I really loved the overall southern ambience of this novel. Anna and Jesse have to leave their farm in Illinois when they fall on hard times. They end up at Dolly and Si's boarding house where they are able to repair not only their relationship, but are able to develop close friendships in the kindred spirits found in the house. I loved that there was just a little bit of each type of genre in this book. There was romance, mystery, and history. There were parts of the book that were extremely predictable, but it still did not dissuade from the overall tempo and value of the book. I liked the relationship that develops between Reed and Anna's friend in the book and how they are both able to overcome the devastation of the war with each other. I will definitely be recommending this book to others. Thanks for the ARC, BookishFirst.