After the Shadows ~ Review

After the Shadows

Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing  #1

By Amanda Cabot

A year ago, Emily Leland left Sweetwater Crossing as a newlywed bride. Today she is returning as a widow, one with a secret. But the home she left is filled with sorrow following the death of her mother. And then there is her sister's anger - anger and resentment at the situation. 

Emily's homecoming is anything but happy when her father is found dead. Emily alone feels that someone took her father's life, but anyone with any authority thinks it is just her grief speaking. But in the midst of her grief, Emily continues to honor her father's memory by opening her family's home to those in need of housing, including the newly arrived school teacher.    

This is an excellent book that touches on several serious topics, including suicide and abuse. These are approached both delicately and thoughtfully, presented as they were handled at the time this book is set. There are concerns that Emily raises that, for the most part, are ignored by all except the new school teacher Craig Ferguson. I think Craig is more open to Emily's assertions because he has recently lost his own wife in tragic circumstances, and his less humiliating disciplinary measures have marked him as possibly unsuitable too. But whatever the reasons Craig has for believing Emily, they work to solve the mystery that Emily feels needs to be answered. 

What they uncover is rather shocking, and would be interesting to discover why it happened. What was the triggering event that made this course of action seem acceptable? This is the question that so many times we all ask after an event, "Why did they do this?" This is the first book in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series, and if this book is any indication, it should prove to be an excellent series. Amanda Cabot presented a well-spun story with characters who had depth as they dealt with difficult situations, a testament to her skills.                                                                                                                                                                         

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                           

About the Book:

A brighter future awaits--if she can escape the shadows of the past

Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First, she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.

Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death--and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.

Bestselling author Amanda Cabot transports you to 1880s Texas Hill Country for a brand-new series that will have you flipping pages to solve the mystery and get to the happily-ever-after you long for.