Undercurrent of Secrets (Volume 4) (Doors to the Past)

Undercurrent of Secrets was my intro to Rachel Scott McDaniel, and for a new-to-me author, she did quite well. I was drawn to Devyn immediately, with her love of the Belle, her creativity, her chocoholic tendencies, and her faith. I'll admit, I was drawn to her and Chase's story more than Hattie and Jack's. However, I enjoyed both couples and their stories, as well as how they fit together, immensely.Rachel's riverboat setting is incredibly romantic, yet never romanticized. I loved the Belle of Louisville as a backdrop for the stories because it is fairly unique. It provided some memorable and sweet moments, such as Hattie's "first dance" and Devyn showing Chase and others around, speaking her heart as she did so. However, the Belle could also be a gritty setting. From relationship travails to a near-kidnapping to hints of Prohibition-era smuggling, I never knew where it or the story would take me. Brava.I enjoyed how the romances weren't just there for romance's sake, but fed into Devyn and Hattie's journeys as women, as Christ followers, and as people with places in the world (family, work, you name it). Both women find healing aboard the Belle, not just because they find love, but because as Jack tells Hattie, they find God there. They find Him inside them, even though both have apparently known Him for years. And in so doing, they find out who they're supposed to become. Hattie's final moments and decision with Jack, as well as Devyn's river dream, were two of the best examples of this for me.In addition, Undercurrent of Secrets has something rare for a fairly short book--a lot of scenes that make it "pop." Many of these are romantic, especially the ones built around Secret Creek. However, I found several other gems, such as Devyn and Chase's "crawl" through some chamber of commerce storage, or Jack comforting Hattie as she opened up to him about her parentage--or lack thereof.The twist with Hattie's identity is one I didn't see coming, and I applaud Rachel for dropping it in at just the right time. She develops it enough that the twist is believable, yet is so clever with her hints, I had to go back and think, "Okay, where were Rachel or Hattie trying to tell me something?" That's always fun. Plus, the other twist with Hattie and Jack was both unexpected and satisfying.All this said, Undercurrent did hit a few rough waves. Some of it is in the dialogue or writing, like when Hattie says she "needed her head cleared" or "her ribs were determined on keeping her heart in her chest." Maybe that was Kentucky dialect or something, but I've never heard it before, so who knows.In addition, when compared to Hattie and Devyn, their heroes seemed a little flat. Antagonist Travis got more time and development than either of the heroes did. Plus, the twist with Chase's identity didn't work for me at all. I mean, come on. For 230-odd pages, Devyn thought you had *cancer,* dude. Neither one of you could decide to say *anything* that might clear that up? Besides which, once Chase was revealed, he and Devyn had to go through that whole you-lied-to-me, well-that's-because-you-hurt-my-feelings-first thing. Considering the rest of the book was so good, I didn't need or want that.Weak points aside though, Undercurrent of Secrets is a strong, memorable novella, and made me curious about what Rachel Scott McDaniel would write next. It also made me curious about the rest of the Doors to the Past series. I'm learning to love dual timeline novellas (I'm not sure if that's different from split time, but apparently, it is). If you're new to the genre, Undercurrent is a solid maiden voyage. If not, it's an enjoyable excursion.

So, apparently, I read the next book first and this one second. I loved both of them. Rachel is such a talented author. I can't even imagine how tough it is to write two interconnected timelines. Can't wait to read another!

The author sets her tale in the late 1880s and alternates her chapters from then to the current time. Devyn Asbury is a wedding coordinator aboard the Belle that is docked in Louisville. Devyn is a computer whiz who just went through a very public as well as humiliating breakup. In order to have time away from all the fall out and attention, Devyn goes “offline” and lives a very quiet life.When Devyn’s latest challenge is winning the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, she needs help! Her boss gives her romantic books to read to help generate ideas and bring Devyn out of her heartbreak. However, it is when she meets Chase, who helps her with his graphic designs that she just might have a lifeline to save her heart’s desire from sinking.The intriguing part of the novel is the agreement formed with Devyn helping Chase solve a mystery, and Chase helping with his graphic design for the wedding contest. But there is more to the mystery that Chase brings, and it ties the Belle, Devyn and Chase together in a way that is exciting and suspenseful!The story ends up really in a heart-grabbing climactic conclusion, though the start for me was slow. However, if readers are patient, the ending is so worth the wait! I love historical fiction because they authors take nuggets of the past and make them come alive in the present!The Doors to the Past series is a group of books that are connected not by a common thread, plot, or characters, but series in name only. Each book is written by a different author who takes a piece of history and weaves a compelling tale. The three previous books are The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman, Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D. Basham and Bridge of Gold by Kimberley Woodhouse. Right now, Goodreads lists future book titles as Behind Love’s Wall, High-Wire Heartbreak, Love’s Fortress and A Promise Engraved.

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel’s is a time- slip novel that is a must read and will for sure be one of my top reads for 2021! I literally loved everything about it! The mystery builds at a great pace, the story lines merge perfectly, and the writing is excellent!Usually in a time- slip novel, I preferone story over the other or one hero/heroine over the other, but I equally loved both stories and all of the main characters! I couldn’t wait to find out how everything all came together at the end.I loved Devyn and Chase’s romance! They have the best chemistry and their banter was perfection! I loved their first encounter with each other! Hattie was such a wonderfully different character and Jack was just perfect for her! I loved the secondary characters as well and felt they really added to the story. I would love Face to get his own story!I could go on and on about why I loved this story so much. There’s literally nothing I would change. With this story, Rachel McDaniel is definitely on my short auto buy list!I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The faith thread is medium.

This is the second book by Rachel Scott McDaniel that I have read and I was not disappointed at all. The plot of the novel intrigued me which is why I ordered it. At the beginning of the book, I did not realize just how good the mystery was going to be. The author grabs your attention from the first page and keeps it all the way until the end. The setting of the majority of the story is also really cool because it is that of a steamboat. The two main couples are so interesting to read about. One couple being from the current time and one being of the past as this is a split-time novel. Also, how the past is connected to the present is a really cool puzzle. I definitely recommend this book.