Evergreen Falls

Starred review from July 1, 2015

In this lush, evocative book, family secrets have the power to both wound and heal. In 2014, introverted Lauren finds old love letters stashed away in a hotel that is being renovated. Intrigued by the mystery, she starts to trace the love affair chronicled in the epistles. Woven into the book is a second plotline set in 1926, focusing on Violet, a waitress at the Evergreen Spa Hotel, and Flora, a well-off woman who serves as her brother's caretaker. Violet has fallen in love rashly, and Flora is engaged to marry a man she doesn't love. The events of 1926 have long-lasting impact, reverberating into the present. While the main mystery is tied to the 1926 time line, the modern-day sequence of Lauren falling in love with a handsome architect while solving family riddles is just as strong. VERDICT Freeman's (Ember Island) warm, charming novel will appeal to fans of Kate Morton. Readers who enjoy family dramas and rooting for happy endings will welcome this with open arms.--Jennifer Mills, Shorewood-Troy Lib., IL

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