About the Book
Book: The Bookshop of Secrets
Author: Mollie Rushmeyer
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction (Christian)
Release date: October 25, 2022
A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future.
Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.
Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she’s lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all…
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts:
There is more than just a bookshop of secrets in this novel that pulls the reader into this small town and its history. The characters also have plenty of their own secrets they are keeping as well.
Hope Sparrow has been through plenty of trauma in her life and she just wants to start over with her dream and then just stick to herself. First, though she must get some valuable books her late mother left for her through a friend. Unfortunately, that friend has now passed away as well, sending Hope on a treasure hunt in her family's hometown. What she discovers is more than just the treasure and books she came for, but a rich family legacy, friendship, love of a good man, faith, and hope.
Hope has been through a lot, and I could understand why she decided to do life alone. She was orphaned at a young age, passed around in foster homes, and trusted a very evil man who did more than lie and steal from her, he imprisoned her. This story does deal with human trafficking and PTSD that certainly could come from that. The author tells a beautiful tale of how love of family and the love of God can pull someone out of the darkest places others have placed them in. There is so much in this story for a literary fan to adore.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
A modern girl herself– She wouldn’t want to go a day without modern plumbing and central air! But she’s always felt a special connection to the past. The legacies and lives left behind are like gifts waiting to be unwrapped, and she’s excited to share this blend of history and contemporary living with readers.
A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie Rushmeyer, makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband and two spunky, beautiful daughters. She is not only a bibliophile (the dustier the better, in her opinion), she’s a true anglophile at heart. Tea and coffee fuel her travels, by Google maps at least, and her passion for the written word.
More from Mollie
Since childhood, opening up a book unlocked a whole new world for me. Of possibilities and adventure, and made me care for people and places that didn’t exist. Like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, books transported me. It was like magic.
As I began dreaming up The Bookshop of Secrets in its early stages, I knew I wanted to create a character who loved books and was in awe of their transformative and transportive power as much as I am. Thus, Hope Sparrow, a human trafficking survivor and ultimate book lover, was born. I also wanted to honor my grandpa, who planted the seed—love of the written word—in my heart from the time I was very young. And so, Ulysses, the owner of Dusty Jackets Bookshop in the story, is based on my sweet grandpa who has since passed away. But I know he’d love this homage to all things literary.
In the middle of writing this book, in 2018, I had a stroke. As with most medical emergencies, it was quite unexpected. I had a hole in my heart (that has been repaired, thankfully). Afterward, I didn’t know if I’d ever write again and I was more terrified of that than not being able to fully move my left arm again. My brain had to make new connections and it was so difficult, still is some days, to be creative. To find the right words.
But God. In the way that only He can, He brought this forgotten story, this project’s finish line that seemed to be at the summit of an insurmountable mountain within reach. I thought I had something to prove to myself. I begged God not to forget my dream to write. Like He could. But in the end, I just had to trust like my character Hope. Trust that He is good even when life hurts and is uncertain.
“Do you know what the opposite of fear is?”
“Bravery? Peace?” Dare she say her namesake, hope?
“The true counterpart of fear is faith. It takes faith to walk into the future, the unknown, with confidence. Secure in the love of the One who created you and those around you outweighs any hardship, real or imagined, that lies on the path ahead.”
I hope following Hope’s journey of healing and love in The Bookshop of Secrets truly blesses you.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews
From an Avid Reader, October 27
lakesidelivingsite,
October 27
Inklings
and notions, October 28
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, October 28
Simple Harvest
Reads, October 28 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
An
Author’s Take, October 29
The
Write Escape, October 29
deb’s Book
Review, October 29
Texas Book-aholic,
October 30
Rebecca Tews,
October 30
Blogging With
Carol, October 30
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, October 31
Inspired by
fiction, October 31
Life of
Literature, October 31
Because I
said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 1
Cover
Lover Book Review, November 1
Locks, Hooks
and Books, November 2
Losing the
Busyness, November 2
For Him and My
Family, November 2
Ashley’s
Clean Book Reviews, November 3
Holly’s Book
Corner, November 3
Mary Hake,
November 3
Gina Holder,
Author and Blogger, November 4 (Author Interview)
Paula’s Pad of
Suspense and Detection, November 4
Blossoms
and Blessings, November 4
Sylvan
Musings, November 5
Lily’s Book
Reviews, November 5
A Modern Day
Fairy Tale, November 5
A Reader’s
Brain, November 6
Book Looks
by Lisa, November 6
Babbling Becky L’s
Book Impressions, November 7
Truth and Grace
Homeachool Academy, November 7
Story Craft,
November 7
Through
the fire blogs, November 8
Pause for
Tales, November 8
Labor Not in
Vain, November 8
Musings
of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 9
To Everything
There Is A Season, November 9
Lights
in a Dark World, November 9
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Mollie is giving away the grand prize package of a eBook or signed paperback copy (paperback U.S. Only) of The Bookshop of Secrets and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/226c7/the-bookshop-of-secrets-celebration-tour-giveaway
I am looking forward to reading The Bookshop of Secrets, it sounds like a fascinating read, thanks for sharing it with me!
ReplyDeletePause for Tales, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Have a splendid day!
thank you for your thoughts on this book. It really sounds interesting and page turning. I love that the author wove God into their lives.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely on tbr list!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very deep book, one that will be worth the time to read.
ReplyDelete