“After years of tragedy, Gwen Kellerman now lives a quiet life as a botanist at an idyllic New York college. She largely ignores her status as heiress to the infamous Blackstone dynasty and hopes to keep her family’s heartbreak and scandal behind her.
Patrick O’Neill survived a hardscrabble youth to become a lawyer for the downtrodden Irish immigrants in his community. He’s proud of his work, even though he struggles to afford his ramshackle law office. All that changes when he accepts a case that is sure to emphasize the Blackstones’ legacy of greed and corruption by resurrecting a thirty-year-old mystery.
Little does Patrick suspect that the Blackstones will launch their most sympathetic family member to derail him. Gwen is tasked with getting Patrick to drop the case, but the old mystery takes a shocking twist neither of them saw coming. Now, as they navigate a burgeoning attraction and growing danger, Patrick and Gwen will be forced to decide if the risk to the life they’ve always held dear is worth the reward.”
— from Goodreads
My Review
Wealthy heiress Gwen Blackstone Kellerman and lawyer Patrick O’Neill come from vastly different worlds. But when questions surface regarding the decades old disappearance of Gwen’s older brother, they find themselves working together.
Reading about the Blackstones felt like getting a peek into how the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers may have lived.
While their riches didn’t make the Blackstones immune to tragedy, I can see why others would resent them for it.
There were some strong hints about what actually happened to William Blackstone. So I was glad that it wasn’t treated as a huge twist, and that there was more focus placed on the fallout of the reveal.
Gwen could have stood up for Patrick, Liam, and herself a bit more, though. I know the Blackstones are her family, but their treatment of Patrick and Liam was rude. And they never really apologized or expressed regret for it, meanwhile Patrick was (rightly) called out for his judgmental attitude toward them.
Show spoiler
I would have also liked to see more of Gwen’s reaction to Edwin being the culprit, since she had been pretty adamant that no one in her family would want to harm Liam.
Speaking of Liam, his struggle with reintegrating into the Blackstone family felt very realistic.
He hadn’t experienced the same luxuries or gone through any of the education the other Blackstones did. And the people he grew up around taught him to despise rich people. That difference in mindset wouldn’t just disappear because he found out they’re his blood relatives.
Patrick’s mother Birdie was a delight. She was such a trooper to go through those tetanus treatments. And I loved reading about her cake creations 😊
Apart from being a really great callback, Patrick’s grand gesture really showed that he truly understands and cares about Gwen, rather than her money.
See Content Notes
some mild innuendo, death of a parent (mentioned), death of a spouse (mentioned), mention of various crimes, mention of a “tacky grope,” one use of “godforsaken,” mention of alcohol consumption, mention of prostitutes, infidelity, two uses of “devilish,” two uses of devil, one mention of demons, one use of “the damned,” effects and treatment of tetanus, reference to suicide, mention of cursing (none specified), one mention of hell, an illegitimate child, noticing and awareness, touching, kissing, death of an infant (mentioned), some mild violence, blood, a man accidentally kills another man in self-defense (nothing overly graphic), mention of “bawdy humor,” one use of naked (no explicit details), one use of “bull hockey”
Favorite Moments
🌴 hypothetical legal question 🌴 conversation at the marina 🌴 second proposal
Favorite Quotes
“‘Take a look at where I live.’
He tilted away to gesture at the weeds growing in the cracked pavement, the trash collecting in the alley, and a drunkard slumped against a wall.
‘You look at a neighborhood like this and see a slum. I see the garden I was meant to tend.“
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