Monday, March 4, 2019

Review: What the Wind Knows - Amy Harmon

What the Wind Knows
by Amy Harmon
Published: March 1, 2019
Genre: Historical Romance, Time Travel

In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything…

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?


Review
5+ Stars

A sweeping, romantic tale, Amy Harmon takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime with What the Wind Knows. Anne Gallagher cannot imagine a life without her grandfather; he's been her best friend, the man who raised her, the one who encouraged her writing. Eoin has never taken her to Ireland, to the place he once called home, but his dying wish is that she go, that she discovers the truth of their family's past and that she spread his ashes there. In his last moments he gives her photos and journals, revealing to Anne that she looks so much like her namesake, her great-grandmother Anne. Once in Ireland she finds herself in awe of the country, of those living in the town who still remember, and closer to Eoin. The journals do more than make her feel closer to him, they take her back to the 1920's, to a time of political revolution and into the arms of the man who Eoin considered his father. At first alarmed, Anne soon adapts to this new life and finds herself falling for the warm, caring Thomas.

"The church just wants my money, but I hope God will take my soul. What's left of me belongs in Ireland."

Present and past Ireland mold into one as Amy Harmon takes readers through the foggy lough and into the beautiful estate of Eoin's youth. A magical story of time travel, family, and love, What the Wind Knows is one of the most incredible historical romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I was immediately caught up in this tale, my own feet placed into the shoes of Anne's as she awoke to a world she didn't recognize. I too felt her resistance to accept her fate, her discomfort at the clothing of the past, her frustration as other's expressed anger and disbelief at her arrival. I also felt her joy as she grasped the opportunity to know a young Eoin, the butterflies as Thomas captured her heart, and her shock when she realized how vital her trip to the past is to the future of Ireland.

"Don't go near the water, love, the lough will take you far from me."

What the Wind Knows isn't your typical historical romance, nor is it your typical fantasy time travel. Anne's trip to the 1920s takes her back into a time of upheaval, distrust, and suffering. Anne must quickly act the part of the previous Anne Gallagher, despite not knowing what happened to her. With the journals missing, Anne learns quickly to dress and act the part and discovers that she must ensure certain events happen properly. Her romance with Thomas isn't the sole focus of the novel, though their coming together is certainly the cherry on top. He is a doctor who is at the center of a group hoping for political change, he isn't young and classically handsome, but he is honest and caring. Anne soon believes in a free Ireland as well, becoming the constant companion to Thomas as they travel to Dublin. I loved how facts mixed with fiction in this novel, Amy really makes the setting, the suspense, the romance come to life.

"I told you. You told me. Only the wind knows which truly comes first."

What the Wind Knows is easily one of my Top 10 for 2019, I so loved the adventure Amy Harmon took us on. The story is romantic and unexpected, a truly beautiful story that I read, with tears dripping down my cheeks, in just one sitting. I highly recommend this fascinating story to historical romance fans and those who love a well-done time travel novel.

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