Wildwood Creek by Lisa Wingate

 (Moses Lake #4)

378 pages / 12 hrs, 23 mins

"Allie Kirkland has never been one to take wild risks. But when she’s offered a costuming assistant’s job on a docudrama in the hills near Moses Lake, she jumps at the chance. She’s always dreamed of following in her director-father’s footsteps, and the reenactment of the legendary frontier settlement of Wildwood is a first step. The family expectations will have to wait."

"But in 1861, the real Wildwood held dangerous realities. Town founder Harland Delevan held helpless residents, including young Irish schoolteacher Bonnie Rose, in an iron grip. Mysterious disappearances led to myths and legends still retold in the folk songs of Chinquapin Peaks. Eventually, the entire site was found abandoned.

"When strange connections surface between Allie and the teacher who disappeared over a century ago, everyone in Wildwood, including Allie’s handsome neighbor on the film set, Blake Fulton, seems to be hiding secrets, and Allie doesn’t know who she can trust. If she can’t find the answers in time, history may repeat itself . . . with the most unthinkable results."  --from the publisher

I was in a hurry when I snapped this one up off of Hoopla and didn't realize it was part of a series. Turns out they are all standalones, so I had no trouble following the story. In my opinion, it's a bit disjointed in places, but all in all it is well done. Wingate is becoming a favorite of mine. I give it four out of five stars.

The Sea Glass Sisters by Lisa Wingate

 (Caroline Heirlooms #0.5)

86 pages / 2 hrs, 52 mins

"Elizabeth Gallagher has been balancing on the ragged edge for a while now. Then a rough case on the boards of her 911 operator's job collides with a family conflict at home, and Elizabeth finds herself finally coming apart at the seams. A four-state road trip--trapped in a car with her mother--is the last thing she needs. Their destination may be beautiful Hatteras Island, but the reason for going is anything by pleasant. After one disastrous hurricane, and with a second one working its way up the coast, it's time to convince Aunt Sandy to abandon her little seaside store on North Carolina's Outer Banks and return to the family fold in Michigan. But when the storm sweeps through, the three women will discover that sisterhood and the sea can change hearts, lives, and futures . . . often in the most unpredictable of ways." --from the publisher

I'm not a big fan of novellas, but this was a good one. I enjoyed the story and characters, and I wanted to finish the series. I give it three out of five stars.

The Sea Keeper's Daughters by Lisa Wingate

 (Carolina Heirlooms #3)

400 pages / 13 hrs, 34 mins

"From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. . .

"Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at The Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a depression-era love story change everything."  --from the publisher

I really enjoyed this interesting story. The narrator of the audiobook isn't a favorite of mine, but the content was good enough to keep me entertained. I give it three out of five stars.

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.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
342 pages

"Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents--but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.

"Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong."  --from the publisher

Wingate tells the story well and avoids gruesome details that would have alienated much of her audience. I'm so glad this was my book club's selection because I may not have read it otherwise.

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.

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate - 509 pages

Heather returns home to Moses Lake Texas, to help with the sale of the family farm.  Her boyfriend brokered the deal, but she finds out all is not as it seems in Moses Lake.

THE PRAYER BOX by Lisa Wingate

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate - 537 pages

While this moved a little too slow for me it was a good story.  While I can go into detail about how a woman who tries to start over with her kids and then connects to a deceased woman through prayer letters....details aren't for me.  But I like what Amazon had to say about this one.

This is a story of family ties, broken parent and sibling relationships (again, I can relate) and the struggles we all face in family life. Stories of love and life after disappointments are the key to going on living. It's a story about how strangers in a seaside tourist village come together to help one another in the most unlikely ways. It's a story you will be able to relate to regardless of your past.