Refuge On Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson ~ Kregel Blog Tour with review

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (March 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825425905
• ISBN-13: 978-0825425905

Want to purchase a copy of this book, click here.

A copy of this book was provided by Kregel for review.

About the book from Goodreads:

Moving home after a recent job loss was supposed to reassure Camden Bristow and give her time to decide what to do next. But when she arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother, who she hasn't talked to in years, has passed away and "home" is an empty mansion hundreds of years old. Not exactly the comfort Camden was looking for. What happened to the house she played in as a child, the bedtime stories that told of secret passageways and runaway slaves, and all those family memories?

When antiques start disappearing and footsteps are heard, some of those memories start to creep back and Camden wonders if her grandmother's bedtime stories might actually be true. What really happened here . . . at Crescent Hill? How was her grandmother involved? Who still has access to the house? And for what purpose? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camden also uncovers secrets about her family that could change the town-and her life-forever.

My take on this book:

Camden Bristow is feeling the effects of the economy. She is a free-lance photographer living in New York  who finds herself without any job prospects or money. Being kicked out of her apartment with less than five hundred dollars left on her credit card she decides to return to the home where she spent many happy summers with her grandmother Rosalie even though its been years since she has spoken to her grandmother, but when she arrives in the tiny town of Etherton Ohio what she finds at the family mansion called Crescent Hill is that her grandmother has passed away and the mansion is falling into disrepair. Having no place else to go she stays at the family home anyway and quickly finds herself wondering if someone else isn't in the house. Camden has never believed in the rumors that ghosts haunt the mansion and when a few things start disappearing she is pretty sure someone is getting into the house, but how? Could it be true that there are underground tunnels that date back to slave days, and could Crescent Hill actually have been a stop on the Underground Railroad?

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this story as well as the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the history of the Bristow family.While Camden was the primary story I loved the secondary stories that went on and how they all came together at the end. The characters were very easy to connect with, especially Camden. Crescent Hill was the only place where she ever felt like she belonged. It was nice to see her grow and watch her priorities change as the book progressed. I also felt empathy for Alex, as he continued to carry the blame for not doing enough to save his sister and nephew. I thought the christian themes woven into the story was well done, especially the message of helping others. I also got a few laughs from reading about the antics of the Sprague children especially Hailey, that little girl had a wonderful imagination.
Overall if your looking for a contemporary story that is firmly rooted in the historical era of the underground railroad, that weaves mystery, suspense, a bit of romance with a nice inspirational story then your certainly in for a treat with this story. Recommended!




Note: For anyone who has a Kindle "Refuge On Crescent Hill" will be FREE for one week starting Oct. 31st. So be sure and click on the link to get your copy.