Wildwood Creek

Author: Lisa Wingate

5 Stars

This author brings us a wonderful romance that also includes a mystery.  This book is a combination of both contemporary and historical settings.  I like to call it a story within a story which is very intriguing.

We are first introduced to Allie Kirkland,  a beautiful, young woman who is still dealing with the grief of suddenly loosing her father as a child.  Through out her life she has always wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and work in the production aspect of the film industry.  So when the opportunity arrives to spend the summer as a production assistant on location, she jumps at the offer.  The production is the reenactment of a frontier settlement, Wildwood, in which the people living there suddenly disappeared.  The director wants the filming to be authentic, to the point of having the cast living in character during the entire taping. 

The town of Wildwood was founded by Harland Delavan in the 1800's and most of the residents worked in the mining camps and were immigrants or slaves.  Mr. Delavan hired a troubled, young woman, Bonnie Rose, to serve as the school teacher and provided her transportation to the remote town.  Upon arriving in Wildwood Bonnie Rose starts to suspect that true evils lives in this town.  suddenly families start disappearing without a trace and the residents begin to suspect Bonnie Rose is the cause of their problems. 

When Allies first arrives at Moses Lake, Texas where they will live during the filming she has strange feelings about everything and feels a strange connection.  First, the director shows her a picture of Bonnie Rose and the resemblance is striking.  He informs her that he no longer wants her as a production assistant, but to actually star as Bonnie Rose.  Allies begins further research on the town and the more intrigued she with it's history she becomes.  When the cast finally arrives to start filming odd occurrences begin to happen.  Her next door neighbor, Blake Fulton, she can't seem to figure out exactly who he is and what his role in the docudrama is.  It appears that everyone is suddenly hiding secrets and she's unsure of who to trust.  As the mysteries start to mount so does the fear that something bad is about to happen.  Can she figure out what's going on before someone really gets hurt. 

My Review

I loved this book.  When I picked this book up I was at once drawn to the beautiful cover.  The storyline is very intriguing.  The use of imagery pulled me into the story and kept me turning the pages. Ms. Wingate's writing is such that you easily slip between present day to the 1800's easily.  The plot flows effortlessly.   I loved the troubled Allie Kirkwood and how she grows not only as a person, but also her caring enough about the history of a place to want to get every detail correct.  I found myself cheering each time a piece of the puzzle was revealed.  Blake Fulton was a tough, yet caring man.  The idea perfect man for any woman.  His main concern is for the cast's safety and goes to any lengths to provide this.  I had so much pity for Bonnie Rose and how much tragedy she had to endure.  I prayed she would get her happily ever after. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery or romance.  I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.

Meet the Author

Short bio:

Selected among BOOKLIST'S Top 10 of 2012 and Top 10 of 2013, Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves lyrical writing and unforgettable Southern settings with elements of women's fiction, history, and mystery to create stories that Publisher's Weekly calls "Masterful" and ForeWord Magazine refers to as "Filled with lyrical prose, hope, and healing.” Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, a reviewer for the New York Journal of Books, and the author of over over twenty novels and countless magazine pieces.

Her books have held positions on many bestseller lists, both in the U.S. and internationally. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, a Christianity Today Book Award nominee, an Inspy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, a LORIES Best Fiction Award winner, and a Utah Library Award winner. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life.  Visit Lisa at her website: www.LisaWingate.com

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