Diane Chamberlain

This was a great story but I did not like the ending. Spoiler alert. I gave it 4 stars because I love Diane Chamberlain and her writing is flawless. I fell in love with the characters right away and could not put this book down. although I did not like Peggy at first she turned out to be a very warm and loving person. I didn't like that Diane left it open and we did not get to find out if Suzanne got to keep Tyler/Cody. But overall the story line was great and the suspense of who was responsible for all of those murders was great too. I thought it was Adam and it turned out to be Jessie. [author:Diane Chamberlain|93345… (more)

Imprisoned for a crime she did not commit, an artist is offered a chance to complete her remaining time by restoring a post office mural in a sleepy Southern town where another artist confronted violent prejudice decades earlier.

This was a slow but intriguing story of Morgan working to get her life back on track and taking responsibility for the problems that got her in prison. It’s also a story of another artist in 1940 and her conflicts with people who are prejudiced against a working woman and racist as she works on a mural that she was selected to do after winning a contest. The characters are well-developed. I particularly liked Morgan and Oliver, who manages the art gallery and helps her. The mystery was mostly about the mural and what it means, which I found very enjoyable.… (more)

This book tells the stories of Ellie and Kayla.

Ellie's story starts in 1965 where she is 20 years old and a college student in North Carolina. She decides to join SCOPE, an organization that canvasses neighborhoods to convince black folks to register to vote. She will live with black families while working with SCOPE. Her parents do not want her to do this but she does anyway. She meets a lot of people doing this, especially Win, and they fall in love with each other. However, Win is black and Ellie is white so they cannot act on their feelings.

Kayla's story starts in 2010 when she and her daughter move into a home she designed with her husband. Sadly, her husband passed away before they moved in so Kayla doesn't really want to be in the house. Then, weird things start happening and she begins to wonder if the house is cursed. She meets Ellie, who has moved back home to care for her mom and brother, and they form a casual friendship. After a while, Kayla finds out her dad was Ellie's boyfriend before Ellie joined SCOPE.

There is an underlying mystery to this story which is not solved until the very end. My first book by this author and I will be checking out more of her books in the future.… (more)