Where Dragonflies Hover (Choc Lit) by AnneMarie Brear
Sometimes a glimpse into the past can help make sense of the future … Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House – a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire – and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can…
Sometimes a glimpse into the past can help make sense of the future …
Everyone thinks Lexi is crazy when she falls in love with Hollingsworth House – a crumbling old Georgian mansion in Yorkshire – and nobody more so than her husband, Dylan. But there’s something very special about the place, and Lexi can sense it.
Whilst exploring the grounds she stumbles across an old diary and, within its pages, she meets Allie – an Australian nurse working in France during the First World War.
Lexi finally realises her dream of buying Hollingsworth but her obsession with the house leaves her marriage in tatters. In the lonely nights that follow, Allie’s diary becomes Lexi’s companion, comforting her in moments of darkness and pain. And as Lexi reads, the nurse’s scandalous connection to the house is revealed …
“Beautiful story!”
Five Star Review on Amazon By Karen
Where Dragonflies Hover, written by AnneMarie Brear, is truly an amazing story! This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I have to admit it exceeded my expectations. The book has two story lines, with a common connection…Hollingsworth House. The two main characters also share the same first name, Alexandria.
The story begins in the spring of 1945, and begins telling the story of Alexandria Jamieson, known as Allie. Allie is sixty years old at that point, originally from Australia, and was a nurse during WWI. She is writing a diary to tell people about the love of her life, Captain Danny Hollingsworth, and to let people know that true love will overcome any obstacles, including war. When asked who will read it, she simply smiled and said, “Anyone who needs to find it will read it.”
The story then takes place in 2010, and introduces the next character, Alexandria O’Connor, known as Lexi. Lexi is married to a doctor, Dylan. For some time now, Lexi has known something wasn’t quite right in her life, especially in her marriage. She wants to start a family, but her husband wants to wait for five years. He is so busy with his career and is seldom home, and he feels this just isn’t the right time to have a baby. There is also something else Lexi wants, and that is to purchase the Hollingsworth House. Once again, what she wants is not what Dylan wants. He feels the house is just too expensive, and needs too much work done to even make it livable. They constantly argue about this, and this only causes even more problems in their already troubled marriage. Despite this, Lexi continues to be drawn to the house, and feels it speaks to her like nothing has ever done before. She is at the house one day, and comes across a locked box, and after opening it, she finds a diary. She takes the diary with her, and begins to read it…it is the diary Allie wrote.
The story alternates between Allie’s story, and Lexi’s…and as the story unfolds, we learn about these two women, and the common bond they share. This is a beautifully written story, told in vivid detail, that just brings the story to life. It is about two determined women, not letting anyone or anything stop them from having what they want. Both women experience pain and heartache, and both come out of it even stronger in the end. The characters are well developed and true to life. The parts that tell of the war are intense and heartfelt at the same time. Overall, this is an amazing story, and one I could not put down. It is also a story that will stay with me for a long time. I honestly can’t stress enough how wonderful this book truly is! AnneMarie Brear is an amazing storyteller, and I will be looking forward to reading more by her in the future!
I was given an advance digital copy of this book from Choc Lit and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Annemarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, genealogy, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate – not always in that order!
Annemarie Brear on the web:
http://annemariebrear.blogspot.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/annemariebrear
Twitter @annemariebrear.
Current novels:
Kitty McKenzie
Kitty McKenizie’s Land
To Take Her Pride.
Where Dragonflies Hover
The Gentle Winds Caress.
The House of Women.
A Noble Place
The Day Embroidered.
To Gain What’s Lost.
Long Distance Love.
Broken Hero.
Hooked On You.
The Right Man, short story.
New Beginnings: short story anthology.