Book Review: The Curator’s Secret

While I’ve traveled a lot in the western and midwestern United States, I haven’t been in the southeastern portion much. In fact, Georgia is one of the few states I’ve not visited. (Well, okay, there was that one time I had a brief layover in the Atlanta airport, but other than that…) For that reason, that part of the country is high on my bucket list–hopefully before too long! In the meantime, I read!

I thoroughly enjoyed the historical setting for The Curator’s Secret, even though the story itself is contemporary. Jekyll Island was apparently a popular resort area during the Gilded Age, and the heroine of the story accepts a job as a curator at a museum there. How much fun would a job like that be?

The characters are believable and likable—well, except for the ones you aren’t meant to like. But even they are believable. I appreciated the inspiring aspect of the plot, which addressed dealing with past hurts. The secondary “whodunnit” mystery throughout the book added intrigue. Overall, it was a satisfying read.

Denise Weimer writes historical and contemporary romance from her home in North Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A mother of two wonderful young adult daughters, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.        

Have you ever found yourself unable to keep a promise you made with the best intentions? This could happen due to unforeseen circumstances, mistakes, or information you didn’t have when you offered the pledge. The inability to follow through may break our heart, haunt us, and sever relationships. Secrets can do the same thing, stealing our ability to live authentically, blocking our blessings, and creating a stockpile of lies. Broken promises and secrets choked the life from Lacey and Trent’s youthful romance six years before the hero and heroine of The Curator’s Secret are reunited when Lacey takes a job as a curator for a historical complex on Georgia’s Jekyll Island, where Trent, unbeknownst to her, is the landscape director. Rather than the restart Lacey expects with her new career, God brings her face to face with her past—not just her first love, but also her grad school stalker who has somehow followed her to the remote island. As the threat escalates, the tale Lacey uncovers in Winter Haven Cottage of a vanished fiancé seems to parallel her own tragic romance…and possibly offer answers and healing. If her past doesn’t destroy her chance of happiness first.

The Curator’s Secret was originally written as a time slip or dual time period novel. It was my mom’s favorite story and my agent’s favorite story I’ve ever written! But somehow, we couldn’t find a publishing home for it. So at last, I’m releasing it myself to my readers who enjoy stories of faith and unique Georgia history. Even though I made the decision to pull the historical backstory out so as not to slow the modern suspense story, the history of Jekyll Island is paramount to the plot. And BONUS, I also have the historical tale of William and Clara that I can share separately to anyone who emails me from my website with their Amazon receipt number for their purchase of The Curator’s Secret. I’ll close with a fun fact. My mom and I love to take research trips when I’m gathering info for my novels. We enjoyed a beautiful stay at Jekyll for this one…until a hurricane came roaring up the coast! We had to hightail it out of there as workers boarded up the historic district. The eerie sense of impending doom sparked my idea of having a hurricane crescendo with the action in The Curator’s Secret. Imagine being trapped on an island with a storm and a stalker both bearing down on you! That’s exactly what happens to Lacey at the end of the novel. I hope you enjoy this exciting tale of redemption and romance.

To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the graphic to enter.