Christy J. (southernsassygirl) reviewed on 4/1/2021 + 180 more book reviews

Allison Pittman has long been one of my favorite authors. To this day, I still remember reading her Sister Wives series, and wishing that there were more stories like it being written within the Christian fiction genre. Her style of writing has always stood out in my mind as being refreshingly unique.

I was intrigued when I read this book's synopsis as 1) it's a split-time novel and 2) there's jewelry involved (like, lots of jewelry). What I failed to fully comprehend at that time was that I would be reading a ghost story. Very different indeed, especially in Christian fiction! I have never been one for paranormal tales, tv shows, etc. so I read through with a great deal of skepticism. My hesitancy was shortly proven to be overblown as these aspects are really just a subplot to the greater story. That greater story was getting to know Hedda Krause and Dini Blackstone on a personal level, and how their circumstances shaped their character.

I loved that Hedda's story was told in an autobiographical style. She controlled her own narrative, and deciphering her words was left up to future generations. Dini and Quin both shared a love for this long-unsolved mystery, and their chemistry was electric - both in their approach to Hedda's words and to each other.

The only thing that kept me from giving this novel 5 stars was that the Christian messaging was watered down at best. I kept hoping that I would get to a moment with more depth, but it never came, and the book overall felt like more of a mainstream novel.

I am excited to read more from this new series by Barbour - Doors to the Past - and very curious to see what historical secrets and stories that will bring. Bravo to Allison Pittman for getting us off to a great start!

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