The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate

The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate
(Carolina Heirlooms #2)
438 pages / 11 hrs, 52 mins

"Successful New York editor Jen Gibbs is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing - until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk. Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to The Story Keeper's hidden origins and its unknown author, but when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she'd left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster book deal may be higher than she's willing to pay."  --from the publisher

This one took a bit for me to get interested, but once the story moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains I was hooked.  Wingate has a knack for weaving great stories from bits of history.  By the way, although part of a series this is a stand-alone with none of the characters from the first book.  Four out of five stars for me.

The Tidewater Sisters by Lisa Wingate

The Tidewater Sisters by Lisa Wingate
(Carolina Heirlooms #1.5)
132 pages / 2 hrs, 44 mins

"Tandi Reese and her sister, Gina, have always been bound by complicated ties. Amid the rubble of a difficult childhood lie memories of huddling beneath beds and behind sofas while parental wars raged. Sisterhood was safety...once. But now? Faced with legal papers for a fraud she didn't commit, Tandi suspects that her sister has done something unthinkable. With Tandi's wedding just around the corner, a trip to the North Carolina Tidewater for a reckoning with Gina was not part of the plan. But unraveling lies from truth will require confronting strained sibling bonds and uncovering a dark family secret that could free Tandi from her past or stain her future forever."  --from the publisher

I'm not a fan of novellas, but this one was very good!  There were some nice surprises and interesting twists with these endearing characters.  I gave it four out of five stars.

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
(Carolina Heirlooms #1)
400 pages / 9 hrs, 37 mins

"When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eight-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola's youth to her last days. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper--the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi."    --from the publisher

I really enjoyed this book that is a bit historical fiction, beach read and inspirational story.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.