About the Book

Book: Hope Between the Pages
Series: Doors to the Past
Author: Pepper Basham
Genre: Christian Historical
Release Date: April, 2021

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

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My Thoughts

Wow, wow, wow!! You know when you finish a book and it leaves you in a state of just wow... yeah that's how that book was. And I use that word because I don't know quite how to describe my state of feeling. This book was everything I needed I didn't know I wanted. Let's start with the setting. I don't know if you follow Pepper Basham on her Instagram (you totally should) but she captures the Biltmore Estate quite beautifully in her photographs. Makes it truly magical. I have never been even though I only live 3 hours away but after reading this book it went up on the ranks of my bucket list. She brings that magic to this book. I could picture the library that Sadie works in and the grounds as she walks in them, oh and Blackwell's Bookshop, gosh who wouldn't love a bookshop like that!!

This is a dual time line story, so there are different sets of characters in each time period. Pepper Basham has a gift with characters. She made them so realistic, I felt like I was right there with them experiencing everything with them. Both Sadie and Clara are the perfect bookish friends, kindred spirits to be exact and you will definitely cheer them on and live through their journey and find their own story. They storyline itself is dreamy and definitely SWOON-WORTHY!! Goodness is the book swoony!! But with that there is also a little mystery, love and hope. There are tears you will shed, so keep the tissues handy. But there are moments that you will sigh that dreamy sigh we all get when reading a good book. Oh and that's not all... the author has interweaved faith throughout this book in such a way that its subtle but beautiful. As a Christian you can tell it is there and flows with the story quite well. By that I mean that it wasn't something that was forced or had to be written in. It was very realistic in its placement of it.

I don't want to ruin the book for you by telling you too many details because this is definitely one of those books that cannot be missed. Pepper Basham has outdone herself with this one! Go use the link above and grab it now! I promise, you will love it!

My Rating: 5 Stars/ Absolutely LOVED it!!

Swoon Worthy Level: 💗💗💗💗💗💗 (infinite hearts) I mean Oliver and Max are just dreamy!!

Favorite Musings/Quotes: (There are so many lines that we could be here forever but these two are some of my favorites)

"I wasn't looking for romance." I slipped my hands into his as we stared at the room. "That was never in my plans, but then you came, and I feel as though I've belonged with you from before our first conversation."

"You are like an excellent book. I just knew. I didn't nee to read the ending or even the next chapter. I didn't require all the answers to have the future sorted. My heart knew I belonged with you, and that was enough."

I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her historical romance novels, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge and The Red Ribbon, and her contemporary novels, the Mitchell’s Crossroads and Pleasant Gap series, showcase her Appalachian heritage, as well as her love for humor and family. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

More from Pepper

Books are a uniquely portable magic – Stephen King

Appalachia is known for having a high illiteracy rate. A place of beautiful scenery and rugged landscapes, the people of the mountains developed stories through oral storytelling much more than “book learning”. As a young girl growing up in this world, I loved hearing my granny share tales from up to five generations ago, filling in the narrative gaps between a birth date and a death date on a tombstone – giving flesh and breath to the stone-etched names.

It’s no surprise then, with a heart cultivated from rich oral stories, I fell in love with reading. Books became that “portable magic” that took me places my little Appalachian community couldn’t provide. I fell in love with the Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew. Wept through the end of Bridge to Terabithia and Old Yeller. Traveled to the plains with Sarah Plain and Tall and fell in love with horses with The Black Stallion. But when I was in seventh grade, I read my very first “British” novel, The Secret Garden. In that one introduction, my world expanded into mysterious English manor houses and British classics. Before long, I’d consumed Jane Eyre, Austen’s classics, some Dickens, Dracula, Frankenstein…and the list goes on! And then…I found Tolkien and Lewis – and the ‘real’ world swelled into OTHER worlds.

I’m grateful for true stories of book-loving pioneers traveling into the world of Appalachia to provide books and literacy training to “my people”, because I know some of those books made their way to my tiny elementary school library…and not only brought me the chance to discover stories, but to write them too!

Isn’t it amazing how books can do that?

In Hope Between the Pages, I wanted to bring the same awe and discovery I felt as a child (and continue to feel as an adult reader) to the story of two people whose words had seemed small. Stories stretched their worlds, but the stories also gave them wonderful imaginations and positive perspectives. It’s still amazing to me that ink-and-paper words can make such a lasting impact on hearts and minds. They can lead us to dream, teach us new things, encourage our hearts, help us to think outside the box, swell our imaginations, broaden our horizons, and encourage our hope.

Books are not a replacement for real adventures and relationships, but they certainly provide a beautiful “door” into other lives and worlds that we may never have a chance to experience in real life. Sadie, my historical heroine, and Clara, my contemporary heroine, both have kept close to home but traveled greatly through books…and BOTH are given the opportunity to reach beyond the bindings to discover real-life adventures. I’d like to think that their love for stories helped them have the courage to step away from the page and into their own tales even more prepared than they would have been without stories.

What are some of your favorite books you read as a child? Did any of them influence you to become a more avid reader?