Louisa Coultrie Halloway has returned home as caretaker for the family home on Edisto Island, but years before she left this world behind. Now she flounders to find her place. When Liam Whiting, a local professor studying tidal creek preservation, invites Lou to join his research team, she welcomes the opportunity for purpose.
David, her ex-husband, has followed Lou and their children to Edisto. As he finds his footing in this new life, their once strained relationship eases into a familiar rhythm — and he hopes for more.
But the past still has a hold on them all, especially in the presence of Grace Watson, whose son intends to marry Lou and David’s daughter. Somehow, Grace and Lou must let the past of a shared love settle between them.
In this idyllic setting, relationships deepen and shift. And once more, Lou finds herself caught between the life she’s chosen — and the love that might be meant to be.
Award-winning writer, Lindsey P. Brackett just writes life — blogs, columns, articles, and stories — in the midst of motherhood. A blogger since 2010, she has published articles and short stories in a variety of print and online publications. She writes a popular bimonthly column for several local newspapers in which she meditates on small town southern life.
Her love of family ties and southern places prompted her first novel, Still Waters, a Lowcountry story about the power of family and forgiveness. Thanks to her four kids, in her home you’ll find wet towels, lost library books, and strong coffee.
Connect with her at http://www.lindseypbrackett.com, where she just writes life, on Facebook as Lindsey P. Brackett, on Twitter @lindsbrac, or Instagram @lindseypbrackett.
My Impressions:
Lindsey Brackett is definitely an author to watch and read! My book club read her debut novel, Still Waters, last year and loved it. It was a great blend of Southern, romance, and women’s fiction that appealed to the varying ages of my group. So when Brackett released a book that takes the reader back to Edisto Island, I knew I needed to make the trip. The Bridge Between has some of the same elements of the first book in the series — wonderful setting, characters that capture your heart, and emotional issues that resonate with the reader — yet it has a more mature feeling. And that is a good thing! The characters are not twenty-somethings, but have a few years on them and the baggage to go along with a longer life. And while I believe The Bridge Between will still appeal to all ages, I found more common ground with the characters that filled the pages. This one is definitely a recommended read.
Lou is back in her childhood home after years of being away. She returned to Edisto with triplet middle school-aged boys, a ton of regrets, lost dreams, and some bitterness she can’t seem to let go of. Her life is definitely not what she thought it would look like when she left. Things have changed on the island as well, but familiar people and landmarks make her come to terms with events and choices from the past. Add wedding plans for her older daughter, an ex-huband who won’t go away, and reminders of what could have been, and you have a complex novel of life and love. As I said, the main characters — Lou, David, and Grace — are a bit older than many you see in contemporary fiction. They have insight from the many mistakes made along the way. I liked that they didn’t have it all together (very realistic), yet they didn’t settle for what had always been. The Bridge Between is a novel of beginnings and endings and beginning again. Its portrayal of marriage is refreshing. Often books end with the mains heading into the sunset for their HEA. This novel looks at what is on the other side when the newness and the excitement dissipate and hurt feelings and rash actions and words take over. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I think you will love how Brackett brings all things together.
The Bridge Between starts where Still Waters leaves off and can be read as a standalone. But why would you want to? LOL! Pick up both and settle in for a glorious trip to the world of Edisto Island.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
To purchase, click HERE.
(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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