Review: The House by the Lake by Ella Carey

The House by the Lake

by Ella Carey

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 234

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Anna is content with her well-ordered life in San Francisco. But her world is turned upside down when her beloved grandfather, Max, reveals a startling secret: Anna is part of an aristocratic family who lost everything during World War II. What’s more, Max was forced to leave behind a precious item over seventy years ago in their estate in old Prussia. It’s now his ardent wish that Anna retrieve it.

Anna burns with questions as she heads for Germany: What memento could be so important to her grandfather? And why did he keep their history hidden? As she searches for answers, she finds herself drawn to Wil, a man who may hold the key to unlock the mystery. Together they discover that her family’s secrets are linked with an abandoned apartment in Paris, and these secrets go deeper than she ever imagined.

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series and the book is connected to book one, but doesn't really need to be read in a row.  A character from the first book is in this second, but the stories felt self contained.  

Two storylines, one in 2010 and one in the 1930s, one that starts in California and one that starts in Paris, but both make their way to Germany and a castle where both women's lives will be forever changed.  

Anna is sent to Germany to the home of her ailing grandfather to retrieve something.  There she will find more than the intended purpose of her trip.  In 1930, Isabelle makes a visit to this castle and falls in love with a man, but their paths will diverge and her life will go in a different direction.  

I loved how the author had both Anna and Isabelle discover the house at the same time and the back and forth in that chapter might have been my favorite in a story where there are two timelines - it was just genius!  It happened throughout the book, but for me it stood out in this chapter and I loved it.  

There were some moments where the story slowed down a bit and the pacing felt a little sluggish, but at a certain point the story picked up and it was a race to the end!

I can't wait to read book three and see this trilogy be complete.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 103 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.