by Lauren Willig
narrated by Nicola Barber
Published: 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Hardback: 342
Rating: 4
Historical, Romance, Art, England | Goodreads | Website
First sentence(s):
"Someone's left me a house," said Julie. "In England."
2009: When Julia Conley hears that she has inherited a house outside London from an unknown great-aunt, she assumes it's a joke. She hasn't been back to England since the car crash that killed her mother when she was six, an event she remembers only in her nightmares. But when she arrives at Herne Hill to sort through the house—with the help of her cousin Natasha and sexy antiques dealer Nicholas—bits of memory start coming back. And then she discovers a pre-Raphaelite painting, hidden behind the false back of an old wardrobe, and a window onto the house's shrouded history begins to open...
1849: Imogen Grantham has spent nearly a decade trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man, Arthur. The one bright spot in her life is her step-daughter, Evie, a high-spirited sixteen year old who is the closest thing to a child Imogen hopes to have. But everything changes when three young painters come to see Arthur's collection of medieval artifacts, including Gavin Thorne, a quiet man with the unsettling ability to read Imogen better than anyone ever has. When Arthur hires Gavin to paint her portrait, none of them can guess what the hands of fate have set in motion.
My two-bits:
Story flips from the present to the past early days of the Preraphaelite period in England.
Each story and protagonist were equally appealing to follow throughout as it proceeds to reveal the mystery behind the painting found.
Loved the references to historical art and Tristan and Isolde Celtic legend.
* Listened to audiobook version.
* part of Summertime time (schedule)
