Beyond the Garden

By: Ashley Farley

Narrated by: Rachel Jacobs, Rebecca Gibel

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of the Sweeney Sisters series comes the much-awaited sequel to Magnolia Nights, a novel of fate, discovery, and determination.

All is right in Ellie Pringle Hagood’s world. Recently married to the man of her dreams and in anticipation of the big family she’s always wanted, she focuses on restoring the large home she inherited from her grandmother on Charleston’s prestigious Battery. Abbott, the father she adores, lives just down the street from her. She treasures her beloved housekeeper, Maddie, who offers wise counsel and loving support, and is the closest thing to a mother she’s ever known. Two days a week, she volunteers for an art program she piloted at an elementary school. But then, in the midst of all her happiness, comes news that throws Ellie’s life into a tailspin. 

Her brother-in-law has been murdered in Key West, and her sister, Lia, is wanted for questioning in the investigation. No one in Ellie’s family has seen or heard from Lia in the seven months since she disappeared and left her twin three-year-old daughters in Ellie and Julian’s care. The newlyweds, with several questions nagging at them, fly off to Key West in search of the missing sister. Where is Lia? How is she connected to her husband’s murder? What will become of her twin daughters? The two are only at the beginning of their quest for answers and solutions, and the path they take turns out to be far more torturous and complicated than expected.

©2018 Ashley Farley (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Once again Ashley Farley doesn’t disappoint!

A great book 2!! I love when characters carry on in a series and Ashley Farley does a great job with their story!!

Best writer ever

Love everything she write, hard to put her books down. ❤️ Her stories are always so realistic, I get lost in every one.

Nope

When I finished this I felt sad it took up some of the short time in my life. It wasn’t awful but when it ended all I could say was, “Why was this book written?”

Another great story by Ms Farley

Her books take you to the towns and cities in which they take place. You get to know and love her characters in every book. You will fall in love with the characters with chapter. This is a family love story, mystery and love and forgiveness story rolled into one.

Surprise Ending

I was really looking forward to this book after reading Magnolia Nights; however, this book took a different approach and had a different feel from book one. In the first book, Ellie, the main character, had a mature personality. She was thoughtful and appreciative, but in this book, she seemed to be a bit more immature and whimsical. Some of her decisions didn't make sense for a forty-year-old recently married woman.

The personality of the characters seemed to change in this book only from picking up from the first book four months later. So the personalities through me a bit but it was still engaging enough to keep me going to the next chapter mainly to see if the story would smooth itself out and it did around chapter thirteen. The story moved along but yet became very predictable up until the last few sentences. I really liked the surprise ending and would love to had heard a tad more about Maddie and her Gullah traditions.

Overall, it was a good story. It is not one of her books that I would read again; however, I would recommend it.

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~Nicole

I really enjoyed both books.

Great job Ashley loved both books. Downloading more titles now!! Need to read both books