Book Review: Tangled in Ivy

Title: Tangled in Ivy
My Rating: 4
Genre: Mystery
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
Author: Ashley Farley

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~Book Blurb~

From the bestselling author of Sweet Tea Tuesdays comes a story of true love that spans decades.

Lillian Alexander’s father is dying of cancer. When he rambles on in a morphine-delirium, Lillian can’t ignore the feeling he’s trying to tell her something. At his funeral days later, she encounters ghosts from her past who stir long-suppressed memories from the day her mother died twenty-seven years ago. Why, if her mother’s death was an accident, does Lillian harbor guilt, as though she were somehow to blame?

When Lillian and her twin sister, Layla, learn the Stoney family fortune is gone, Lillian fights to save her ancestral home on Charleston’s prestigious East Battery. Desperate to resolve her money problems and get answers to her questions about the past, she tears her father’s study apart in search of clues. She discovers a thumb drive in a hollowed-out hardback copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls. The thumb drive, marked For Lillian in his handwriting, contains her father’s memoir. Secluded in the family’s cottage on Wadmalaw Island, she immerses herself in her father’s account of his stormy relationship with her mother. What she learns sets her on a journey of self-discovery.

Tangled in Ivy is a tale of tortured souls and southern family dysfunction

~My Thoughts~

In this book, Lillian’s recently deceased father has left her a key. That key sets her on a journey to understand her own family’s history as well as herself.

This is a tale full of grits, both for eating and for surviving. The mysteries throughout did feel a little like we were tangled in ivy, just like Lillian’s memories. You can really feel her struggle as she attempts to uncover within herself the memories she blocked as a child while her body continues to protect itself from the truth.

This is definitely a twisted story with lots of Drama but so very good. I won’t say the plot was shocking but it was extremely entertaining and compelling. I’m completely here for entertaining books with mystery and intrigue that don’t depend on a shocking twist to gain an emotional response from the readers. I was invested in this story because of the characters and the writing.

Not only was Ashley Farley’s writing style so perfectly suited to the story, but she managed to make this book a complete sensory experience. With sights, smells and tastes, like grits and gardenia, sprinkled throughout the book, really letting the reader immerse themselves and escape into her world.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the sisters, as they attempted to bridge the gap in their fractured bond. It was a really intriguing take, especially given that twin sisters are usually portrayed as having extraordinary links to one another.

Just a great example of the power trauma and tragedy.

~About the Author~

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many. 

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleywfarley  
Twitter: twitter.com/ashleywfarley
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2aKfnHo
Author website http://www.ashleyfarley.net 
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hDaDFE
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ashleyhfarley/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyhfarley/

Giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

*Special thanks to Ashley Farley, Leisure Time Books, and Rachel’s Random Resources providing a copy of Tangled in Ivy in exchange for an honest review.