relationship, and together, they discover a shocking truth about their family. Secrets are revealed, but more secrets have been buried deep at their ancestral home, Fallbrook. What the sisters find when they visit the crumbling mansion is a long-ago tragedy deeply rooted in falsehoods, mystery, and immeasurable heartache. The two parts of Tessa’s life—Oliver and the aging caretakers at Fallbrook—collide and tangle in spectacular fashion. What happened to the family at Fallbrook all those years ago? Who is responsible for such unspeakable tragedy and why? The journey to discovery, reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace is riddled with danger and sadness, as many family sagas are.
Eliza Maxwell has a true gift of storytelling because piecing these plots together—past and present—takes immense skill, keeping the reader interested, engaged, and eager to puzzle out the truth. Maxwell builds such a complicated and moving story with ease, never once allowing the reader to become bogged down and confused by the details and the mystery. Every chapter—every sentence, actually—is well written and carefully added to the overall story until the finale when all is finally revealed, and difficult decisions are made.
The Caretakers shows us the importance of family, but not everything within a family is as it seems from the outside. Fathers can be cruel, mothers can keep secrets, and children can break and choose a path of destruction and agony. On the other hand, families can be filled with unfathomable loyalty, care, and love. The Caretakers encompasses the many facets of family and the importance of strengthening the ties rather than letting them irreversibly unravel.
This literary treasure will definitely entertain, but it will probably give you quite a bit to think about and ponder and perhaps cause some reflection on the folly of humans as well as the bittersweet joy of unconditional familial love.
Enter the giveaway below on or before April 25, 2020, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
Eliza Maxwell is the author of The Shadow Writer, The Widow’s Watcher, The Unremembered Girl, The Grave Tender, and The Kinfolk. She writes fiction from her home in Texas, which she shares with her ever-patient husband, two impatient kids, a ridiculous English setter, and a bird named Sarah. An artist and writer, a dedicated introvert, and a British-cop-drama addict, she enjoys nothing more than sitting on the front porch with a good cup of coffee. For more information, visit www.elizamaxwell.net.
ONE WINNER: Signed Copy + $25 Amazon Gift Card
TWO WINNERS: Signed Copy
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
| 4/14/20 | Review | Tangled in Text |
| 4/14/20 | Review | Momma on the Rocks |
| 4/15/20 | Audio Review | Librariel Book Adventures |
| 4/16/20 | Review | Nerd Narration |
| 4/16/20 | Review | All the Ups and Downs |
| 4/17/20 | Review | StoreyBook Reviews |
| 4/17/20 | BONUS Post | Hall Ways Blog |
| 4/18/20 | Review | Rainy Days with Amanda |
| 4/19/20 | Review | Reading by Moonlight |
| 4/20/20 | Audio Review | Forgotten Winds |
| 4/20/20 | Audio Review | KayBee’s Book Shelf |
| 4/21/20 | Review | #Bookish |
| 4/22/20 | Review | Jennifer Silverwood |
| 4/23/20 | Review | The Page Unbound |
| 4/24/20 | Review | It’s Not All Gravy |
| 4/24/20 | Review | That’s What She’s Reading |
I kept thinking the same thing — what amazing skill to weave these plots together so that readers can keep up and stay engaged. Great review.