The father you never knew, has left behind a heartbreaking secret…
June Westwood is devastated by the news the father she never met has died. Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she’s inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage.
On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father’s hideaway leaves June breathless. But it’s his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most. How could someone paint other people so beautifully, but reject those closest to him? And why is every drawer in her father’s workshop locked? June hopes her new neighbour—her father’s apprentice Caleb—will provide the answers. But Caleb won’t talk about the past.
Then, hidden in her father’s workshop, June discovers a box of newspaper clippings that reveal the shocking reason why her father left years ago—and uncovers Caleb’s own devastating secret…
When her old life comes calling, June has an impossible decision to make. Unsure what’s best for her girls, and if she can trust Caleb, will digging deeper into her father’s dark past heal or destroy her precious family?
An absolutely heartbreaking and emotional page-turner about the incredible strength of family bonds, how we can hurt those closest to us, and the healing power of love. Fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kerry Lonsdale and Kerry Fisher will devour this powerful read from award-winning author Melissa Wiesner.
My Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐
June has a rather perfect life – with her loving husband, two beautiful daughters and a job she loves, it seems as though she has it all. That is until news of her fathers passing, and despite her never knowing him, this hits her much harder than she had expected it to.
After growing up with just her mother and siblings, very much under the illusion that her father had wanted nothing at all to do with her, and it is only after his death that she discovers who he really was. June is shocked to discover that the father she longed to have known was in fact a wonderful artist, and from this point June’s perfect life begins to crumble around her.
June soon learns that her husband has also been hiding things from her, and has some deep buried secrets of his own. Not knowing how to deal with this sudden overload of deceit, June flees to her late fathers home, hoping to get some answers and learn more about the father she never got the chance to know.
This is a story full of mystery, heart break and self discovery which really captures your heart from the beginning. June is one of those characters you can’t help but feel connected to, she has a big heart and cares deeply about those closest to her, so the hurt she feels when she is betrayed by those she loves most is palpable and your heart really goes out to her.
The storyline is perfectly structured, lacing the drama and mystery together beautifully and making the story flow effortlessly from start to finish. The author has a truly refreshing writing style that makes you feel as though you are living the tale alongside the characters within the book, which in turn allows them to become more realistic and relatable to the reader.
A wonderfully written, emotional read that had me well and truly hooked from beginning to end. I adored this story and look forward to future releases by Melissa Wiesner.
You can purchase a copy of this book by following the links below
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3tu6rNH Apple: https://apple.co/3rUVVyN Kobo: https://bit.ly/3qWk86u Google: https://bit.ly/3bSGRfy
About the Author
Melissa Wiesner is a night-owl who began writing novels about five years ago when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. In 2019, she won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in the Mainstream Fiction Category for her first novel. Melissa holds two Master’s Degrees in Public Health and Community Agency Counseling. Her day job is in Social Work where she often encounters people knocked down by hard times but who pick themselves up and keep going, just like the characters of her novels. Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her charming husband and two adorable children.
https://www.melissawiesner.com/
https://twitter.com/Melissa_Wiesner
Victoria Wilks 