Tina’s review of Where Secrets Sleep by Marta Perry.
After suffering a terrible betrayal, Allison Standish flees Philadelphia for the small Amish village of Laurel Ridge. There, she comes into an unexpected inheritance—her late grandmother bequeathed her a mansion housing various shops. Allison intends to sell Blackburn House, until one of her tenants, single father Nick Whiting, challenges everything she believes about her estranged grandmother and the Amish community, and she decides to stay—temporarily.
Soon, strange stipulations in her grandmother’s will bring to Allison’s door distant relatives and seething townsfolk who think Blackburn House shouldn’t belong to an outsider. As anonymous threats escalate, Nick is protective of Allison, and she finds herself falling for the handsome carpenter. But when she discovers her grandmother’s death may not have been accidental, Allison must face the truth that someone wants her gone…permanently.
Where Secrets Sleep is an easy-to-read suspense story that takes place in Amish country, although the main character Allison Standish is an Englisher.
Allison is an interior decorator who decides to leave her profession after catching her boss getting cozy with her boyfriend. As luck would have it, she has also recently inherited the Blackburn House, which is a mansion filled with all kinds of shops and was owned by her Amish grandmother whom she never actually knew. There was a condition that came with the inheritance that stated that Allison would have to run the mansion for an entire year with a profit before it would actually become hers. If she failed, the house would be given to her cousin instead. Of course, thinking this would not be such an unfathomable task, Allison is planning to sell the mansion after her year is up. But, she begins to encounter many strange events . There is reason to believe that maybe her grandmother’s death was not an accident, and that some people are a little less than pleased about Allison’s inheritance. There is also a little romance in the mix as well, as Allison becomes close to one of her shop owners. So, there is a little bit of everything for the reader to enjoy.
I thought this was an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours on a lazy Saturday afternoon. The story, although a bit predictable, was entertaining and it held my interest. I think that anyone who enjoys reading Amish fiction would find Where Secrets Sleep to be a a story that they will appreciate as well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
Rating: 4 out of 5
This title is available from HQN Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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