THE WIDOW'S WATCHER
by
ELIZA MAXWELL
Genre:
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Date of Publication: March 29, 2018
Number of Pages: 286
Scroll down for the giveaway!
Scroll down for the giveaway!
From Eliza Maxwell, the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl, comes a gripping novel about the mysteries that haunt us and the twists of fate that can unravel them…
Living in the shadow of a decades-old crime that stole his children from him, reclusive Lars Jorgensen is an unlikely savior. But when a stranger walks onto the ice of a frozen Minnesota lake, her intentions are brutally clear, and the old man isn’t about to let her follow through.
Jenna Shaw didn’t ask for Lars’s help, nor does she want it. After he pulls her from the brink, however, Jenna finds her desire to give up challenged by their unlikely friendship. In Jenna, Lars recognizes his last chance for redemption. And in her quest to solve the mysteries of Lars’s past and bring him closure, Jenna may find the way out of her own darkness.
But the truth that waits threatens to shatter it all. When secrets are surrendered and lies are laid bare, Jenna and Lars may find that accepting the past isn’t their greatest challenge. Can they afford the heartbreaking price of forgiveness?
PRAISE FOR THE WIDOW'S WATCHER:
"There was a moment I had to tell myself that this is just a book..."
- Goodreads reviewer
"A well-paced story of healing, forgiveness and tragedy, with enough unexpected twists to keep readers guessing.”
-- Amber Cowie, author of Rapid Falls
CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!
✪✪✪✪✪
HALL
WAYS REVIEW: This is the third book I’ve read by author
Eliza Maxwell, and there is a reason I keep coming back. Yes, her book covers
are gorgeous and enticing and make you want to crawl inside and find out the
story behind the image. But those covers are only one appetizer before a multi-course
meal. The cover of The Widow’s Watcher whets
the appetite, and then Maxwell, like all good chefs, sets the stage by feeding
the reader morsels of information that hint at the delicious feast to come.
(Note to self: have a snack before writing next review to avoid food analogies.)
This meal, (oops! story!), keeps
reinventing itself and going in unexpected directions, which is one of many
reasons it’s unputdownable. Readers are initially drawn-in to the banter
between a mother and her teen aged daughter, then one single sentence zooms out
and shows that things are not as they seem. Nothing is as it seems. No one is
as he or she seems. The real joy in reading The
Widow’s Watcher is watching the story unfold via small, sometimes
misleading reveals that take readers on a suspenseful and emotional journey
from start to finish.
"Is there anything so empty as
something that's once been full?"
Oh, the GUILT in this
book. Guilt is such a driving force of
human nature, and the richly drawn characters in The Widow’s Watcher are immersed in it. They feel guilt about what
they’ve done in equal parts with what they haven’t done…or are going to do…or
have thought about doing – or maybe didn’t really do at all. The pain of their
guilt radiates from the characters and is exacerbated by the secrets they keep.
Eliza Maxwell knows how to write secrets.
"Forgiveness
is hard. It's painful. It's giving when you've got nothing left to give, from
places you can't afford to give anything else."
In what I would say is Eliza Maxwell’s
trademark style, she creates complex characters who are ruled by the guilt they
carry and the secrets they keep and who are their own worst enemies. Maxwell
builds extraordinary, yet realistic relationships between the characters that
allow readers to relate to them. These connections, both between characters but
also between the reader and the characters, are powerful and make us feel
invested in the characters’ lives.
"Hope
was a frightening thing to rekindle. As impossible to control as a wildfire on a
dry plain."
The
Widow’s Watcher is powerful and poignant. Prepare to feel
emotionally drained after you finish reading because this book puts readers
through the wringer. It is at times profoundly sad, but there is a constant
hopeful thread that weaves its way in and out of the sadness as the characters
search for redemption and forgiveness they don’t know they are seeking.
The writing is lovely and flows well with
short chapters that allow for a quick read. There are some scattered SPAG
errors, but none were enough to impact my enjoyment. As I did with The Grave Tender and The Unremembered Girl, I highly
recommend reading The Widow’s Watcher
for a smorgasbord of feelings that will leave you satisfyingly full but not in
need of an antacid.
Thank you to Lone Star Book
Blog Tours and the author for providing me a beautiful print copy in exchange
for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.
Extra
credit awarded: Yes, there is a library in the story and
though I was initially bummed by the librarian’s attitude and *GASP*
withholding of information, in keeping with the rest of the story, there is
redemption. Double points awarded for one of my favorite sayings, "You can't judge a book
by its cover...but you can judge a person by their books."
-------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Three Winners! 1ST PRIZE: Signed Copy + $25 Amazon Gift Card
2ND PRIZE: Signed Copy + $10 Amazon Gift Card
3RD PRIZE: Signed Copy
2ND PRIZE: Signed Copy + $10 Amazon Gift Card
3RD PRIZE: Signed Copy
MAY 22-31, 2018
(U.S. Only)
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
5/22/18
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Book Trailer
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5/22/18
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Review
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5/23/18
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Guest Post
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5/23/18
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Bonus Post
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5/24/18
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Review
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5/24/18
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Notable Quotable
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5/25/18
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Review
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5/25/18
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Author Interview
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5/26/18
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Review
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5/26/18
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Notable Quotable
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5/27/18
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Deleted Scene
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5/28/18
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Review
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5/28/18
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Excerpt
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5/29/18
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Top Five List
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5/30/18
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Review
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5/31/18
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BONUS Review
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