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My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Many thanks to the author for an ARC copy of this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

OK I will just get this one point out of the way before anything else. Is there a magic wand that could be swished and flicked which will transport me to this beautiful house called Pine Tree House, minus the ghosts, of course!

Jean M Roberts novel that has plots of time slip romance weaving thru the historical time of 1690’s and also talking about a painful subject of physical abuse is brilliant. Dr. Abigail Coote is travelling on a deserved break to Portsmouth in New Hampshire after a traumatic event in her life. But her arrival is not all rest and no work that she had envisaged. The ghosts of the past are determined to achieve what they have been waiting for 300 years. As Abbey discovers the truth of her genealogy and her connection to Pine Tree House, the time travel allows her glimpses of the life of young Mary whose married life becomes one of terror.

The story alternates between the present and the 1690’s and the history of the Indian attacks, how the families survived the unrest of those times and the plight of the women to always play second fiddle to the men in their life. Irrespective of the change of times, Abbey discovers that other than the ways of life, nothing much has changed and that human emotions, jealousies, and vying for upmanship and superiority are the basic needs that control a man’s whim. Mary’s life under the brutal hands of her husband and her horrific experiences that continues with no end in sight was absolute pain to read.

The beautiful setting of the story is simply enthralling, so much that I wanted to be in Abbey’s place to enjoy the sights and sounds of New Hampshire. The switching of the time frames as Abbey travels to Mary’s time is quite seamless and the historical details that the author has scrupulously researched provide an authenticity to the enduring tale of love and redemption.

The past calls to those who dare to listen…

An invitation arrives; Abbey Coote, professor of American Studies, has won an extended stay in a historic B&B, Pine Tree House. The timing is perfect. Abbey is recovering from an accident which left her abusive boyfriend dead and her with little memory of the event. But her idyllic respite soon takes a terrifying turn. While exploring the ancient house, Abbey comes face to face with Mary Foss, a woman dead for 350 years. Through a time/mind interface Abbey experiences the horrors of Mary’s life, living at the edge of the civilized world in 1690s New England. As Abbey faces her worst fears, she struggles to free them both from the past.

AMAZON INDIA: https://amzn.to/3qwBkAc

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