When I Meet You: a great new title in the Tree of Life series

When I Meet You is the third book in Olivia Newport’s Tree of Life series. Genealogist Jillian Parisi-Duffy is presented with the mystery of a trunk left at Denver’s Union Station over a hundred ago. Driven to the point of obsession, Jillian is determined to find out what happened to its owner, Lynnelle Bendeure. Did she meet with foul play? Why did she seemingly disappear? At the same time, Jillian is confronted with a trunk her late mother left behind for her, filled with her own maternal family history. Will she have the courage to look further into her mother’s family as they left Sicily and came to America? As a genealogist, she knows there may be something in her family’s history she may not like but as her mother’s daughter, will she be able to dig deeper?

I am thoroughly enjoying Ms. Newport’s Tree of Life series. Just as with the first two books, Lynnelle’s story connects with something or someone in the present. However, this time Jillian is confronted with the loss of her mother when she was a young girl and kept putting off looking into her mother’s trunk. Until the mystery of Lynnelle and her truck forced her finally open it. I also like how the connection between the past and present isn’t truly clear until the end. As a fan of genealogy and looking into my own family tree, I love seeing the connection of past and present. To learn about people who now are just names on a family tree. I look forward to future books in this series. I highly recommend When I Meet You as well as books 1 and 2, The Inn at Hidden Run and In the Cradle Lies.

When I Meet You

is available in paperback and eBook

The Inn at Hidden Run and In The Cradle Lies

are also available in paperback and eBook

In the Cradle Lies: continuation of the Tree of Life series

In the Cradle Lies by Olivia Newport is the second book in her The Tree of Life series. The story opens with the introduction of a new stranger in town. Tucker Kintzler is throwing money around and looking to ski a very dangerous slope, Hidden Run. Jillian Parisi-Duffy and her father, Nolan, along with their friends, befriend Tucker hoping to urge him from skiing the dangerous slope. Interwoven with the present is the story of Matthew “Matt” Ryder, from a child in the 1930 to an adult in the 1950s. Matt learns a dark family secret which destroys his mother’s fragile mental state and tears apart his relationship with his father, Judd. What is the connection to Tucker? Can Jillian and the others discover what he is running from before he seriously injures himself? Can he find peace with the burden he seems to be carrying?

From the opening page, In the Cradle Lies grabs you and sucks you in until you are determined to finish and discover the great secret that connects Tucker and Matt Ryder. There is so much about the book that I loved but due to possible spoiler issues, I won’t discuss them. However, I loved each character. I laughed at their banter. I gasped as the secret is revealed and I smiled as all the dots are connected. In the Cradle Lies is a great story about family, the past and coming to terms with it in the present. I am looking forward to the next book in the series which is set to be released next year. I highly recommend In the Cradle Lies as well as the first book in the series, The Inn at Hidden Run.

In the Cradle Lies

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

The Inn at Hidden Run: linking the present to the past with genealogy

The Inn at Hidden Run by Olivia Newport is the first book in the Tree of Life series. It is the story of one young woman, Meri Davies, searching for a way off her family’s career path, with a link to the historical event of the 1878 Memphis yellow fever outbreak. Meri Davies shows up at the Inn at Hidden Run in the small town of Canyon Mines. Colorado, searching for a job. The owner, Nia, hires her as she needs the help but sees there is more to her story than she is telling. Nia enlists her friend, Jillian, a genealogist and her father, Nolan, a lawyer, to help gather the story from Meri. As they learn new information about Meri, it becomes clear that she is running from something or someone. Will Meri learn to trust Nia, Jillian and Nolan and accept their help? How does the events on 1878 link to Meri and her problem?

It has become very popular among authors to connect the present with historical events. Some do it very well while others have difficulty with it. It was obvious that Meri’s story and the events of the outbreak were connected, and it had something to do with her family, otherwise why would Jillian’s skills as a genealogist be important? While the story held my attention, to the point that I finished it in a few hours but there was no emotional impact for me. When the connection was revealed, there was no “aha!” moment. It was more, “Oh that makes sense” moment. I enjoyed Jillian and her father. I loved the connection they have. While other characters seemed to be downright mean for no reason and one dimensional. Overall, I enjoyed it and I may look into other books in the series. I recommend The Inn at Hidden Run.

The Inn at Hidden Run

is available in eBook and audiobook