Refuge on Crescent Hill: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Camden Bristow is feeling the effects of the economy. She is a free-lance photographer living in New York who finds herself without any job prospects or money. Being kicked out of her apartment with less than five hundred dollars left on her credit card she decides to return to the home where she spent many happy summers with her grandmother Rosalie even though its been years since she has spoken to her grandmother, but when she arrives in the tiny town of Etherton Ohio what she finds at the family mansion called Crescent Hill is that her grandmother has passed away and the mansion is falling into disrepair. Having no place else to go she stays at the family home anyway and quickly finds herself wondering if someone else isn't in the house. Camden has never believed in the rumors that ghosts haunt the mansion and when a few things start disappearing she is pretty sure someone is getting into the house, but how? Could it be true that there are underground tunnels that date back to slave days, and could Crescent Hill actually have been a stop on the Underground Railroad?

I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this story as well as the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the history of the Bristow family.While Camden was the primary story I loved the secondary stories that went on and how they all came together at the end. The characters were very easy to connect with, especially Camden. Crescent Hill was the only place where she ever felt like she belonged. It was nice to see her grow and watch her priorities change as the book progressed. I also felt empathy for Alex, as he continued to carry the blame for not doing enough to save his sister and nephew. I thought the christian themes woven into the story was well done, especially the message of helping others. I also got a few laughs from reading about the antics of the Sprague children especially Hailey, that little girl had a wonderful imagination.
Overall if your looking for a contemporary story that is firmly rooted in the historical era of the underground railroad, that weaves mystery, suspense, a bit of romance with a nice inspirational story then your certainly in for a treat with this story. Recommended!
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This latest book from Melanie Dobson is teeming with suspense, includes a well developed set of characters, and provides a multi-layered plot that will keep you turning pages as quickly as you can. I love how she tied events in history, both real and fictitious, into this contemporary story. I couldn't help rooting for the good guys and wishing ill on the bad guys, especially as things get tense near the end. I loved this book and am putting it on my best read books of 2010.

I am not a writer by any means, but, I too love to read. I got my book on a Thursday and finished reading it on Friday night.

This story is real, we have all faced times when we didn't know where to turn and just wanted to go back to where we had always felt safe. Where we were loved and accepted. This book also gives us the one true place that everyone can feel safe and loved and that is with God. Where even people that love the Lord still face problems, lack of fath or trust but He is still there waiting of us to call on Him.

The history that weaves the families together and the region makes you just need to keep going. You've got to see what happenes next and where you are going to travel. I loved this book and would recomend it to anyone to read.