Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers has retreated to her recently deceased grandmother's neglected mansion in St Jude, OH. Now orphaned, she is feeling lost and sinking into depression, spending her time within her vivid dreams. Then the doorbell rings. It appears she has been left a large legacy by screen idol Jack Montgomery. But how is he connected to her and to her prim grandmother June? The book begins to shift between its contemporary setting, as Jack's Hollywood daughters arrive to contest Cassie's claim, and 1955 St Jude, when Hollywood first came to town and June met Jack. The settings are both handled well, with the house itself becoming a character binding the two generations. The author's fourth novel follows in the vein of Bittersweet in its look at the secrets families hold. The past is not all glossy nostalgia; Beverly-Whittemore illuminates the conflicts roiling under a smooth, socially acceptable surface. Verdict The steamy romance, violence, and secrets-keeping in this packed novel edge close to melodrama, but the characters and fast-moving plot will engage readers. Fans of Hollywood, then and now, will find this dramatic story line appealing. [See Prepub Alert, 1/4/16.]-Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hollywood meets small-town Ohio in 1955, starting reverberations that last for generations. In 2015, New York artist Cassie Danvers floundering in St. Jude, Ohio, after the death of her grandmother, June, who raised her learns that she's the sole heir of the multimillion-dollar estate of movie star Jack Montgomery, who has just died. Cassie is not the only person stunned by this turn of events: Jack's gorgeous, ultrafamous daughter, Tate, and her assistants descend on Cassie, followed by Tate's half-sister Elda, all wanting a DNA sample from Cassie. So Cassie, staying in the rundown family mansion, Two Oaks, starts delving into the life of June Danvers, who was 18 and engaged to another man when she met Jack Montgomery during a movie shoot in St. Jude. The narrative alternates between 2015 and 1955, gradually revealing the story of June and Jack as told by Lindie, the younger neighbor girl who was June's dear friend. Beverly-Whittemore (Bittersweet, 2014) has fashioned an appealing story of romance and suspense with a focus on love and legacy.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2016 Booklist

Beverly-Whittemore (Bittersweet) offers up two interconnected tales of family secrets, 60 summers apart. The present-day tale centers on 25-year-old Cassie, holed up in St. Jude, Ohio, in the crumbling manse called Two Oaks. The house was willed to her by her recently deceased grandmother June, who raised her. Mourning not only June's death but also the recent deterioration of their relationship, Cassie is befuddled to discover that she may be a bona fide heiress, as Hollywood legend Jack Montgomery has left her his entire fortune. The assumption is that Cassie's father was the product of a whirlwind affair between Jack and June, back when St. Jude was the setting for a film back in 1955. Yet Cassie, in a decision that seems included primarily to drive the plot, refuses to agree to a DNA test, forcing Montgomery's equally famous daughter to schlep out to St. Jude herself. Their present-day detective work is interspersed with scenes from the filming of that 1955 film, conveyed largely from the point of view of June's young companion Lindie, who secretly harbors romantic feelings for her friend. Although some fantastical elements don't quite work (Two Oaks is sentient, and it shapes the behavior of its inhabitants), the dual narratives are enjoyable both singly and in tandem as the novel explores the changing possibilities for women, the evolution of the Hollywood fame machine, and love's potential for genuine human transformation. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Love between a small-town girl and one of Hollywood's leading men leads to murder, blackmail, and secrets. Beverly-Whittemore (Bittersweet, 2015, etc.) returns with another charming page-turner, this time marrying old Hollywood elegance to Midwestern practicality. Fourteen-year-old Lindie may not know much, but she sure knows that marrying Artie Danvers would be the biggest mistake of her best friend June's 18-year-old life. Enter Jack Montgomery, glamorous heartthrob, who's come to St. Jude, Ohio, to film Erie Canal, a movie some locals hope will put their town on the map. Jack stumbles into June on the set one day, and it's love at first sight. Except that Jack's an already-divorced father and practically engaged to his co-star, Diane DeSoto, who takes an instant dislike to both June and Lindie. Lindie's efforts to coordinate their Great Romance are thwarted not only by Diane, but also by ClydeArtie's older brother, Lindie's father's nemesis, and a scheming real estate tycoon wannabe. June and Jack find brief bliss, but the aftermath is catastrophic. Sixty years later, photographer and installation artist Cassie is reeling from a broken relationship. She moves back to Two Oaks, her grandmother June's neglected mansion in St. Jude, and immediately begins dreaming of the house's former inhabitants, with star-struck Lindie and June center stage. As if the haunted dreams weren't unsettling enough, Cassie suddenly finds herself the sole beneficiary of Jack Montgomery's estate, worth $37 million. Cassie soon finds herself playing hostess to Jack's movie-star daughter, Tate; Tate's yogini/barista personal assistant, Hank; and Tate's very attractive executive assistant, Nickall of whom intend to stay in St. Jude until the mystery can be solved. Although Beverly-Whittemore interweaves Cassie's and June's stories deftly, her imagining of Two Oaks' own consciousness is less successful. "In its excitement, the house ushered forth its crowd of memories, flooding the foyer and the parlors, where Nick and Cassie were discussing Jack and June." At times the house is swirling with all the characters of the past, but the effect is awkward rather than magical. A lightly gothic tale of hearts broken and mended in small-town America. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.