The House on Harbor Hill

Author: Shelly Stratton

Publisher: Dafina Publications

Release Date: March 27, 2018

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An interesting use of past and present with multiple viewpoints to create a story worth reading and passing on to others.

Set in two different eras and with two different women going through similar struggles, Delilah Grey owns Harbor Hill and uses the large house to help others in need. She sees women going through abuse or struggles and brings them into her home in the only way she knows how to help.  Even though she was acquitted of her husband’s mysterious death many decades ago, she still isn’t sure if it was her fault or not and doesn’t know if she will ever know the truth.  When she takes in Tracey Walters and her two children she hopes to help this woman not knowing how desperate Tracey is for the help.  She has gone into hiding from her abusive husband and has no-where else to turn to.  When she arrives at Harbor Hill, she hopes to save some money and finally and have a fresh start with her kids.  Between Tracey and Delilah, there is enough scar tissue deep down that neither might every feel truly free unless they work together to face their fears and past to move on to a brighter future.

One of the points that worked best in this novel that is unusual is the back and forth from past to present. Usually jumps like that tend to take a reader out of a story and can stop the flow from progressing, but not here, I enjoyed the way Stratton used both timelines and point of views to fully tell the story.  It wouldn’t have worked any other way.  Each part tied all the others together with both characterization and the projection of the story line in a way that is rarely done these days.  I enjoyed the back and forth between Delialah and Aiden; even though they were not related, it was obvious they cared for each other and had the other’s best interest at heart, even if it wasn’t coming across at times.  Aiden took a little bit to get to like, and just when I did, his actions had me questioning if he was a character I wanted to cheer for or not.  Tracey’s story couldn’t have played out better.  The ending had the tension at an insane level, and without any crazy stuff that would normally be required to get the tension that high.  Overall I thought this story played our very well, there was some adult language that makes this not suitable for a younger audience.  With that being said, it would be a great read for anyone looking for a great story fueled by racial tension and social issues.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.