The Bracelet by Dorothy Love

From the publisher:

The mystery surrounding Celia's home in Savannah threatens her family reputation . . . and her very life.

Celia Browning is counting the days until her childhood sweetheart Sutton Mackay returns to Savannah after two years in Jamaica looking after his family's shipping interests. She's certain he will propose marriage, thus joining two of the city's most prominent families. But just as Sutton returns, an unsavory newspaper reporter arrives in town, determined to revive interest in the secret tragedies that occurred in the Browning mansion on Madison Square when Celia was a child.

A series of mysterious notes arrives at the house, followed by an anonymous gift-a bracelet imbued with a sinister message. Is it merely a coincidence, or is someone out to harm her?

As war clouds gather over Savannah and her beloved father's health worsens, Celia determines to uncover the truth about what really happened all those years ago.

Inspired by actual events in one of Savannah's most prominent 19th-century families,The Bracelet combines romance, rich historical detail, and breathtaking suspense as one young woman embarks upon a dangerous quest to free herself from her family's tragic past.

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I was surprised at the level of suspense and mystery in this book.  The prologue will give readers chills and have them turning the pages as fast as they can to discover the truth of Celia Browning's family past.  

Celia Browning's character was interesting to me because she was not the usual heroine in a novel.  This was more a suspense and Celia was the mystery solver.  There is sadness in this novel, they tragic past is tragic and the fact that it is based on actual events makes it even more so.  But I appreciated reading this historical novel knowing the research that Dorothy Love put into it.

Dorothy Love takes the south prior to the Civil War and creates characters that will give sympathy and understanding to the south during this time period.  The secondary characters of Ivy, Mrs. Maguire, Leo Channing, and others really enriched the story.  They created the depth and richness to the book.  

I eagerly await the next by Dorothy Love to learn more about Celia.

I received this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for my honest review.