"Amazing tale of two sisters who escaped from a cult."
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted June 16, 2024
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Romance Contemporary
Welcome to a book within a book. Yes, there are two storylines that are presented in tandem. One is Ghost Lake written by Ava Howell Brooks. Ava and her sister Madi are survivors of a cult. You know one of those that situated themselves deep into forests and preyed on innocent people, most unfortunately children. When their mother died Ava and Madi were being taken care of by their father. Let’s be kind and say that the father fell into the wrong company. But the lives of his two daughters would be forever altered by the twisted reality of that cult.
Thought-provoking. Each chapter starts with a quote from Ava’s book. Some pearls of wisdom were created out of fear, anger, sadness, and unbelievable feelings of hope. It was that hope that nourished these two sisters.
Ava wrote her feelings in the thesis she was working on. Then it became a blockbuster hit. Not because of the horrific time the two sisters had endured living with these deranged cultists. But with their ability to survive and unbelievably flourish.
This is just another example of how talented RaeAnne Thayne is. The book Ghost Lake had left quite a bit of damage in its wake. It enlightened its readers on how cruel people can be. She related it to an awful reality that thrived on cruelty and power.
The sisters had no power. No one was looking for them. Their father wasn’t any help to his daughters since he was frightened of the situation he had brought them into. It was sheer audacity and courage that led these girls out of horror into safety. Not without quite a bit of damage. They sometimes call that collateral damage. But the folks in this small town rallied around the sisters. And after fifteen years it is amazing to see how well they have adapted and started anew.
We learn the story piece by piece, chapter by chapter, and quote by quote. All these parts bring this impressive story to life. RaeAnne Thayne outdid herself with the characters that make each page come alive. That was the purpose. Somehow lives bloomed through a nightmarish situation. Well done and bravo RaeAnne Thayne.
SUMMARY
15 summers ago, everything changed…
Ava Howell seemed to have it all. She moved away from Emerald Creek, Idaho, married the love of her life and published a bestselling memoir. But she never expected that her husband would feel so betrayed by a secret from her past—the truth of what happened to her and her sister all those years ago—that he’d walk away. Now Ava is back home and trying to move on with the only person who can truly understand…
Following years of healing, Madison Howell is finally happy. After college she built a no-kill shelter where she works with animals every day, and she’s in love with the town veterinarian, Dr. Luke Gentry. But she can’t ever bring herself to tell him. Years ago, his dad died protecting Ava and her sister, so how could he ever love her back?
With the truth laid bare, and the past that Ava and Madison have worked so hard to leave behind threatening everything they have built for themselves, the Howell sisters’ reunion is bittersweet. And as Ava and Madi attempt to remedy the rifts in their lives and reconcile their futures, they must face the demons of their past together.
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