Where Secrets Sleep is an easy-to-read suspense story that takes place in Amish country, although the main character Allison Standish is an Englisher.
Allison is an interior decorator who decides to leave her profession after catching her boss getting cozy with her boyfriend. As luck would have it, she has also recently inherited the Blackburn House, which is a mansion filled with all kinds of shops and was owned by her Amish grandmother whom she never actually knew. There was a condition that came with the inheritance that stated that Allison would have to run the mansion for an entire year with a profit before it would actually become hers. If she failed, the house would be given to her cousin instead. Of course, thinking this would not be such an unfathomable task, Allison is planning to sell the mansion after her year is up. But, she begins to encounter many strange events . There is reason to believe that maybe her grandmother's death was not an accident, and that some people are a little less than pleased about Allison's inheritance. There is also a little romance in the mix as well, as Allison becomes close to one of her shop owners. So, there is a little bit of everything for the reader to enjoy.
I thought this was an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours on a lazy Saturday afternoon. The story, although a bit predictable, was entertaining and it held my interest. I think that anyone who enjoys reading Amish fiction would find Where Secrets Sleep to be a a story that they will appreciate as well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. ( )

Title: Where Secrets Sleep
Author: Marta Perry
Website: http://www.martaperry.com/
Pages: 384
Year: 2015
Publisher: HQN
My Rating: 5+ stars
Browsing through a new books list on a website sometimes tends to draw me to a book that I might not have otherwise read. Though Marta Perry is an established author, for me her works are new. When I saw the title and description of this recent publication, I knew without a doubt I had to read and review it because the synopsis of the tale captured my imagination.
A young woman learns of an inheritance from a grandmother she never met, so she travels to a little town and meets with the grandmother’s lawyer. What she thought would be a quick matter to take care of actually becomes a more complex reality that calls for Allison to make a decision. As Allison sets out to learn what she can of this grandmother and the inherited property, unknowingly she becomes entangled in a web of mystery, becoming the center of someone’s sinister intent.
While Allison is learning about the people, businesses and town, she has to deal with issues of the heart from her past. Nick is one of the business owners who ends up not only interested in learning Allison’s final decision about the property, but begins to form an emotional bond with her that he fights against.
The intrigue and mystery are especially spellbinding. As the characters begin to understand Allison, the person who is out to hurt her really drew me in further. The variety of people who inhabit the town makes figuring out who has the most to gain by Allison leaving is difficult as more people become suspects than those who can be considered safe.
When a murder occurs on the property, Allison becomes more determined to inherit the property according to the terms of the will. The interaction between some of the characters is refreshing to imagine along with romance in the wind in a small town where everyone knows what is happening. With the addition of the author revealing some of the pasts of her characters, it makes the plot thicken, drawing the audience into the book. For me, this was a very enjoyable, entertaining and captivating novel which I am glad I read. I plan on reading more of the author’s suspense with romance set in Amish towns. Join me in entering the mysterious world where things aren’t always what they seem!
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4 STARS



Where Secrets Sleep is a clean suspense, romance Amish story. It grabs you right from the start. There is plenty of characters that I want to see more of. This has Amish characters but the main characters are not.



Allison Standish has just inherited a building in Laurel Ridge. It has strings attached to it. She has never known her grandmother and was surprised that she was left something. She has to manage the building for a year at a profit then she will own it with no strings.



Allison just found her boss and boyfriend together right before she left to see what she was left.

Something is going on in her building. People don't want Allison to stay and keep the business.



Nick Whiting and his father own one of the business that is in the building. Nick and Allison got off to a rocky start. Nick is a single father and has moved back in with his family. He is not sure if he wants her to stay.



Laurel Ridge is a small town. It has a Amish community as part of it.



I would love to see more stories in Laurel Ridge. I hope Mac and Sarah both get books. I was not ready to put the book down. I want more of Laurel Ridge.



I was given this ebook from Net Galley and Harlequin to read and in return agreed to give honest review of Where Secrets Sleep. ( )

I am so in love with Marta Perry’s books, from the beginning to the end her books are page-turners, and compelling reads. Where Secrets Sleep does not disappoint and once started I could not put it down!
Allison Standish inherits a big old mansion from a Grandmother she has never met, her father’s mother, and a father that abandoned her when she was six. Why would she be left this mansion with various shops inside? Why are people looking to make her leave and sell the old Blackburn home?
This girl is now a target, and you won’t believe what happens to her, she should be dead, but why? The Grandmother she never met died, or was she murdered, and again why.
There are some really warm hearted happenings here, and loved how the people in her life now seem to rally around the new comer. She is a part owner in a quilt store, and Sarah and her mother embrace her, and she ends up helping them. There is also a carpenter shop in the building and she has an unlikely meeting with one of the men, Nick Whiting. Watch how she meets him, a catastrophe with a play on cat.
This book has a bit of everything, and you won’t see who or whom is responsible coming! I kept changing my mind! There is a lot going on here, and even a bit of romance. You won’t be disappointed heer.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher HQN Books, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Allison Standish, an interior designer by profession, was off to Lancaster County to claim the property she’d been left in her grandmother’s will. An Italian mansion, Blackburn House, dating from the 1850’s, was her inheritance left by a grandmother who’d never acknowledged Allison’s existence while she was alive. The bequest was conditional on certain requirements being fulfilled. The ownership of Blackburn House would be hers only after she’d run it successfully for a period of one year. If Allison failed to meet the challenge, ownership would be passed on to Brenda Standish Conner, a cousin.

Amish life was prominent in the area and had been since the 1700’s. Sarah Bitler, an Amish woman, and a very heartwarming character, had a shop in the mansion marketing quilts. She’d been rather close to Evelyn Standish throughout her life. Mrs. Standish had been a very proud and strong-willed woman, but had shown Sarah much kindness, setting her up with the quilt shop in Blackburn House.

Allison gets settled into Blackburn and meets Nick Whiting and his son, Jamie. And the story unfolds as bad things begin to happen. It seems someone wants Allison out of the mansion.

The author writes in a comfortable and well-crafted style making it a simplistic read and the conclusion was satisfactory, but rather predictable. Unfortunately this one just failed to capture my attention. I found myself caring very little what happened to the characters, and found myself skimming – it went on too long. My rating is 3 stars.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )