Passages of Hope

Title: Passages of Hope
Author: Terri J. Haynes
Series: Doors to the Past, book 10
Major Themes: Baltimore, Slavery, Underground Railroad
Synopsis: While Gracie was remodeling the house she inherited, she discovered something mysterious—how did that connect with a woman who helped enslaved people escape to freedom 160 years earlier?

I have discovered that I really enjoy dual-timeline stories, for the most part. Passages of Hope appealed to me, in part because it is a dual-timeline book, and in part because it involves the Underground Railroad, which of course, is always an interesting topic for a story. Combine a mystery in an inherited house with the Underground Railroad, and we have a fascinating story waiting to be discovered.

Gracie felt very much alone. Because her mother had died when Gracie was born, her Gran was the most stable person in her life. Now, Gran was gone, and had passed her house along to Gracie. Gracie was in the process of using the house to follow her dream, despite her uncle’s animosity, when she discovered something very mysterious about the house. Coupled with the knowledge that her house was very near William Still’s house, she thought she knew what she had found. How could she find the truth, though? What would it do to her to accept help from Gran’s friend’s grandson? And, when an expensive bag went missing during a knitting class, how could she find the truth and help her students at the same time?

Olivia was very involved in helping her fellow black people to escape from slavery to Canada. Her husband was not involved in her work—until Olivia ran into trouble while helping a woman and her baby. Trying to care for them and solve the mystery of a conductor who was apparently an impostor, took all the courage she could muster up. How would her story connect with Gracie’s story over 150 years later?

What a story. I loved both the contemporary and the historical parts of Passages of Hope. Gracie had to learn to stand up for herself, to not let people who are against her drag her down, had how to handle grief. Olivia also had things she needed to learn, such as being honest with her husband. Both women tried to do everything themselves, and had a hard time accepting help. Both also faced seemingly insurmountable challenges; could they learn to depend on God to get them through these problems? I also loved the glimpse of Baltimore in the 1850s, and the way the Black community helped those fleeing from slavery. Another plus for me, is that the romance, while there, was a fairly minor part of the story.

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Chapters 19, 32: a kiss. Chapter 24: a woman is kidnapped and injured.