After The Shadows
Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Book 1
Amanda Cabot
March 21, 2023
Revell Pub
After The Shadows by Amanda Cabot is the first in a three-book series about three sisters, Emily, Louisa, and Joanna.
Amanda Cabot noted, “It is a story of second chances where people overcome obstacles. The mystery is what happened to the heroine’s father. She refuses to believe that his death was suicidal. I wanted to blend the heroines’ past and present. There will be three books in the series with secrets in each one. An overriding arc is what happened to Clive Finley, the man who built The Finley House and left abruptly.”
After Emily’s abusive husband dies, she returns home to the town of Sweetwater Crossing in Texas. She discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances, one sister, Joanna, is out of the country, and then her youngest sister Louisa took on the caretaker role for her parents. Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father’s death.
“The father’s death is the catalyst for most of the story. Emily and Louisa are left with no income. Because of that, Emily decided to support the family by turning Finley House into a boarding house.” Two of the boarders were schoolmaster Craig Ferguson and his two-year-old son, Noah. Although wary of Craig, Emily realizes they have much in common.
“Craig is the foil to Emily. Emily is afraid of men because of her abusive husband. Craig is a widower and has no attention to marry again. He is a kind and caring man, which helps Emily to mellow and accept the fact that her ex-husband was an outlier. Craig teaches Emily what love could be,” and allows her to slowly let her walls of hurt and pain fall.
Readers feel for Emily and will want to learn what will happen to the other sisters in future books.
