My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Summary: 1926: Violet Armstrong is one of the few remaining members of staff working at the grand Evergreen Spa Hotel as it closes down over winter. Only a handful of guests are left, including the heir to a rich grazing family, his sister and her suave suitor. When a snowstorm moves in, the hotel is cut off and they are all trapped. No one could have predicted what would unfold. When the storm clears they must all keep the devastating secrets hidden.
2014: After years of putting her sick brother's needs before her own, Lauren Beck leaves her home and takes a job at a Blue Mountains cafe, the first stage of the Evergreen Spa Hotel's renovations. There she meets Tomas, the Danish architect who is overseeing the project, and an attraction begins to grow. In a wing of the old hotel, Lauren finds a series of passionate love letters dated back to 1926, alluding to an affair - and a shocking secret.
If she can unravel this long-ago mystery, will it make Lauren brave enough to take a risk and change everything in her own life?
I love a dual time line story and I wasn't disappointed in this one. No spoilers, but there's also a mystery to be followed and solved along the way so that too drew me in in a big way. I even invested in the love lives of Violet and Lauren in each time line as well (that doesn't always happen for me). The big love thing for me here though, was the setting. What's not to love about a secluded mountain spa under refurbishment? The Blue Mountains were so well rendered as a setting, I've added it to my list of places to see one of the times I visit Australia. There was enough hope and tragedy to propel me through this story over a weekend and I would recommend it. I can't say that I was completely surprised in the resolutions to the threads but I was well satisfied and I'm glad that I've read this. Kimberley Freeman is a new to me author but I'll definitely be looking for more of her books in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
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