Book Review: Autumn by the Sea by Melissa Tagg

Autumn by the Sea (Muir Harbor #1). Melissa Tagg. Larkspur Press (2021). 356 pages. Genre: Christian Fiction.

First Line of Prologue: "My Dearest Robert, Sometimes I think about how no one understands."

Summary:  Maggie Muir has been searching for her granddaughter for years.  The child was never located after an accident that killed her mother.  Maggie is convinced that the child is still alive and has used a private investigator to try and locate her.  

Sydney Rose was abandoned as a toddler and spent years in foster homes.  She has made a life for herself and her foster brother, but she often wonders what life would have been like if she had not been abandoned.  When Maggie's private investigator enters her life and suggests that she might be Maggie's granddaughter, Sydney Rose begins to hope.  

Neil MacKean was taken in by Maggie as a teenager.  He loves Muir Farm and feels like farming is his calling.  But he is suspicious of the latest "granddaughter" who shows up. She seems to be different from the others and Neil finds himself drawn to her.  However, he doesn't want Maggie to be hurt again.  

My thoughts:  This book drew me in immediately.  I fell in love with Muir Harbor and the farm that has seen better days.  I wanted to know if Maggie was finally going to find her granddaughter and if Sydney Rose would fit in.  I wanted to know how Neil, Lillian and Indi came to be taken in by Maggie and how does Wilder Monroe fit in the picture?

There are a lot of mysteries to be solved and the author did a great job of revealing them layer by layer.  In the process, we get to meet some really great characters.  Maggie has suffered much loss in her life, but she has also offered much hope to others.  However, she is not an open book and there is still much to learn about her. One thing we do know is that she is not willing to give up the search for her granddaughter until she is found, no matter the cost. 

In addition to the mysteries to be solved, there is a little romance, a little humor and realistic interactions of a family trying to get along. I enjoyed every minute of it.  The story has a satisfying ending, but not everything is solved.  There are a few loose ends that make me eager to get my hands on the next book in the series. 

Quotes:

"Trees burning with color, fiery red and orange and gold, lined the lane on one side, and up ahead, she could just make out the shape of the house."

"'I think Maggie would say that's what love does.  It keeps hoping even when the answers don't come easily.  It invites strangers in.  It doesn't give up.  Love keeps searching.'"

"Maybe she was here because God had led her here.  Laid a path for her feet and whispered for her to walk.  Maybe He hadn't forgotten her, after all."