Wildwood Creek by Lisa Wingate

 Lisa Wingate has added her newest novel to the Moses Lake series called Wildwood Creek.  You can read my reviews of her first three books by clicking on these links:  Book 1-Larkspur Cove, Book 2-Blue Moon Bay and Book 3-Firefly Island.  I've really enjoyed reading these books and this last one was just as exciting!

Back of the Book:

Allie Kirkland has always heard the call of her father's unfinished destiny. When she's offered a production assistant's job on a docudrama filming in the hills near Moses Lake, Texas, the dream of following in her director-father's footsteps suddenly seems within reach. The reenactment of the legendary frontier settlement of Wildwood is a first step into the film industry. A summer on set in the wilderness is a small price to pay for a dream.

But in 1861, the real Wildwood held dangerous realities. Town founder Harland Delavan held helpless residents, including young Irish schoolteacher Bonnie Rose, in an iron grip. Mysterious disappearances led to myths and legends still retold in the region's folk songs. Eventually, the entire site was found abandoned.

When filming begins, strange connections surface between Allie and the teacher who disappeared over a century ago, and everyone in Wildwood--including Blake Fulton, Allie's handsome neighbor on the film set--seems to be hiding secrets. Allie doesn't know whom she can trust. If she can't find the answers in time, history may repeat itself...with the most unthinkable results.

My Review:

I liked how this book had two stories going at the same time.  On the one hand, Allie is trying to discover the long lost history of Wildwood Creek and then you also get a glimpse of what really happened there through the story of Bonnie Rose.  The mystery involving this place is quite intriguing and keeps you flipping the pages wondering what will happen next.  I loved seeing some familiar characters from the Moses Lake community involved with this story.  I also liked how the Allie's character grows and changes throughout the story especially since her childhood has been filled with such sadness.  I liked this quote by Allie, "Maybe that was the deepest lesson I'd learned in Wildwood: that life should never be a stagnant thing.  That just like the rivers, we thrive when the water flows in and washes away the silt of the past.  All the debris we cling to doesn't keep us afloat, it kills the life within us."(pg. 353)  If you've enjoyed the other books in the Moses Lake series, make sure to pick this one up.  It's a great, thrilling read!

You can read the first chapter of the book by clicking here.

*** I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.