Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery’s vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?

Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal. As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.

My thoughts:

I love stories where there is a dual timeline of events past and present. I found this story to be genuinely absorbing. Though I have to say in the beginning Cassie’s story intrigued me more than her grandmothers story, June. There are so many wonderful characters and characters you will want to throttle in this story and the glam of Hollywood stars, a rambling old home-Two Oaks that was spectacular in its heyday. Voices of the past haunting Cassie as she is faced with discovering her family’s legacy.

There is some twist to the plot and I have to say, I guessed what was going to happen but not in every detail of the plot. There were some surprises for me.

I found this story to be thoroughly enjoyable and atmospheric. I also enjoyed the authors details to Two Oaks and the roots planted there by not only the people that lived in the house but by the people in the town that affected their lives. I wouldn’t mind revisiting this story again one day.

I rated this book four stars!