This is the story of Casey and her years of struggle and strife. This is so different from the Fern Michaels books that I know and love. I have read 60+ books she has written over the years and have devoured each one. This particular book is dark and depressing and it was a struggle to complete it. There is a happy ending but there is so much sadness to get there. I'm not sure I would recommend this book. ( )

I have read most of Fern Michaels books, and, believe me, this is unlike the others. This is the story of Casey Edwards. At the start, Casey, who suffers from long-term amnesia, has just been released from a mental institution/hospital, where she has been a patient for the past ten years. She returns to Swan House, where her mother and her stepfather live. Casey begins a journey to regain her memory and to figure out what happened ten years before to send her to the mental hospital. The story is very intense, but lacks the action we see in so many books. I am not one for books filled with lots of introspection, as well as long sections devoted to minor characters and incidents that have little bearing on the basic plot. I guess that is why I concluded this one dragged a lot, had difficulty holding my interest and is not one of the author’s best. Casey befriends the town doctor, Blake, who seems to be the only one who genuinely cares about her or who is willing to help her in her quest to regain the lost years of her life. I found it interesting and somewhat unbelievable the way this small town rejected Casey, since small towns generally embrace citizens. This was all because of her earlier condemnation for fratricide. There was little or no discussion about this in the early half of the book, though I kept waiting for some explanations, to see where this book was going. I think the author dragged things out before beginning the revelations a bit too much. In fact, had the book been written more “tightly”, it could easily have been quite a bit shorter and still would not have missed much of the story.

This book will be released later this month, but, based on what I can see from reviews, appears to be a re-release of an earlier book. Since it is so unlike any other Fern Michaels books I have read, this may be why it was so unlike the books by her that I have read. This may be a book written by a younger, less experienced writer, who has now matured in her writing skills. The story is complex and does require that the author go into detail about the past to fully understand the plot, but, as I said, I think it could have been done better. I will move on the next Fern Michaels book, mostly because I like her books and have not found any others I really did not like. I think this book will be of interest to anyone who enjoys books that delve into the mysteries and problems of abuse, victims and the effects the abuse has on lives, though, as I have said, this is not the best book dealing with the subject that I have read or one of Fern Michaels best books. I received this from NetGalley to read and review. ( )

Dr. Blake Hunter (was realistic) discovered Casey Edwards wandering along Sweetwater,Georgia, after being release from f10 years at a mental institute. At the age of 9, she was thought to have murdered her step brother. It ended up her mother wanted her out of the way and was the actual killer. It turned out the Chief of the Institution, and 2 other doctors were in on it, as well. Her memory came back in bits and pieces. It was very well done. ( )