🏡👒 “After the Shadows” (Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing) (2023) 👒🏡 – Book Review

 

MY REVIEW

 

Series: Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing (Book #1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (March 21, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN: 0800740645
ISBN-13: 978-0800740641
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information

 

“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, Craig Ferguson, 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. As they work to uncover the truth, they just may find the key to unlock a future neither one could have imagined.”

 

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through their Revell Reads Blogger program. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.

It’s interesting to note, this is the first book I’ve read by the author. But, not the first book I’ve owned.

 

Just before the pandemic took a foothold in March 2020, I went to the library and bought some books – one of those was the author’s In Firefly Valley, the second book in the Texas Crossroads series. Not wanting to be without the first and third, I later bought them (and just had to add the third one to my Goodreads TBR list as I forgot).

 

Naturally, being from Texas, I gravitate to stories set there – contemporary mostly. Though, there are times a historical novel grabs me. And, the cover? It definitely caught my attention.

 

Of course, this – having a “murder” in it made it a “must-read”. I have ALWAYS enjoyed the romantic suspense genre. Enjoy it more than romance.

 

As this is the first book of a series, it is necessary to read all of them to get the full story.

 

The first book in a series has an overwhelming job of trying to establish the series, set the setting/tone/pace, introduce the characters, and tell its own story. As I haven’t read anything by the author before – I have to admit – she did a fantastic job.

 

There is a town mentioned in this one (where Louisa ends up) – Cimarron Creek. So, I am wondering if this is connected to that series.

 

Set in the 1880’s of Sweetwater Crossing, Texas; Cabot introduces us to:

 

👒 Emily

👒 Louisa

🪦 George (mentioned only)

🏫 Craig

🧸 Noah

🏫 Gertrude Neville (Albright)

🥼 Doc Sheridan

🏠 Mrs. Carmichael

🏛️ Mayor Alcott

⚖️ Sheriff Granger

👱🏻‍♀️ Alice

🎀 Jane

⛪ David

🏫 Beulah

🏠 Clive Finley (deceased, owner of Finley house – given to the the Vaughns)

 

Along with other support characters that are in the town or transitory to advance the plot while the story is only told from Craig and Emily’s POVs.

 

Given the story’s main plot – there are elements of euthanasia/homicide, suicide, physical abuse, and bullying.

 

Emily Leland (Vaughn) is returning to her hometown after a short, year-long marriage. Her abusive husband met a fitting end – shot and killed in a bar fight. She’s looking forward to some time at Finley House. The house named after the man who built it and asked the Vaughns to move in until he returned, but died during the war.

 

Emily returns to learn her mother has died, her sister Joanna is in Europe, and Louisa is mad at Emily for “deserting” the family. It seems that Emily’s husband kept letters from her, and never sent hers. Emily reveals to Louisa that George was killed. And, it is later revealed that Emily was left NOTHING by her husband.

 

All too soon a fire breaks out (and it’s interestingly not solved – perhaps another book). That means some people are displaced. Emily takes them in, much to Louisa’s chagrin. That’s not the only tragedy – their father is found dead – apparently a suicide, casting a pall over the family. Emily doesn’t believe it due to the know, as well as the manner in which her father died – strangled not from a broken neck.

 

The idea of Mrs. Carmichael staying has some benefit. Emily has to act fast, or they’ll lose their home because of taxes as there is NO income.

 

Craig is looking to relocate with his young son Noah. Craig’s wife, Rachel, died in a sad accident (falling off the verandah). Set to be the new schoolteacher, he arrives to find where he was supposed to stay – gone.

 

Emily takes him in as well. He notes she’s skittish around him, but his son Noah takes right to her. In fact, Craig notes that Noah wants “Em” to help him more than his father, and the boy delights in helping Em. Noah also likes Jane’s infant daughter Jane.

 

Young Alice, a widow herself, is happy Emily is back and hopes to spend time with Emily. Emily invites her for dinner, along with Mrs. Carmichael’s friends who all offer to pay Emily.

 

Getting frustrated with everything – Louisa decides to leave town. She is hoping the doctor in the neighboring town will let her work with him.  

