First sentence: Everything looked the same. The live oaks in the park still shadowed this block of Main Street, providing a welcome respite from the early afternoon sun.

Premise/plot: Emily Leland, widow, is returning home to Sweetwater, Texas. It is not a joyous homecoming. Her mother has died without the two reconciling. Her father is hours away from his own death. (If the publisher description spoils it so why shouldn't I?) Her sister despises her--mostly. Emily's now-dead husband was super-controlling and abusive. Nobody knew. Well, not anybody in Sweetwater. She soon finds herself with an opportunity. It's not one she expected--to open up her house, almost like a boarding house. But there is a definite need. After several fires in town leave the new school teacher (a widower) with a young son AND an older widow woman [longstanding family friend] homeless, she opens up her home and makes a new start. Her sister [who will be the star of book two] leaves soon after. A third guest--a week day guest--a young girl with "special needs" is incoming.

Meanwhile while all these new beginnings are beginning to flourish, relationships being formed, much comfort and encouragement all around....Emily begins to investigate her father's death....and soon there's a WHOLE PILE of bodies stacking up to investigate.

My thoughts: After the Shadows is a slower-paced book. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it personally. Perhaps slower-paced isn't the right word. Right words can be hard to come by. I mean that there are so many sub-genres going on at the same time, that the story plot sometimes seems confused and hesitating. It has a cozy feel in the historical romance camp or genre. It happily could have lived there and pleased everyone. I also love the focus on friendships--strong friendships--between women. I loved the advocacy. One of the characters--one of the students--has Down's syndrome. (Not that it was called that in this book.) Emily is 1000% supportive and loving and kind. In a community where everyone is stand-offish and judgmental, Emily is a breath of fresh air to this little girl. The mystery comes and goes. There's always new dead bodies. So it's never far from your mind that something is FISHY about this community, but if the mystery element is what you're there for....then you'll be waiting forever and ever and ever. It isn't until the end of the novel when the book seems to remember that it is a mystery as well. ( )

Fantastic! More than 5 stars is deserved here! I literally couldn't put this book down! The story is engaging and original! The characters are fabulous! My favorite is Craig! He's a good man, compassionate and loving. He's also a great father! A definite must read! ( )

Emily Leland was definitely experiencing the old adage, “When it rains it pours”.
Her husband dies suddenly in a bar altercation. Feeling a bit guilty as she is actually relieved because of years of abuse she had suffered at his hand. Then she gets word her mother has passed away. She rushes home to a chilly reception from her sister Louisa. She is shocked to find out none the weekly letters she had written the past 14 months since marrying and moving away had been received. Everyone assumed she had abandoned and rejected the family, breaking her mother’s heart. Waiting for her father to come home, and decides to go in search of him. She ends up at the barn only to discover his lifeless body hanging from a rope! Everyone, even the sheriff thinks it was suicide but Emily has no doubt her father was murdered. She stayed true to her conviction no matter how much opposition she faced.
The final blow is the realization her and her sister are left practically destitute.
Against her sisters very strong opposition she decides to turn their home into a boarding house. Craig Harrison and his very young son, Noah, had arrived in town to find the place they would live, the widow Carmichael’s, had just burned to the ground. Presto! Two instant boarders!
Emily is very untrusting and leery of Craig but finds herself totally smitten with his son. This hurting unlikely group of people becomes a family. As time goes on she begins to see Craig as everything her husband wasn’t. Their friendship grows and he joins her in the quest to find her father’s killer.
I admired Emily’s fortitude and strength to look past her problems and sorrow to accomplish what was needed for the better of everyone. She was so selfless. I enjoyed watching her gradually overcome the lies she believed about herself and others. Craig also had some misconceptions about his life and was traveling the same path of healing. I loved the grandmotherly role Mrs. Carmichael took in Noah’s life.
Along with all these character’s personal struggles and interactions is the unfolding mystery of who killed Emily’s father. Her search for the murderer keeps the reader on their toes with the excitement, unexpected developments, and a surprise ending! I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own. ( )

Title: After the Shadows (The Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing #1)
Author: Amanda Cabot
Pages: 352
Year: 2023
Publisher: Revell
My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.
If half-stars were available, I would rate this 3.5 stars.
Emily Leland has returned home to Sweetwater Crossing after the death of her husband after a year-long marriage. Her sister doesn’t seem happy with her return as all she does in complain about Emily’s absence and lack of help with their father after the death a few months ago of their mother. Emily, however, is a wounded soul who has endured an abusive marriage. No one knows this, and she plans to keep it that way. She has decided to never marry again as she made such a poor choice the first time. She doesn’t trust men. After listening to her sister’s complaints, they decide to find their father who hasn’t been seen for hours. What they discover changes everything.
Craig Ferguson is a young widower with a 2-1/2-year-old son. He has accepted a new job in Sweetwater Crossing as the schoolmaster. He arrives in town to discover the person he was to board with has had their home destroyed by fire. Emily Leland has a large home with many rooms. She offers Craig and his son a room. She also offers to house the older widow with whom Craig was initially supposed to board. Craig finds Emily fascinating, but she shies from him at first. He agrees to help her discover what happened to her father and in the process falls in love with her. He knows she has said she won’t marry again, but he hopes to change her mind.
I appreciated the compassionate nature of Emily. She was hospitality in action, offering her home and kitchen to those in need. She portrayed “love thy neighbor” well. I enjoyed the secondary characters more than the hero/heroine. Beulah was a treasure as were Mrs. Carmichael and Noah. In my opinion, this novel could have been shorter had there been less contemplation/angst of Emily’s thinking about trying to discover who killed her father and repeatedly claiming she didn’t believe the manner of his death. There is a second novel, focusing on Louisa who is Emily’s sister. I hope this second novel focuses a bit more on the mystery aspect.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

Heavy on the romance, light on the suspense and intrigue - this inspirational historical read will woo readers. When Emily Leland returns home she discovers not one, but both of her parents are dead. Emily had left the year before when she married George, a dashing man with a hot temper. When she failed to give him a child he quickly turned abusive and when he suddenly died she was not remotely sad. She was just ready to return to her parents home - but now with both parents dead and her sister furious at her; Emily doesn't know what to do. She decides to turn her childhood home into a boardinghouse so she can pay the taxes and soon she is introduced to the dashing new school teacher and his adorable son. He too is a widower and if they aren't careful they might start falling for each other. At the heart of the story is their romance, but in the background is a mystery - how did her father really die and will the new teacher help her get to the bottom of it? The first in a new series! ( )