Book Review: The Remembering Tree by H.R. Mason

About the Book

Still trying to pick up the pieces after the sudden death of her husband, Gemma Clayborn takes her fifteen-year-old daughter, Opal, and heads for Beacon Shores, a tiny coastal town in the state of Washington. Her daughter is angry at the world, and Gemma is simply trying to survive. She plans to restore Moonstone House, the ancestral estate left to her by her grandmother.

When Gemma arrives in Beacon Shores, Moonstone House immediately captures her heart. She remembers spending summers there as a child, back before her mother decided they could never go there again. Eric Johnson, the contractor restoring the home, piques Gemma’s interest as well. She feels a strange connection to him, almost as if they already know one another.

What intrigues Gemma the most, however, is the strange and beautiful redbud tree in the front yard. The tree seems to know things, whispering to her, urging her to uncover the secrets of the past. The discovery of an old journal leads Gemma down the rabbit hole, into the pages of her great-great-grandmother’s life, one that eerily parallels her own. She begins to unravel the story of the women in her family, a history she could have never imagined.

Will Gemma figure out the secrets of Moonstone House before it’s too late? Or are some things better left buried in the pages of the journal?

My Review

I really liked the way this one started. The setup, the premise, the original incorporation of the Pennsylvania Dutch religious element – which I never heard of and found absolutely fascinating – and the glorious old house restoration were excellently presented and felt fresh and intriguing. As things developed the story got a little more predictable, and a little more farfetched, although that may be because it turned out to be more of a romance than I anticipated. (It’s not normally a genre I prefer to read.)

Still, there was a lot going on in the cross-generational elements were interesting , as was the history presented. I did find it to be an enjoyable and very fast read and I was entertained from start to finish, even though I did find the burgeoning romance and series of coincidences a little too tidy to be entirely believable…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.

About the Author