I received this book from the author through Celebrate Lit Blogger Program for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Description:

As historic preservationist Jennifer and brooding bachelor Michael restore his ancestors’ historic doctor’s residence in a rural Georgia community, they uncover the 1920s-era prejudice and secrets that caused Michael’s branch to fall off the family tree. Recent graduate Jennifer is determined to fulfill her first professional position with integrity even if her employer lacks a proper appreciation of history.

With the restoration of each building, Michael, Jennifer and a cast of endearing characters uncover three lessons of heart healing from three different centuries (WHITE, 1920; WIDOW, 1870; and WITCH, 1790) that they learn to apply to their own lives and community. Far more challenging—and sinister—than the social landscape of Hermon are the strange accidents hinting that someone doesn’t want them on the Dunham property. Yet Michael’s and Jennifer’s own pasts pose the biggest obstacles to laying a fresh foundation of family and community. The Restoration Trilogy melds humor and heartache to show how only God, The Master Renovator, can heal our most broken places.

My Thoughts:

White is the first book of the Restoration Trilogy by Denise Weimer and it is great! This is the first book by Denise Weimer I have had the pleasure of reading and I am so glad I did. As a huge fan of Christian Historical Fiction, this book was right up my alley! Also the fact that it is set in Georgia, where my Dad is from, really piqued my interest. Denise Weimer writes with authority on Georgia now and in the past including the social hierarchy of the 1920's, historical preservation, medical profession, apothecary, and the architecture of the historical homes. I found myself unable to put this book down, from start to finish. The characters in this book are fantastically written. They are imperfect people with messy lives. I loved all the characters in this book, but my favorite would have to be, Stella. Stella is a wonderful woman who loves to help people. She is a motherly type who takes our main characters in her fold to help them recognize who they really are and the importance for them to lean on God for his help. She never gives up on people and holds the key to Michael and Jennifer's questions about the house they are restoring. I really enjoyed Denise Weimer's writing style and her ability to move between past and present seamlessly. She really integrated the past and present well and I liked how the past and present had different fonts. Denise Weimer also weaved fact and fiction together and taught me more about Georgia and the history. I really felt like I was there watching the events unfold. This book definitely has a little bit of everything in it, history, romance, and suspense. I loved the mystery behind the house, the town, and the characters. The Christian message in this book is wonderful and really made me think. I cannot say enough good about this book and this author. I CAN'T wait to read the rest of the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will NOT be disappointed. I give this book

4 STARS.

Purchase your copy in paperback here or in ebook here

Guest Post from Denise Weimer

When I speak tobook clubs or people ask me why I started writing historical fiction, I tell them that as I grew up, my parents took me to numerous historical sites. I wondered who lived in an old house or town and what their lives were like. What treasures, what secrets, might I find if I could dig down to the bones of an old mansion? Myactive imagination kicked in, and I started scribbling stories in spiral bound notebooks. I knew from age eleven I wanted to be a writer, though for a time I considered historical preservation as a career. I found the perfect marriage of those desires in The Restoration Trilogy, my new series with Canterbury House Publishing.

The restoration my parents did on their own historic house and apothecary shop inspired White, Widow and Witch. While looking for a residence in a country community, Mom and Dad purchased a property they later learned belonged to a line of regionally famous doctors tracing back to Revolutionary War days. Watching them piece together stories from the past with the help of local historians nudged me to depart from the historical settings of my past novels (Redeeming Grace and The Georgia Gold Series) in favor of modern romantic suspense. Readers follow Jennifer Rushmore, a recent historic preservationgraduate, and Michael Johnson, a brooding bachelor who has inherited property from ancestors he knows little about, as they restore a doctor’s house, apothecary shop and log cabin. During the restoration of each, they uncover a story from a different century (1920, 1870 and 1790) containing a lesson of “heart healing” they need to apply in the present.

Most of us have been through hardships in our lives that God would use to refine our characters or expose and heal pain from our pasts. Sometimes we’re tempted to just slap another coat of paint over a crack or build a cheap façade over a weakness. God knows that full restoration takes effort, time and expense, so He never goesto work without our permission. However, He is the only one who can bring us to wholeness.

Jennifer accepts the assignment in the eclectic community of Hermon while waiting for her dreamjob in Savannah, never imagining God might have other plans. Country neighbors determined to become friends, a handsome but secretive employer with conflicting ideas about how to conduct the restoration, and strange accidents hinting that someone doesn’t want them working on the property strip away Jennifer’s personal defenses. She comes to learn that when a person is open to the work of the Master Renovator, one can find blessings in the unlikeliest of places.

About the Book

When Jennifer Rushmore accepts a brooding bachelor’sjob offer to act as coordinator for the restoration of his family’s historic doctor’s house (White), apothecary (Widow) and log cabin (Witch) in a rural Georgia community, little does she know it’s her own heart that will undergo the greatest renovation. Three stories. Three centuries. Three lessons on the healing of the heart. And one buried mystery that threatens their redemption. White: As historic preservationist Jennifer and brooding bachelor Michael restore his ancestors’ historic doctor’s residence in a rural Georgia community, they uncover the 1920s-era prejudice and secrets that caused Michael’s branch to fall off the family tree. Recent graduate Jennifer is determined to fulfill her first professionalposition with integrity even if her employer lacks a proper appreciation of history. Far more challenging—and sinister—than the social landscape of Hermon are the strange accidents hinting that someone doesn’t want them on the Dunham property. Yet Michael’s and Jennifer’s own pasts pose the biggest obstacles to laying a fresh foundation of family and community.

About the Author

In addition to The Restoration Trilogy, native Georgian Denise Weimer is the author of numerous magazine articles about her home state, romantic novella Redeeming Grace, The Georgia Gold Series (Sautee Shadows, The Gray Divide, The Crimson Bloom, and Bright as Gold). Bright as Gold won the 2015 John Esten Cooke Award for authentic Southern literature. She holds a journalismdegree with a minor in history from Asbury University, is a wife and swim mom of two daughters, and always pauses for coffee, chocolate and old houses.

Giveway

In honor of the White Celebration Tour, Denise is giving away a print copy of WHITE: Book One of The Restoration Trilogy, a $15 Starbucks card to representing the coffee-loving modern heroine, and a vintage hat to represent the historical heroine.Click to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/96a4