Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Hiding Place

AUTHOR: Jackie Keswick

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 171 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2023

BLURB:

Can a house with a secret bring two grieving men together?

After losing his bandmates in an accident, songwriter Zach Hellig looks for a place to hide and a distraction from his grief. He finds both in a dilapidated Pele tower in a corner of Northumberland and in a sexy neighbour, whose smooth facade hides an old, painful secret that appears to be tied to Zach’s new home.

Are the rumours of an unsolved murder the reason for Robert Ludlow’s reluctance to sell Charnbarrow Pele?

Should Zach try to find answers to a thirty-seven-year-old mystery?

And having just experienced the pain of loss, should he risk his heart for a man who struggles to come to terms with his past?

REVIEW:

Following a tragedy, Zach moves north, away from public life to Northumberland. The ancient castle-esque features of the property reflected Zach’s loneliness. It’s as if one had something the other needed – repair and distraction. Though, the Mr. Darcy-style neighbor helped in that area, too.

Hiding Place has a distinct Pride and Prejudice air, despite the tale being set in the modern day and nothing like the classic. Grief has many stages, and this story delicately takes Zach and Robert on their journey in a thoroughly mesmerizing way.

The story is told in the first person entirely from Zach’s viewpoint. While Robert is the other prime character, the author skillfully conveys his thoughts in different ways, adding to his enigmatic persona. I also loved the imagery the authors’ words presented. Northumberland is a beautiful part of the UK. Nevertheless, there are limited ways to describe the countryside. So, alongside physical descriptions, the author ventures down the atmospheric route.

Zach’s fellow band members were his non-blood family. As such, he is trying to survive without their guidance – asking what X would say, or that Y would say, Z. Robert, is Lord Of The Manor with a forbidding nature. However, his upbringing isn’t as fortunate as his heritage suggests – there are scars. There is also an unsolved murder in the estate’s past that provides a lovely catalytic arc to the story.

The drama flows seamlessly into the story. However, this is more of an emotional journey to healing amid renovating an unusual house and a neighbor who is also grieving. From the above description, it doesn’t sound too great, but the story is so exquisitely put together that I will freely admit that I shed a tear. It was akin to reading a sadly beautiful story on a sunny Sunday afternoon in spring – i.e., hope for new beginnings in the air.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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