Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 11/9/2021 + 599 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Behind Love's Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels features The Grand Hotel at Michigan's Mackinac Island. This destination is on my bucket list so I was excited to "visit" in the pages of this novel.

Like others in the Doors to the Past series, this is a dual timeline romance. The historical plot centers around Lily in 1895, a singer who performs popular music of the times at resorts. The contemporary plot features Willa in 2020 and includes COVID-19 protocols and consequences. Willa's a popular interior designer with her own HGTV show.

Both women are haunted by secrets involving their parents, are drawn to Mackinac Island for work, and make important discoveries while there. During current-time renovations at The Grand Hotel, Lily's diary is discovered, connecting the women over 125 years.

I appreciated that this novel included mental health issues in both timelines, and COVID-19 in the contemporary story. While Christian fiction is considered to be Pollyanna by many, most is not and I prefer novels of all genres that reflect real issues people face.

However, I really struggled with Behind Love's Wall because it includes far too many characters, especially with two timelines. The similarities between Lily and Willa's lives and the (often secret) connections between characters in the two timelines confused me. By the end, it all became impossible to track everyone and I wasn't invested enough to puzzle it out.

I look forward to future novels in the Doors to the Past series and am grateful for the opportunity to read and review this title. Thank you to Barbour Publishing for a review copy.

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