Four sisters. One family secret. And a chance to fix the past…Kate Hannigan is in charge of her late mother’s estate, and she has a plan: divide everything evenly, including the old family house on the harbor. What she doesn’t realize is that her mother changed the will. Now, a family secret hangs in the balance.Meanwhile, her sister, Amelia, a struggling off-Broadway actress, enlists her … struggling off-Broadway actress, enlists her hapless construction boyfriend to help with a local project, but he’s more interested in summer tourists.
Second-youngest, Megan, is preoccupied with her divorce… but not too preoccupied to make a dating profile, much to her sisters’ mortification.
Baby of the family, Clara, is single and refuses to date. She puts her teaching job above all else. Until a crushing revelation calls into question everything she knew to be true… including her own past.
Head to Birch Harbor, Michigan and visit the Hannigan sisters who fix up and open The Heirloom Inn, the most storied bed and breakfast on Lake Huron. Birch Harbor is a romantic women’s fiction series and a family saga by the author of The Farmhouse.
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After many years of drifting apart, Nora Hannigan’s daughters have been brought back together in their little hometown of Birch Harbor. The occasion: Nora’s death.
Kate: the oldest; recently widowed; her two boys are in college; she has no true income.
Amelia: the struggling New York actress/waitress; never married, no children, but always in a noncommittal relationship – usually with younger men.
Megan: the brooding sister whose marriage is on the rocks; one teenage daughter; considering following her dream (matchmaking).
Clara: the youngest – by a long shot; teacher; former caretaker of sick mother; the only one currently living in Birch Harbor.
When the sisters meet with their mother’s lawyer to read her will, they learn something that shocks them all. They’ll need to unravel the reasoning behind the shocking revelation, determine who should really get what, maintain their sisterly relationships, AND cope with their own personal struggles.
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This is NOT a romance novel, but there are mildly romantic subplots happening for each of the women. Kate’s personal life realizes the most progress. It’s written in a way that had me cheering for all of the characters. There’s no real “bad guy” except for the situation: the family secret was not handled in the most ideal way. There’s lots of tension and family drama. The secret isn’t revealed to the reader until nearly the very end.
The ending provides closure/resolution to the current dilemmas, but introduces new information and questions that left me eager to read the sequel. Some novels lose steam after reaching the climax, but this story continues to be engaging and exciting until the very end!
OVERALL
Mild language, including taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Implied immortality (extramarital sex).
Themes: family, love, fairness, honesty.
*** I received a complimentary copy of the manuscript from the publisher through Booksprout. Opinions expressed are my own. I am voluntarily leaving a review. ***