Also by this author: The Dress Shop on King Street
Series: Heirloom Secrets #2
Published by Bethany House on May 11, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Historical, Romance
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In 1929, a spark forms between talented watercolorist Eliza and William, a charming young man who has been hired to forge her popular paintings. Her aunt makes it clear Eliza should stay away from him because of a feud between their families over missing heirloom silver. But the source of the rivalry was long ago, and as the two get to know each other, they fall in love. William regrets the job that desperation led him to take and their families' ongoing bitterness, but setting things right comes at a cost.
In present-day Charleston, Lucy Legare has just inherited an old house from a mysterious benefactor, along with all the secrets it holds, including an old silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney is determined to buy the house for his family's development company. But as Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, garden, and silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history's sake but also for her own.
Paint and Nectar is an enchanting story. I loved revisiting Charleston and these lovely people. While you will definitely want to read the first book – The Dress Shop on King Street – it isn’t entirely necessary. I do think this could be a stand-alone novel…but knowing the first book makes everything tie in so nicely, and brings so much clarity to this story.
Paint and Nectar is Lucy’s story. I couldn’t help but love her! As a museum curator, she is focused on the preservation of any old, historical items. She is, however, more than a little attracted to Declan Pinckney. This is rather unfortunate because Declan is on the side of tearing down the old to make room for the new. Because of this, their relationship seems bound for disaster right from the beginning.
Lucy mysteriously inherits an old house, and has so much fun trying to figure out all the old secrets hidden there. One of the main mysteries is the old letter Lucy finds in her house. Written by Eliza. Who was Eliza? Lucy is determined to piece together her story, and get to know as much about her as she possibly can.
The second storyline takes us back to 1929 and gives us Eliza and William’s story, Theirs is revealed to us slowly, bit by bit. Eliza is a watercolorist, and I loved reading the descriptions of seeing the lovely Charleston through her eyes. The gardens. The flowers, the lights, the charming homes. All of it sounds absolutely incredible, and it really made me want to go find paintings by this delightful artis
Yes, you could say that I was very intrigued from the first chapter. All the sights and sounds of old city Charleston are brought to life in such beautifully vivid colors and textures, from the delicately described watercolor paintings , to the old house and it’s beautiful garden…Ashley Clark has so much talent in bringing story to life.
This book is about so much more than what I’ve just described. There are deep heart issues. Belonging, heritage, racism, and more…Paint and Nectar is one of those books that worms its way deep down into the recesses of your very soul and lingers for a long time.
I’m really counting on the fact that there absolutely needs to be AT LEAST one more book in this series, and I cannot wait for it!