From the bestselling author of the Sweeney Sisters Series comes the much-awaited sequel to Magnolia Nights, a novel of fate, discovery, and determination.All is right in Ellie Pringle Hagood’s world. Recently married to the man of her dreams and in anticipation of the big family she’s always wanted, she focuses on restoring the large home she inherited from her grandmother on Charleston’s … Charleston’s prestigious Battery. Abbott, the father she adores, lives just down the street from her. She treasures her beloved housekeeper, Maddie, who offers wise counsel and loving support, and is the closest thing to a mother she’s ever known. Two days a week, she volunteers for an art program she piloted at an elementary school. But then, in the midst of all her happiness, comes news that throws Ellie’s life into a tailspin. Her brother-in-law has been murdered in Key West, and her sister, Lia, is wanted for questioning in the investigation. No one in Ellie’s family has seen or heard from Lia in the seven months since she disappeared and left her twin three-year-old daughters in Ellie and Julian’s care. The newlyweds, with several questions nagging at them, fly off to Key West in search of the missing sister. Where is Lia? How is she connected to her husband’s murder? What will become of her twin daughters? The two are only at the beginning of their quest for answers and solutions, and the path they take turns out to be far more torturous and complicated than expected.
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Oh my! This book is a real page turner. A murder takes place in the first chapter, for heaven’s sake! And then the story-line just keeps spinning from there.
I love the main character, Ellie, who we first meet in book one of this series. She’s a very strong, capable woman with an emotional past full of secrets. She is able to overcome all of that to find happiness. But then her sister turns up again after no contact for months, a suspect in the murder of her estranged husband. What’s going to happen to Ellie’s happy family life—is it going to spiral out of control?
I just love Ashley’s stories and I’m so excited for this series. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. I really need to find out what happens to this wonderful family that I have come to love. And I swear, each book she writes just gets better and better. This book in particular has a bit of dark side to it (just check the cover, doesn’t it have a dark feel to it?) which just demonstrates the versatility of Ashley’s writing talents.
Thank you #NetGalley for the copy of this book.
After reading Magnolia Nights this is a must read. It has it all. It’s a thriller, mystery, love story and more. It pulled me in and would not let go. I throughly enjoyed it from the first book to the last page of this book. It’s one you will not be able to put down. I love this author’s work and will be reading more by her.
It’s a big 5 star read for sure. A must for your TBR list.
Ah, the dynamics of a family. Ellie and Julian, have created a family of what they call misfits, the twin girls that Ellie’s sister left when she left town, one of Ellie’s art students that was abused and Julian’s daughter. Ellie and Julian have been looking for her sister to get her to sign papers letting them adopt the twins. They hadn’t found her but the police arrive asking where she is because she is wanted for questioning in the murder of her husband. They look for Lia, at first to find her so she will sign papers for them to adopt the twins. As the story unfolds, there are many twists and turns that just keeps you reading. After they find Lia, Lia wants a huge settlement to sell her children to her sister and brother-in-law. Ellie decides she doesn’t want the twins to grow up and learn they were sold so she decides that the solution would be for her to help her sister stay in the area, get treatment and they would always be there for the girls. A very hard decision to make but you have to keep reading to find out what happens. As always, Ashley doesn’t disappoint. She keeps you riveted right to the last period.
“Giving birth to chil’run doesn’t make a woman a good mother.”
This is the perfect quote told to Ellie as she desperately wants to have a baby of her own.
Her family will grow as she realizes the love in her heart, must be shared with two twin nieces, a step-daughter and a young student who she and her husband, Julian take in to foster.
The plot is a mix of a murder mystery and a mentally ill family member (Ellie’s twin sister) who desperately needs help, but refuses and has abandoned her children for seven months and now wants them back.
But- does she really?
The novel moves quickly and at times my heart was breaking as Ellie struggles to do what is right for these children and her sister.
I truly enjoyed this book!
Favorite Quotes:
She arrived five minutes late for class to discover her students dancing around the room and singing into their fists to the sound of rap music blaring from one of the boys’ iPhones. Their shoes bore holes and their clothes were worn, but they all carried a smartphone of some variety.
Nothing in this life comes without risk, Miss Ellie. But if you don’t take the risk, you don’t get the reward.
My Review:
Beyond the Garden had an active and busy plot with several intense storylines involving lots of tension with family drama, tragedy, mental illness, murder, blackmail, and abuse, as well as the more positive elements of rescue, fresh starts, happy children, and a beach vacation, which is always the best ending for any story. The storylines were engaging, the characters were flawed yet intriguing, and the writing was highly descriptive, emotive, and keenly observant. I have enjoyed each and every book I’ve read by Ms. Farley. I relish her Low Country tales although I always seem to find myself with an intense hankering for shrimp, lobster rolls, and cornbread for several weeks afterward.
Beyond The Garden is book number two in the Magnolia Nights series, the story is set in Charleston, SC. This is a wonderful story that will tug at your heart and keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved it, I read it in one evening. The characters seem to come to life and you experience all the emotions they are dealing with right along with them. I highly recommend this book. As a fan of Ashley Farley’s books I know you won’t be disappointed in this or any of her books.