Rachel Hauck is one of my all-time favorite authors; I always pre-order her books, because I know I’ll love them! Today is the release day for her newest book, The Memory House. I’m excited to share a little about this book with you today!
The Basics
Title: The Memory House by Rachel Hauck
Genre: Christian Contemporary/Historical Romance
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
From the Back Cover: Embracing the future means remembering the past …
When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order. Meanwhile a mysterious letter arrives informing her she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, and what she discovers there will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a driven sports agent who fondly recalls the connection they shared as teenagers. But Beck doesn’t remember that either.
Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into old high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share.
Fifty years separate the women but through the power of love and miracle of faith, they each find healing in a beautiful Victorian known affectionately as The Memory House.
My Thoughts
Rachel Hauck is a master of split-time stories, and The Memory House is no exception! She weaves both time periods, plots, and sets of characters together seamlessly. This book features Everleigh, a young widow living in Waco, TX in the 1950s and 60s, and Beck, an NYPD sergeant facing some difficult decisions in the present day. Their stories intertwined in multiple ways, as they both faced tragedies and had to find the courage to open their hearts to love again.
The characters in both the past and the present were very well developed, and neither storyline felt rushed but flowed naturally. I fell in love with Beck and Everleigh, as well as Bruno and Don. I was totally invested in their characters from beginning to end, and I had a hard time putting the book down – I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next!
Both Beck and Everleigh’s stories show how our pasts shape who we are, but that we don’t have to let loss, mistakes, or tragedies define us or dictate our future. Just as they both found healing through their memories at the Memory House, we can remember the good things about the past, but also have the courage to open our broken hearts again. This is a beautifully written, moving book, and well worth the time spent to savor it.
If you are a fan of Susan May Warren or Becky Wade, you will love this book, and all of Rachel Hauck’s previous books as well!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and author in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Thomas Nelson and Rachel Hauck!