Synopses & Reviews
From the acclaimed author of The Secrets She Carried
comes a novel about the pull of the past and the power of love. As offseason begins on the Outer Banks, a storm makes landfall, and three unlikely strangers are drawn together
Five years ago, Lane Kramer moved to Starry Point, North Carolina, certain the quaint island village was the place to start anew. Now the owner of a charming seaside inn, shes set aside her dreams of being a novelist and of finding love again. When English professor Michael Forrester appears on Lanes doorstep in the middle of a storm, he claims hes only seeking a quiet place to write his book. Yet he seems eerily familiar with the island, leaving Lane wondering if he is quite what he appears.
Meanwhile, Mary Quinn has become a common sight, appearing each morning on the dunes behind the inn, to stare wistfully out to sea. Lane is surprised to find a friendship developing with the older woman, who possesses a unique brand of wisdom, despite her tenuous grip on reality.
As Lane slowly unravels Marys story and a fragile relationship between Lane and Michael blooms, Lane realizes the three share a common bond. But when a decades-old secret suddenly casts its shadow over them, Lane must choose between protecting her heart and fighting for the lifeand the loveshe wants.
Conversation Guide Included
Review
Praise for The Secrets She Carried “Davis paints a picture of two eras and beautifully flawed characters with evocative and caring words.”—Susan Crandall, author of Whistling Past the Graveyard
“Lovely and assured writing. Adele Laveau's haunting voice and Leslie Nicholl's journey toward understanding lingered long after I read the final page of this engrossing tale."—Julie Kibler, author of Calling Me Home
“A beautifully crafted page-turner with many twists but a simple theme: no matter how far you run, you cant escape your past. Part contemporary womens fiction, part historical novel, the plot moves seamlessly back and forth in time to unlock family secrets that bind four generations of women….A stunning read from the first page to the last sentence.”—Barbara Claypole White, author of The Unfinished Garden
Review
“A wonderful story about sisters, family, and the things that matter most. I loved this beautifully written journey of self-discovery.”—Wendy Wax
Review
Praise for The Wishing Tide
"Everything I love in a novel: a coastal setting so rich you can practically taste the salt in the air and feel the sand under foot, an old inn, and a deeply-felt and explored love story with a smart, relatable heroine and a handsome hero with a mysterious past. Atmospheric, suspenseful and very romantic, The Wishing Tide is elegant and haunting proof that secrets buried in the heart will always rise to the surface."—Erika Marks, author of It Comes in Waves
“A captivating read about fighting for the life you want and daring to believe that happily-ever-after can exist outside of fairytales. Set on a desolate, storm-tossed North Carolina barrier island lush with family secrets, madness, and ghost stories, this lyrical novel will haunt you from the first page to the last.”—Barbara Claypole White award-winning author of The In-Between Hour
"Beautiful and haunting….Filled with wonderful descriptions of North Carolina's Outer Banks, The Wishing Tide is a book about love and loss and finding your way forward. I could not read it fast enough!”—Anita Hughes, author of Lake Como
Praise for The Secrets She Carried
"A poignant, mysterious and heartfelt story.”—Diane Chamberlain, author of Necessary Lies
“Davis paints a picture of two eras and beautifully flawed characters with evocative and caring words.”—Susan Crandall, author of Whistling Past the Graveyard
“This beautifully written novel tells a tale of epic romance, one that lasts through the decades and centuries….Its a beautiful story, and Davis does an amazing job telling it.”—Romantic Times, 4 1/2 stars
Review
Praise for the Novels of Barbara Davis:
“With some books, it is difficult to pick just ‘one thing to highlight. The Wishing Tide by Barbara Davis is one of those books.”—USA Today
“You can practically taste the salt in the air and feel the sand underfoot…Atmospheric, suspenseful and very romantic.”—Erika Marks, Author of It Comes in Waves
“A poignant, mysterious and heartfelt story.”—Diane Chamberlain, Author of Necessary Lies
“Davis has a gift.”—Historical Novel Society
"A captivating read about fighting for the life you want and daring to believe that happily ever after can exist outside of fairy tales."—Barbara Claypole White, Award-Winning Author of The In-Between Hour
"Filled with wonderful descriptions of North Carolina's Outer Banks...[a] book about love and loss and finding your way forward."—Anita Hughes, Author of Lake Como
"Davis's writing is heartfelt and effective."—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
From the acclaimed author of
The Secrets She Carried comes a novel about the pull of the past and the power of love. As offseason begins on the Outer Banks, a storm makes landfall, and three unlikely strangers are drawn together
Conversation Guide Included
Synopsis
Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us...Stuff happens.
Daisy McCrae’s life is in tatters. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and has been reduced to living in the attic above her family’s store, the Union Street Bakery, while learning the business. Unfortunately, the bakery is in serious hardship. Making things worse is the constant feeling of not being a “real” McCrae since she was adopted as a child and has a less-than-perfect relationship with her two sisters.
Then a long-standing elderly customer passes away, and for some reason bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850s, written by a slave girl named Susie. As she reads, Daisy learns more about her family—and her own heritage—than she ever dreamed. Haunted by dreams of the young Susie, who beckons Daisy to “find her,” she is compelled to look further into the past of the town and her family.
What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life, and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she lost for good.
Synopsis
From the author of The Wishing Tide comes a stunning new novel about two summers, one journal, and the secrets that can break and open our hearts....
Pragmatic, independent Lily St. Claire has never been a beachgoer. But when her late father leaves her a small house on Hideaway Keyone neither her mother nor she knew he ownedshes determined to visit the sleepy spit of land along Floridas Gulf Coast. Expecting a quaint cottage, Lily instead finds a bungalow with peeling shutters and mountains of memorabilia. She also catches a glimpse of the architect who lives down the beach
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But its the carton of old journals in the front room that she finds most intriguing. The journals were written by her mothers sister, an infamous beauty whose name has long been banned from the St. Claire home. The journals tell a family tale Lily has never heard, of her mother and her aunt as young girls in Tennessee and the secrets that followed them into adulthood. As she reads, Lily gains a new understanding: about her family and about herself. And she begins to open her heartto this place, these people, and the man next door. But can she ever truly learn to trust, to believe that love is not a trap but a harbor? And is it true that hearts, even broken ones, can be forged anew?
Synopsis
When a young woman returns to North Carolina after a thirty-year absence, she finds that the once grand tobacco plantation she called home holds more secrets than she ever imagined.
Though Peak Plantation has been in her family for generations, Leslie Nichols cant wait to rid herself of the farm left to her by her estranged grandmother Maggieand with it the disturbing memories of her mothers death, her fathers disgrace, and her unhappy childhood. But Leslie isnt the only one with a claim to Peak.
Jay Davenport, Peaks reclusive caretaker, has his own reasons for holding onto the land bequeathed to him by Leslies grandmother. Before she died, Maggie hinted at a terrible secret surrounding Adele Laveau, a ladys maid who came to Peak during the 1930s and died under mysterious circumstances. Jay is haunted by Maggies story, yet the truth eludes himuntil Leslie uncovers a cryptically marked grave on the property.
As they delve into the mystery of Adeles death, Leslie and Jay discover shocking secrets that extend deep into the roots of Leslies family treesecrets that have the power to alter her life forever.
About the Author
After spending more than a decade in the jewelry business,
Barbara Davis decided to leave the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing.
The Secrets She Carried is her first novel. She currently lives near Raleigh, North Carolina with the love of her life, Tom, and their beloved ginger cat, Simon.