Honeysuckle Season
From bestselling author Mary Ellen Taylor comes a story about profound loss, hard truths, and an overgrown greenhouse full of old secrets.
Adrift in the wake of her father’s death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it’s also a distraction from her profound pain.
When asked to photograph a wedding at the historic Woodmont estate, Libby meets the owner, Elaine Grant. Hoping to open Woodmont to the public, Elaine has employed young widower Colton Reese to help restore the grounds and asks Libby to photograph the process. Libby is immediately drawn to the old greenhouse shrouded in honeysuckle vines.
As Libby forms relationships and explores the overgrown—yet hauntingly beautiful—Woodmont estate, she finds the emotional courage to sort through her father’s office. There she discovers a letter that changes everything she knows about her parents, herself, and the estate. Beneath the vines of the old greenhouse lie generations of secrets, and it’s up to Libby to tend to the fruits born of long-buried seeds.
MY REVIEW: Author Mary Ellen Taylor is a very special storyteller with a unique way of weaving women's fiction with romance, history,and mystery--it's a compelling mix. "Honeysuckle Season" is a time-spanning tale which takes readers back and forth on a journey from the WWII Era to present day in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Libby McKenzie is at a crossroads in her life--divorced--no husband, no children, and now she has lost her father. Returning to Bluestone, Virginia is a step back in time, but hopefully, it will also be a step forward. Starting life anew as a wedding photographer gives her focus, and she accepts the assignment of covering a wedding at Woodmont, a historic estate dating back to the early 1700's. The owner of the estate, Elaine Grant has restoration of the home and property in mind so that it can be reopened to the public, and she asks Libby to record the process on film. She has also hired Colton Reese as an overseer and repairman for the revitalization of Woodmont. Colton is a widower with two young sons, and, like Libby, he has personal issues to overcome. Layers of the past are uncovered as many years of overgrowth, age, and neglect are cleared away. In particular, the greenhouse has been a keeper of secrets, and now its generations of truths are about to be revealed. Readers will be sure to enjoy learning the "honeysuckle secret", and as a special treat, the author has included delicious recipes for scrumptious sweets. I was born and raised in the beautiful mountains of Virginia, and I wouldn't live anywhere else. There truly is "Mountain Magic". "Honeysuckle Season" is rich in emotion and atmosphere. A highly recommended read from author Mary Ellen Taylor.
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Spring House
The lives of two women, generations apart, converge in this enthralling novel of love, mystery, memories, and secrets.
Pregnant and still grieving the death of her fiancé, historian Megan Buchanan is forging ahead on a dream project: to restore to its original glory the landmark hunting lodge her own great-great-grandfather built on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. With the help of her fiancé’s caring best friend, it’s sure to draw much-needed tourist revenue to Cape Hudson, a town rich in southern history.
However, it’s Spring House, the caretaker’s cottage on the grounds, that holds the most intriguing history for Megan. In a cache of old letters, she’s drawn into the captivating life of a young woman who embarked on her own dream adventure a century ago. With each one, Megan is swept away into her enthralling world—and all its secrets. But Megan has secrets too.
Now, as one woman’s past unfolds in each revealing letter, Megan will discover more about herself and about the emotional tides of family that can be weathered with those you love and trust the most.
MY REVIEW: In order to really know ourselves, and to enjoy each day and look forward to the future, we must fully embrace the past. This idea is beautifully realized in the intriguing women's fiction tale, "Spring House". Very special storyteller Mary Ellen Taylor brings forward the characters and story line from her previous work, "Winter Cottage", and adds new faces with their own compelling circumstances. Cape Hudson is a quaint old town on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia, an area rich in history and its own rustic appeal. Megan Buchanan is a historian working there to help restore the "Winter Cottage Estate"--built by her own great-great-grandfather--to its former splendor. Pregnant, and grieving over the loss of her fiance, Megan hopes the work will bring back a sense of order and purpose and help hear clear the way to a happy life with her child. While there is much to be done at the main house, it is the "Spring House", the caretaker's cottage, which opens up an unexpected realm for Megan. Through the discovery of old letters written long ago, Megan comes to know a young woman from another time, a young woman who, like Megan, has secrets to keep. As each letter is read, more and more of the past is revealed, and Megan is drawn deeper into the connection between past and present. When the final truth is told, and all questions are answered, will the families of "Spring House" and "Winter Cottage" truly be home at last? For a real reader's treat, enjoy "Winter Cottage" first, and then quickly follow with "Spring House".
