MY REVIEW:

Willa Muir is haunted by bits and pieces of evasive memories in her dreams and the year of her life that she can’t remember. When the man she dearly loves proposes, she panics and realizes that she will never move forward until she has discovered the secrets of her past. A request to help redecorate her family home gives her the needed motivation to return to her hometown of Rockwall, Texas on a quest for the truth. But will the truth she seeks really set her free and is she really ready to face all that it implies? Will she learn that her search for a home will lead her beyond four walls?

The Muir House is the account of Willa’s quest for truth and a home. With a somber and mysterious tone, the narrative features several well rounded characters, each with realistic strengths and weaknesses. Occasional morsels of humor lighten what could be a depressing tale. A strong message of faith is interwoven throughout, particularly in Hale’s solid beliefs and Willa’s eventual discovery that she must depend on God because He is the only one who won’t let her down.

An emotional story, The Muir House is filled with unexpected twists and turns, complicated relationships, and difficult truths. Although it reveals the lasting effects parental influence can have on a child, it also confirms that each person must make their own choices and move ahead despite the past.

This book was provided for review by the author.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Willa Muir can’t say yes to the love of her life … until she explores her past and solves the mystery of a haunting dream. But when Willa’s desperate search unearths unthinkable secrets, her heart collapses. Can Willa shake her past to embrace a love that could finally lead her home?

“You’ll find home one day. Sure as sweet tea on a hot afternoon.”

Words from Willa Muir’s sketchy childhood haunt her dreams and color her days with longing, regret, and fear. What do the words mean? Willa is far from sure.

When Hale Landon places a ring on her finger, Willa panics, feeling she can’t possibly say yes when so much in her past is a mystery. Bent on sorting out her history, Willa returns to Rockwall, Texas, to the Muir House Bed & Breakfast, a former funeral home.

But the old place holds her empty memory close to itself. Willa’s mother utters unintelligible clues from her deathbed, and the caretaker of the house keeps coveted answers carefully protected. Throw in an old flame, and Willa careens farther away from ever knowing the truth.

Set in a growing suburb of Texas, The Muir House explores trauma, healing, love new and old, and the life-changing choices people make to keep their reputations intact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary DeMuth is the author of several southern novels, including A Slow Burn, Life in Defiance, and the Christy award finalists, Watching the Tree Limbs and Daisy Chain. She’s also written four parenting books and a memoir, Thin Places. She’s passionate about the written word, teaching, and mentoring writers. Mary lives in Texas with her husband, Patrick, and their three children.