MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY

BY ROBERT BARCLAY

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the author of If Wishes Were Horses comes a novel of long-buried secrets and self-discovery, showing us that sometimes what goes unsaid is more powerful than words. . . . 

Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her grandmother's lakeside cottage deep in the Adirondacks—a serene getaway that had been mysteriously closed up decades ago. This is no simple bequest, however, because when Chelsea finds her grandmother's WWII diaries, she's stunned to discover that they hold secrets she never suspected . . . and they have the power to turn her own life upside down. 

Even more surprising is the compelling presence of local doctor Brandon Yale, and Chelsea soon finds her "short stay" has stretched into the entire summer. She cannot put this cottage and her family's past behind her easily—and the more she learns about the woman her grandmother truly was, the more Chelsea's own life begins to change . . . and nothing will ever be the same again.

PRAISE FOR MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY:

“I normally do not read male authors but someone recommended [Barclay] and all I can say to her is thank you.”
—Fresh Fiction

With his powerfully emotional debut, If Wishes Were Horses, author Robert Barclay immediately joined the ranks of Nicholas Sparks, Richard Paul Evans, and Robert James Waller. His second novel of love and hope, More Than Words Can Say, only confirms his place among them. A profoundly moving multi-generational family story centered around a woman’s return to her late grandmother’s lake cottage in the Adirondacks and the long-buried secrets she uncovers there,More Than Words Can Say will linger long in the heart and memory.

--HarperCollins Publishers  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After graduating from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics and a minor Art History, Robert J. Barclay enjoyed a successful career in business, and served as chairman of his industry-related consulting group. After selling his business and moving from upstate New York to Florida (and with some rather successful prodding by his wife), he was able to finally devote his full attention to something he had always wanted to do: write a book. Rob lives in sunny south Florida. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys weightlifting, Shotokan Karate, and going to the beach to do absolutely nothing. 

Robert Barclay is the author of the novel If Wishes Were Horses. 

MY REVIEW:
Robert Barclay gives readers a love story with an entertaining twist in his latest book, MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY.  Chelsea Enright, thirty-three years old, has just lost her grandmother when she finds herself in somewhat of an odd situation. Taking place in 1999, Chelsea learns her grandmother, Brooke, has left Chelsea her mountain home in the Adirondacks. This is the same home that Gram never returned to once she left many years ago, and so Chelsea decides to fulfill her grandmother’s last wish as well as satisfy her own curiosity.

Chelsea learns that in order to receive her inheritance, she must visit the home and find a tin box that is hidden in the small bedroom under the floorboards.  After she reads through the findings in the tin box, only then can she decide to keep or sell the property.

Chelsea travels to the mountains and the lovely lake deciding a few days up there may just be what she needs to clear this all up. However, what Chelsea doesn’t plan on is finding herself enchanted by the amazing landscapes and the serenity she finds in the mountains. She also has no way of knowing she may just fall in love with more than just the scenic mountains once she gets there. Enter one Brandon Yale, a doctor who lives nearby. He meets Chelsea and finds in her a way of healing his painful past. They become close and even share in the reading of the diaries.  In them, they find Brooke just married and while her husband is away in training, she goes to the cottage to spend this time alone. However, while there she meets a handsome artist and photographer, Greg, who just happens to live next door. Due to a physical disability, he was unable to join the war effort.

The best part of the novel for me was the narrative that is told back and forth between Chelsea and Grandmother Brooke. The tin box revealed World War II diaries that create comparisons for Chelsea between her life and Brooke’s. Robert Barclay offers a great deal of description of the characters, setting, and even the food, so readers are able to identify with the lives of those in the book. I do think at times there may have been too much description that took away somewhat from the flow of the story but the back and forth narratives kept my attention well enough. I enjoyed the sweet stories of both women and although there was a twist I saw coming, I still liked the book. A nice romance is often hard to find and this is one that I think is not only entertaining but appropriately written. It made for a good night‘s read.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MARY AND THE GOOD 

PEOPLE AT HARPER COLLINS, I

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