12/13/2021
Clark (Paint and Nectar) completes the Heirloom Secrets series with a suspenseful dual-narrative in which love blossoms across time. In 1861 Charleston, S.C., Clara Adelaide Abels is the 16-year-old heiress to a cotton empire, but she harbors abolitionist sentiments, as her faith tells her that slavery is “an abomination in the eyes of the Lord.” When Clara’s cousins and the dashing Brit Theodore Atwood convince Clara to work as a spy for the abolitionist cause, she recruits Rose, an enslaved embroiderer working in the home of Clara’s family plantation, to assist her, and vows to help Rose find her missing daughter. A century and a half later, in modern-day New Orleans, Alice runs a bouquet shop and is well-versed in the secret language of flowers. When she discovers a box of embroidered floral samplers in an attic, she tries to unravel the hidden code—but what she wants most in the world is to find out what happened to her mother, who disappeared during Hurricane Katrina. While intrigue, danger, and clandestine romance force Clara to find the courage to leave the comforts of her life behind, Clara and Rose’s descendants, including the handsome Sullivan, work with Alice to uncover the mysteries of the past and reveal the fate of her mother. In the end, Alice learns that God was with her even in her darkest hours. Clark offers well-developed female characters who discover they have deep inner strength. This one will keep readers eagerly turning pages. Agent: Karen Solem, Spencerhill & Assoc. (Feb.)
