2020 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern FictionFinalist in HOLT Medallion Award contestFinalist Greater Detroit Area RWA Booksellers Best Award A love story that spans centuries… through an old house—and fulfill a destiny through the secrets it shares. Part love story. Part ghost story. Lacewood is a timeless novel about trusting in fate, letting go of the past, and believing in things that can’t be seen.
MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.
Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.
The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping the “city girl” restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost forever is exposed, and a destiny that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries is fulfilled.
Rich in emotion and poignant in its telling, Lacewood is an unforgettable story about love and loss, roots and belonging…and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.
A haunting story that connects the past with the present—and the present with eternity.
“Strong storytelling prose.” – The BookLife Prize
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I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this. I am not a big historical fan, but it sounded so intriguing! I LOVE old homes and I loved the idea of finding out the history of the owners. It is sooo hard for me to express in words my love for this book, but I’m going to try!
Everything about the Lacewood property had me completely hooked from the moment Katie went inside to look around. You could tell home much history there was to be told! I absolutely loved the instant connection Katie felt when she went in and I knew the story would be magnificent. Katie, herself, was super interesting to me too. We never really learned “everything” about her, but it was super nice to see someone want to step out of the spotlight and be “normal.” The task that Katie took on restoring Lacewood was HUGE. BUT, I love how she wanted to do it herself and how she really wanted to make the place shine like it used to. Insert Will, he was so damn perfect for this story! I loved how he had this extensive past, and how he was just as tied to Lacewood as Katie. There was so much mystery to him too, I liked that he wasn’t an open book. Katie had to truly work to find out who he was.
There were so many layers to this book, and I love how Jessica went about them. I loved how we got to go on this amazing journey with Katie and Will. From discovering places on the property and in the home, to finding these treasures of the history of Lacewood and its owners. Now, I’m not a person who loves historical anything, in face, I usually avoid them like the plague. This story had me so intrigued though and I couldn’t wait to see if Jessica would take us back to the civil war days and get to see things from Annie’s perspective. Never in my life have I wanted anything more!!! The whole story was just so beautifully done. We got to learn so much about the Civil War, the story of Lacewood and we got to see Katie and Josh grow in so many different ways. The story was also so emotional and touching. I loved every single second!!!
This story is well written and once I started reading I was not putting it down. This is a new Author for me. The storyline is great and the story flows smoothly between two time periods. This is New York socialite Katie McCain’ s story of buying an abandoned 200-year-old mansion and hometown hero Will Durham who returns to the town of New Hope,Virginia and starts helping her restore the mansion. I strongly recommend this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
(4.5 stars) – my kind of ghost story
This is a lovely story of healing & hope with a hint of spiritual guidance in the paranormal as well as Providential sense.
Katie & Will have both been damaged in different yet similar ways. (Warning: Katie cries. Easily. A lot.) They meet & find that they are at a point in their lives where they are each what the other needs.
The mood building is nicely done – spooky but not fearfully so, for the most part. (I tend toward anxiety & it didn’t stress me at all) And the characters are frequently witty & amusing.
At times the narrative left me a little confused as to what was going on, but continuing on filled in the context. (That seems to be a writing trend or something, but as a reader, I find plot jumps with backfill frustrating)
The final chapter is effectively the epilogue. And it’s satisfying, but oddly, it’s all narrative with no cut scene or dialogue. I think including a happily-ever-after exchange of some sort between the main characters would have made it even better.
All that said, it’s a really well done “ghost” story, & I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Clean romance level: passionate kisses
Religion: MCs attend church, wrestle a bit with the question of God allowing bad things, some general spiritual references but all completely organic to the story & everything is open-ended. Only a determined anti-theist could complain.
Use of “Lordy” & “Jeezus”
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I fell in love with this story. I loved how Jessica James started with modern day and then took us back to the days of the Civil War, and then brought us back to modern day. The story is extremely well written and I felt as though I were there in each scene watching it unfold. I fell in love with the characters and I read each page with anticipation of what was going to happen next. I honestly did not want the story to end.
I received and advance readers copy and this is my honest and unbiased review.
Several twists in this book. I liked how it ‘filled-in’ the history.
Liked this book and the setting.
The beauty of Lacewood captures you as Katie describing with that first look, not the dust and neglect over the years.
The peace and quiet, the healing she was needing. No more being waited on, the work now was her working on her own home.
Will comes to help weed the back acreage for her, a cottage, he wants to rent. A man of few words, also wanting the pease and quiet .
These two are drawn to one another. An unease he didn’t know how to handle, or a protection he felt needed, toward her.
As she is drawn to initials carved in the wood on a window sill, the life of a widow who last lived her. The time capsules of treasures she has found
That connects the past and the future together, she is drawn to piece together. A story that draws one in and unfolds as does the mystery of Lacewood. Well written, and enjoyable to read.
I especially enjoyed the historical aspects regarding the civil war.
good book. I finished this book now and really enjoyed it. It is one of the best books I have read recently. I usually avoid books about war but glad I got this one and hope to read more of Jessica James’ novels. Thank you for an informative and wonderful read.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lacewood, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book begins when New York socialite Katie McCain makes an impromptu trip from DC into the Virginia countryside in search of her grandmother’s home and stumbles upon a two-hundred-year-old abandoned mansion. Katie purchases the property on a whim and leaves behind the New York social scene. She soon discovers the house has secrets and longs to learn about its past inhabitants, especially the “Widow of Lacewood.” Katie stumbles upon some long-lost letters that help unravel the mystery of the Civil War Era owners.
Will Durham is a home-town hero who has his own issues to overcome. Katie allows him to move into the caretaker’s cottage in exchange for helping with renovations of the mansion. It doesn’t take long for the two of them to discover a mutual attraction.
The big surprise for me came about three-quarters of the way through the book when the author takes us back to the days of the Civil War and Annie’s story. The few chapters bring us back to modern-day and a resolution.
If you like a good, clean read, you’ll enjoy Lacewood. It does reference faith but isn’t preachy. There is no foul language (a couple of mild words here and there that I didn’t notice until another reviewer pointed them out). There is only kissing—no love scenes, although they are inferred in the last part of the book.
James does a wonderful job with descriptions. I could easily picture the mansion and the surrounding area. She also captures the typical small-town atmosphere.
Personally, I would have like to have seen more of Katie’s and Will’s love story. A good portion of the book deals with unraveling the mystery of the house rather than the attraction between the two main characters.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Lacewood and would not be averse to reading other works by this author.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Jessica James novel, and my first impression was the vivid descriptions. I felt like I was standing in the middle of the home with Katie as she worked. The descriptions dragged me into the story so much, I felt the same emotional need to discover Annie Logan’s story as Katie did.
Both Katie and Annie’s stories are haunting at times, but the strong heroines become stronger throughout the book. I enjoyed the patriotism interwoven throughout both heroine’s stories as well as the realization that both sides of the Civil War were fought by men who had strong belief in their country. I always enjoy when an author makes me once again think of the sacrifices of others and how they affected my life, just as Katie began to think about the sacrifices made in a community that’s still new to her.
(Check out the full review at https://justjenniferpurcell.com/2019/06/07/just-read-lacewood-by-jessica-james/)