Henderson House
Caren Simpson McVicker
419 pages
Inkshares
published August 1, 2023
This was the book I didn’t know I needed. A little bit of a romance and a lot of a loving community set back when the world was a little more trusting and simpler. Mrs. Henderson is the landlady, but she reminded me a little of my Grandma. Seeing the world in colors and taking care of everyone. Such well developed characters that for the first book in a while I liked.
Sisterly love and family secrets might be on the verge of exposure when a new tenant moves into the Henderson House. This is wholesome and charming and I was caught up in the small town life. It really was a breath of fresh air of a read for me. And that cover. Am I right? Love it!
If you are looking for a great new debut to get lost in, you need this book.
About the book
In May 1941, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, hums with talk of spring flowers, fishing derbies, and the growing war in Europe. And for the Blackwell sisters, who reside in a quiet neighborhood boarding house, the winds of change are blowing.
Bessie Blackwell, copy room manager at Phillips Petroleum and faithful churchgoer, is the reluctant owner of a new pair of glasses. The young women in the office swear by Bessie’s romantic advice, despite the fact she’s a self-proclaimed spinster. Frank Davis, Henderson House’s newest tenant, throws that status into question with his gentle eyes and ready smile. But the scar on his forehead and rumors of divorce speak of a troubled past.
Bessie’s sister, Florence, a sales assistant at the men’s clothing store downtown, knows all about troubled pasts. Her husband is dead, and it’s only with her sister’s help that she’s able to raise Johnny. Life at Henderson House is luxurious compared to growing up in Cherokee Indian Territory, but Florence wants more for her boy than a rented room. When the flagship store in Tulsa offers her a management position, Florence sets her sights on the future and keeping the family together. And neither future nor family includes Frank Davis.
Mrs. Henderson, the landlady, cook, and adopted matriarch of the Blackwell clan, possesses an uncanny intuition about all her boarders. She knows true love when she sees it. But soon even her vision becomes clouded as Florence schemes to undermine her sister’s budding romance. In a desperate attempt to keep Bessie by her side, Florence exposes the sisters’ darkest secret. A secret that will change their lives, and the lives of those they love, forever.
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