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Winter Cottage
A gripping novel about family secrets…and coming home for the first time.
Still grieving the loss of her wandering, free-spirited mother, Lucy Kincaid leaves Nashville for the faded town of Cape Hudson, Virginia. She goes to see the house she’s inherited—one she never knew existed, bequeathed to her by a woman she’s never even met. At the heart of this mystery is the hope that maybe—just maybe—this “Winter Cottage” will answer the endless questions about her mother’s past…including the identity of her birth father.
Rather than the quaint Virginian bungalow Lucy expected, Winter Cottage is a grand old estate of many shadows—big enough to hold a century of secrets, passions, and betrayals. It also comes with a handsome and enigmatic stranger, a man next in line to claim Lucy’s inheritance.
Now, as Lucy sifts through the past, uncovering the legacy of secrets that Winter Cottage holds, she’ll come to discover as much about her family history as she does about herself. In searching, she could finally find the one thing she’s never really had: a home.
MY REVIEW: Talented storyteller Mary Ellen Taylor has crafted a wonderfully- atmospheric women's fiction tale in "Winter Cottage". Leaving her past behind and heading to Cape Hudson, VA offers Lucy Kincaid a gleam of hope for a new and brighter future--and just maybe, she will learn the truth of her long-unanswered questions about her own mother and father.. Still dealing with her grief over the loss of her mother, Lucy is curious about her unexpected inheritance of a home--"Winter Cottage". The house is far more than Lucy expected-- more of a mansion than a cottage, and it brings with it as many puzzles as it does answers. As a native of the beautiful state of Virginia, I can attest that the lovely and historic Eastern Shore is the perfect setting for this intriguing romantic mystery that weaves past and present with timeless hopes and dreams. Look for another charming women's fiction story from author Mary Ellen Taylor in "Spring House".
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ALSO BY MARY ELLEN TAYLOR
The Union Street Bakery
Sweet Expectations
At the Corner of King Street
The View from Prince Street
Mary Ellen Taylor
A southerner by birth, Mary Ellen Taylor’s love of her home state, Virginia, and its past is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction, from The Union Street Bakery, Sweet Expectations, At the Corner of King Street, and The View from Prince Street to her latest, Winter Cottage, which debuts October 16th, 2018. Like so many people, her protagonists search for their place in the world, exploring issues of family, home and belonging. Inevitably, Mary Ellen’s stories entwine with those of the places in which they’re set, and the mysteries at their cores span past and present.
Born in Richmond, Mary Ellen has spent most of her life there. She grew up in a family that loves stories of all kinds, from a well-told anecdote to a good yarn or a tall tale. It may have been inevitable that she would embrace her storytelling heritage, walk away from her job and challenge herself to become a published author.
“I realized early on the tremendous power stories have to inspire laughter, love, sorrow and even fear. It didn’t matter if they were found in the pages of a book, spoken in hushed tones around a campfire, or shared at an old-fashioned family reunion. Stories create connections, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” says Mary Ellen.
Along with writing, cooking and baking are important creative outlets for Mary Ellen, who’s been known to name recipes in honor of her characters. Just a few years ago, she earned her Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate at the University of Richmond’s Culinary Arts Program. “In some ways, I liken baking to my efforts as a writer. You need to learn the basic tools of the trade before you can push the envelope and create a distinctive sweet dessert or savory novel.” Her two passions —writing and baking—merged for the first time in The Union Street Bakery. Ever since then, she’s been slipping favorite recipes into her novels.
Mary Ellen and her husband spend time alternately enjoying and their empty nest and spoiling their miniature dachshunds, Buddy, Bella and Tiki.
In addition to women’s fiction, Mary Ellen is known nationally as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling suspense novelist Mary Burton.
https://www.maryellentaylor.com/
http://www.maryburton.com/
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