4.5 stars. Nelle Davy’s debut novel The Legacy of Eden is a haunting novel of a family’s dysfunction and their eventual downfall. To read my review in its entirety, please visit
http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/01/23/the-legacy-of-eden/ ( )

The Legacy of Eden is the family saga of the Hathaway family told by Meredith (Hathaway) Pincetti’s POV, her recollections of the past and the memories shared by her grandmother Lavinia on her deathbed. The story includes the lives of three generations of Hathaways, starting with Meredith’s grandparents Cal and Lavinia, followed by her parents generation including her uncle and aunt and her own generation, the one she shared with her sisters Ava and Claudia and her cousin Cal Jr. Her reminiscences goes from present to past in an easy way to follow.

Aurelia is the Hathaway estate, a estate they were very proud of and an estate they blamed for their downfall as a family, when the only responsible was the matriarch of the family, Lavinia, her greediness and her manipulations.
Aurelia is a character in itself and despite many allegories that the Hathaways did horrible things for Aurelia I could’t find one. They worked the land and made it prosperous, they didn’t cheat or steal, their progress was a result of hard work, smart investments and good vision. Even though I tried I couldn't see why the hate towards the land, yes, there were bad memories but also there were many good ones.

During the whole story they were suggestions to a big secret that destroyed the family and when the big secret was revealed I was like really? That was the secret? Also, I knew that was happening or was gonna happened because other references in the book. So in the end the big secret that destroyed the family wasn’t that big, don’t take me wrong is something awful, but it just shows how broken they already were if that event was the downfall of the family.

The sisters animosity was also very difficult to digest, I expected them to forgive each other and leave the past behind, after all they are what’s left of their family but they preferred to hold to their grudges and sadly keep on going as they were.

The Legacy of Eden is a story of betrayals, envy, greedy, scandals, abuse, lies and many conflicts. It’s well pace and with interesting characters. The Legacy of Eden is not happy read, is a very emotional one that will leave you drained and with heartache. If you like family sagas full of mystery and drama this book is for you, if you are looking for a happy ending steer clear of this book. ( )

“The Legacy of Eden” by Janelle Davy was a book that I was prepared to really like. I thought I would lose myself in the story, instead I lost my way in the story. To explain, the book is about a family’s farm, Aurelia. It’s the story of how it was passed down through generations. It’s the story of Meredith, Ava, Julia, and Lavinia and other assorted family members. The book is supposed to be divided into four sections, each telling the story of one of the characters. I found that this was very confusing. I was constantly trying to determine just who this person was and where he or she fit in the story. I felt that the story was very depressing and I was not motivated to finish it as quickly as I usually do when reading a book.

I would probably want to read it again in a while, but with a different attitude and a conscious effort to place all the people in the right generation, which I found very difficult to do at my first reading of the book. This is the story of family, love, jealousy, greed, and determination. I would recommend it only if it can be read as a serious novel and not as a light read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book for my honest review from the publisher. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You can read this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-4l ( )

A book of how Lavinia Hathaway becomes married to Cal and runs the family farm. After Cal's Dad dies, he marries and his sister lives with him to help run the family farm. His brother leaves because his Dad gives Cal more than him.
All the bad things that happen to members of the family. How a Mother controls this farm and everything connected to it. She will stop at nothing to keep control of the farm.
Her granddaughters have all left the farm. So when their Uncle dies, they are drawn back to go through their Mother and Father's things. They must face the ghosts of their past and come to peace with it all.
Normally this would not have been a book I would have read. So I was surprised I really enjoyed it immensely. It will keep you reading. ( )

The Legacy of Eden written by Nelle Davy is published by MIRA a division of Harlequin. Merideth gets a letter from a law firm informing her of the death of her cousin and telling her that he died in debt and his farm and all property was being sold to pay off those debts.Merideth and her two sisters had been raised on the farm and none of them have fond memories of the place. Merideth is the only one that feels a sense of duty. She decides to travel to Iowa and go through the house and see to things before the farm is sold.The ghost of her family appear to her now and memories long buried come bubbling to the surface.The story is told in flashbacks as Merideth remembers her talks with her grandmother. The farm - Aurelia- is the center of the lives of Hathaway family. Lavinia, Merideth's grandmother, begins the story of their family back when she was child and how she came to marry Cal Hathaway.The story switches back and forth between the past and present as Merideth faces the past and comes to terms with the present and her future.This family's history is mired in scandal and tragedy. Lavinia is a stong willed, manipulative, controlling woman that took charge of the farm and the family once she and Cal were married. Her need to have everything her way spreads resentment, kills relationships, and has far reaching effects on the family for generations to come.This is a dark family drama that sort of leaves you to decide if Merideth is able to make peace with her ghost and move forward or is she accepts her fate as one of Hathaways.The books is very absorbing. There is something that Merideth is leading us to that we know will explain everything, but we also know it won't be all that pleasant. But, I couldn't seem to tear myself away from the book until I knew what the worst secret of all might be.This book was published by Harlequin MIRA and usually in my mind I equate that with romance of some kind, maybe women's fiction and romantic suspense. However, this book seems to defy any set genre. So, be forewarned, this is not a romance novel. This is a family saga with the theme of forgiveness interwoven through out. I'm not really sure what to make of Merideth's end story. I would like to think that she was both accepting of who she was and who her family was, but also that she was able to put her demons to rest and let go of the past and go on with her life, whatever that might be.From a personal standpoint my three star rating has more to do with the book not really being the type of book that I really like to read. It was still a good book and I'm glad I read it because I really enjoyed the writing and I think the author has talent.I think the book will appeal to fans of literature and drama. Over all a B-/C+ ( )