 

Craig starts to work teaching and the mayor approaches him about the discipline. Craig has his own way of dealing with the students. Though two (Mitch and Harlan) are a bit “much”. Craig wants to be respected, not feared.

 

As Craig settles in, he becomes more “taken” with Emily, so much so that he stops her from falling and causes a bit of a misunderstanding. And, Emily is trying to see that he isn’t like her abusive husband.

 

About a month later, the little girl from the beginning – Beulah – is re-introduced. It is clear she is “different”. While 12, she is a bit slower; her physical characteristics different as well. (That would be a Down’s Syndrome child in today’s age). It is clear – she wants to learn. Emily finds a way and Beulah’s parents relent which causes some discord among certain parents and the mayor gets involved. This causes Emily to call out the people as “fake Christians” – those who call themselves Christian, but don’t act like Jesus did.

 

Beulah, wile slow, takes to Noah and even reads to him to the delight of the toddler. She’s also smart and shows that in class.

 

Because of Reverend Vaughn’s death – the town is missing a pastor. A temporary one comes in that causes a skirmish. From the wife literally wanting to take Emily’s home away, to the wife telling Emily what to do in her own home, and bullying Beulah. This causes an interesting conversation with a heaping of hypocrisy.

 

It’s clear that Beulah knows something about Reverend Vaughn’s death referring to a bad man in the barn. She is also having nightmares.

 

All too soon, Mrs. Carmichael’s friends end up dying – one month after another, one within two weeks.

 

And, Craig decides to help Emily look deeper into her father’s death. They also learn that most people don’t think the man was suicidal.

 

Craig and Emily also begin to see each other in a different way as a new pastor arrives, one who has his eye for a lovely lady.

 

The deeper that Craig and Emily look into the circumstances surrounding Reverend Vaughn’s death, they see an emerging and trouble pattern. They’re determined to stop the person before someone else’s life is lost.

 

Cabot takes the characters and the readers all the way to nearly the last page for an ending that is thrilling and romantic that had me wanting to re-read the past few pages.

 

From start to finish, I was drawn in and kept reading. At times, it was hard to even keep notes. And, this was absolutely hard to put down. Despite its “length”, Cabot’s use of short chapters as well as the pacing kept my interest from waning. I definitely read this inside of a 12-hour period.

 

The cover really didn’t give away the suspense within this heart-breaking, emotional, inspiring, second-chance romance. It was a suspense without being suspenseful. I had a feeling about the “suspect”, but it was hard to believe – especially, without a motive. That was perhaps the best part.

 

The worst, but yet a learning moment – the bullying. As someone who was severely bullied for her weight, and being told I had it coming by a teacher – it was no surprise that the Dietrichs, especially the wife and daughter, were nasty bullies to Beulah. They reminded me of Nels, Harriet, and Nellie Olson from Little House on the Prairie. Fans of that show might like this book.

 

There was a moment of humor when Emily took a pie to Doc Sheridan who stated he didn’t treat pies. It is a unique and light-hearted moment.

 

The sweet moments between Noah and Jane, as well as Beulah and Noah, were just absolutely what the story needed to balance out the seriousness and the tension.

 

As this is distributed by a primarily Christian publisher, there will be theme of the Christian faith presented and displayed.

 

Emily calling out the parents is an interesting take, and a refreshing one as it is. Too much that is the case.

 

Like any series – there will be some questions lingering, that no doubt will segue into the second or future books. Readers need to be patient and understand that not everything is going to be wrapped up by the end.

 

With the sneak peek into book #2, I will definitely be wanting to read that as it is Louisa’s story. I also want to see how the town fares after the scandal as well as the “incident”.

 

Fans of the author and genre are sure to enjoy this new series by the author.

 

 

 

RATING:

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub

 

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update) https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

AMANDA CABOT is the bestselling author of several historical and contemporary romance series, including Mesquite Springs, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, Texas Crossroads, Texas Dreams, and Westward Winds. Her books have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Awards, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best. She lives in Wyoming. Learn more at www.amandacabot.com.  

 

 

You can find her on the following social media outlets:

 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/

 

 

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