I am pleased to bring you The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck. I really enjoy her blend of past and present in a novel. This is the second of her books that I have reviewed – I thank TLC Book Tours for sending me the book at no charge.
About The Writing Desk:
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan (July 11, 2017)
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes a new captivating novel of secrets, romance, and two women bound together across time by a shared dream.
Tenley Roth’s first book was a runaway bestseller. Now that her second book is due, she’s locked in fear. Can she repeat her earlier success or is she a fraud who has run out of inspiration?
With pressure mounting from her publisher, Tenley is weighted with writer’s block. But when her estranged mother calls asking Tenley to help her through chemotherapy, she packs up for Florida where she meets handsome furniture designer Jonas Sullivan and discovers the story her heart’s been missing.
A century earlier, another woman wrote at the same desk with hopes and fears of her own. Born during the Gilded Age, Birdie Shehorn is the daughter of the old money Knickerbockers. Under the strict control of her mother, her every move is decided ahead of time, even whom she’ll marry. But Birdie has dreams she doesn’t know how to realize. She wants to tell stories, write novels, make an impact on the world. When she discovers her mother has taken extreme measures to manipulate her future, she must choose between submission and security or forging a brand new way all on her own.
Tenley and Birdie are from two very different worlds, but fate has bound them together in a way time cannot erase.
About the Author:
Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and two pets and writes from her ivory tower.
Connect with Rachel
My Opinion:
This is my second book by Ms. Hauck and I suspect it won’t be my last. I enjoy these escapist novels – they don’t require a lot of thought and reading one is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. As seems popular these days this book weaves a modern story with one from the past alternating back and forth in time to show how events from the heroine’s ancestor’s lives end up impacting her life. She also ends up learning more about her family history than she might have wanted to know.
As is the case with many modern romances, Tenley Roth seems to have it all – a perfect career, a wonderful man, money. What most people don’t realize is that she is fighting as many demons as anybody. Her mother walked away from the family when she was a child, She wrote her first book but is totally blocked in trying to write her second and her boyfriend is well, less than perfect.
When her mother calls out of the blue asking for a huge favor Tenley decides to agree instead of going to Paris with her boyfriend. She finds that the little girl in her still wants her mother’s approval and perhaps this is her chance to get it. It might also give her the escape and quiet she needs to get her book written.
In the past we learn the history of Tenley’s famous writing forbears and some other interesting people of the gilded age.
This sweet book was a delight to read in the car on the way to Portland on my recent vacation. It kept me happily engaged as the car rolled endlessly along the highway. Both story lines were entertaining but as is my nature I enjoyed the historical one more than the modern one. I always find a story of a woman bucking traditions to be a good read. Tenley’s struggle to find herself outside of her family legacy also made for a good story.
I enjoyed the story, as much as there were a couple of implausible plot points but if you just read through them and go with the story you will enjoy it too. Pick it up for a great beach read or sitting on the deck with a cold drink to spend a pleasant afternoon with some great characters and a fun story.
Rating:
4
Other Books by Rachel Hauck:
The Wedding Dress
The Wedding Shop
The Sweet By and By with Sara Evans
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