Wildwood Creek

by Lisa Wingate

Review & GIVEAWAY!

Description

With love and loss tangled together, how was she to know where her life would lead?
Allie Kirkland has always heard the call of her father's unfinished destiny. When she's offered a production assistant's job on a docudrama filming in the hills near Moses Lake, Texas, the dream of following in her director-father's footsteps suddenly seems within reach. The reenactment of the legendary frontier settlement of Wildwood is a first step into the film industry. A summer on set in the wilderness is a small price to pay for a dream. 

But in 1861, the real Wildwood held dangerous realities. Town founder Harland Delevan held helpless residents, including young Irish schoolteacher Bonnie Rose, in an iron grip. Mysterious disappearances led to myths and legends still retold in the region's folk songs. Eventually, the entire site was found abandoned.
 
When filming begins, strange connections surface between Allie and the teacher who disappeared over a century ago, and everyone in Wildwood--including Blake Fulton, Allie's handsome neighbor on the film set--seems to be hiding secrets. Allie doesn't know whom she can trust. If she can't find the answers in time, history may repeat itself...with the most unthinkable results.

This book can be purchased at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.deepershopping.com/

Biography

Selected among BOOKLIST'S Top 10 of 2012 and Top 10 of 2013, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable Southern settings with elements of women's fiction, history, and mystery to create stories that Publisher's Weekly calls "Masterful" and ForeWord Magazine refers to as "Filled with lyrical prose, hope, and healing.” Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books, and the author of over over twenty novels and countless magazine pieces. 
 
Her books have held positions on many bestseller lists, both in the U.S. and internationally. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, a Christianity Today Book Award nominee, an Inspy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, a LORIES Best Fiction Award winner, and a Utah Library Award winner. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life.  Visit Lisa at her website: www.LisaWingate.com & https://www.facebook.com/lisa.wingate.7

My Review ~

Intent on following in the footsteps of her deceased father and his career as a movie director, Allie Kirkland eagerly accepts a summer position as a production assistant for the reenactment film of an 1861 ghost town known as Wildwood. The location and details pertaining to the reenactment are strictly confidential, and security is tight for the cast and crew. Bizarre events cause Allie concern, but she brushes them aside in order to fulfill the enormous demands of her job.

A historic parallel story characterizing Bonnie Rose, hired as teacher to the children in Wildwood is told concurrently. We are transported back in time to 1861, and the events that ensue. Shifting from the historic events that surround Bonnie Rose to the modern-day reenactment of the strange and haunting town give credence to questionable developments that occurred so many years ago.

As the cast and crew begin their training on site Allie is solicited to replace the original actress selected to play the part of Bonnie Rose. Far from her dreams of spending the summer in production, Allie complies and accepts her responsibilities in her new role as actor/teacher. Unexplained and mysterious circumstances occur as the reenactment proceeds. Are there ghosts from the past haunting the locale, or is Allie's imagination playing with her senses?

The coinciding stories of 1861 Wildwood and present day activities in the recreated town are composed with creativity and depth. Lisa Wingate has researched her subject matter to the point that the reader becomes engrossed in history and drama, injected with mystique, intrigue and suspense. The fourth in the Moses Lake series, this book stands on its own merits, and does not rely on past books in the series. The author has generated a highly imaginative and spellbinding legend interwoven with the elements of a modern-day thriller, blending the two into a very successful suspense-filled narrative. I found it difficult setting this book aside; however, reading into the wee hours of the morning created a few alerts to the creaking sounds in this old house. Pick up a copy of Wildwood Creek, make yourself comfortable and leave a few lights burning if you plan to read this book very far into the night!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through The Book Club Network's For Readers Only program in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

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