Book Review for AS THE LIGHT FADES by Catherine West

22/8/2019

Sometimes we’re placed in the strangest of circumstances for the most important reasons.

After her carefully constructed life crumbles, Liz Carlisle finds herself back on Nantucket, picking up the pieces. With the family estate under renovations, the solitude she craves seems out of reach.

Matthew Stone intends to steer clear of his new tenant. She’s carrying a load of baggage, but as long as she pays the rent, he’ll let her be. He’s got enough to deal with caring for his wayward niece, Mia.

Liz doesn’t have time for teenagers and her track record with men is abysmal, but an unlikely friendship forms between the three.

When her former boyfriend is charged with assault, Liz is called to testify against him. But he knows the darkest secrets of her life—secrets she’d hoped to keep buried forever, and he’s ready to reveal them. Telling the truth is the right thing to do, but it may cost her everything she’s worked so hard for, and all she’s come to love.

***NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR***
As the Light Fades is published as a standalone novel, but features some characters from one of Catherine's earlier novels, The Things We Knew, published in 2016 by Thomas Nelson.

Five siblings, renovation of the family home, the father with memory illness, and drama and trouble at their doorsteps... From the first pages, the story resonated with me for various reasons, and it was a marvelous story, a delight to read. I got completely lost in the tale, the scenes so engaging, the relationship drama and trouble giving it spice, and the human tragedies bringing tears to my eyes.
There is so many contrasts in the tale, all the light, the positive, that feeling of conquering your past and making a new start. And there is so much sorrow, abuse, and letting the anger go, losing loved ones and the memories vanishing from your mind.
Liz Carlisle was one tough lady. She had survived the unimaginable, and even though fragile at times, she was realistic, her outbursts were rational, and her fears were tangible. I was somewhat surprised by the romance slowly developing between Matthew Stone and Liz. Yet it was a positive surprise, something filled with hope, loyalty, and trust.
I adored Mia, and the relationship she had to her uncle, Matthew. The author has the talent to get to the deepest, darkest corners of the characters' souls, and bring their thoughts and notions into the tale in an age-appropriate manner.
There are so much going on in the two (or three) families, and in their relationships, yet there is no hurry to tell the tale. The time moves on, there are events that brake the brittle balance, yet there is time to heal, to find mercy, to have grace, redemption from the past, the beggings of something new, something wholesome and flourishing.
I treasured the world the author has created, and the characters who live in it. The tragedies they faced broke my heart, yet the way they fought to find better tomorrow was inspiring and uplifting. Even though this is a standalone novel, like the author warned us, there are mentions to the characters of her previous book. For a person who has not read the previous story might be left wanting a bit more details and insights to those characters.
An affecting and moving saga of two families, of their heartfelt destinies. It gives insights to the drama happening behind the closed doors, and to the salvation from the past, to the right timing in life to finding your path.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda.

When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors.

She and her husband have two grown children and one beautiful granddaughter.

Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew).