Her Mother's Shadow (The Keeper Trilogy, 3)

I just finished reading "In Her Mother's Shadow" - finishing the "Keeper of the Light" trilogy. Once again, I finished in one big swoop, staying up most of the night with it bt what a journey!! I loved the way Diane Chamberlain concluded the trilogy though I want more and feel that there are still quite a few books left. IMO, Diane did a great job with developing the characters. It was such a delight to see them all evolve and "grow up". I read all the 3 books within a day or so of each other and I am SOOO glad I read "Keeper of the Light" first and knew nothing about. Pl do yourself a favor and do that- start reading the trilogy in order and don't read reviews yet as not to spoil your experience. One can still get a lot out of reading the books apart and out of order, bt oh, you will be greatly rewarded by experiencing the storyline in order and without much knowledge of the secrets that bind the character together and set them apart, I can see how even well-intentioned reviewers tend to give tib-bits away, so resist the urge and then just plunge in. If like me, you read a lot, have a discerning eye for good fiction, appreciate characters studies and are attracted to storyline about families and all the secrets and ties that bind us together - the good/the bad/the ugly, then you will be rewarded with this trilogy.

After reading SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES, I went on to read BEFORE THE STORM and BAY AT MIDNIGHT. I loved these three novels so much that, based upon recommendations here and at Diane's blog, I purchased the KEEPER OF THE LIGHT trilogy. I am so glad I did. I love the characters and plots in these novels, and I especially love how there were always secrets to be learned in each book. HER MOTHER'S SHADOW was a real page-turner, and it is my greatest hope that Diane will continue this excellent series by eventually writing a fourth...

Although the Kiss River Trilogy is a bit soap-opera-ish, each of the three books was a fast and fun read.

In Her Mother's Shadow, as with the first two, there are some delightful plot twists and satisfying resolutions to issues, but I think I am done with the "guess who your daddy really is" device. But like I said, it's a soap opera.

As with the first two books, this story is more plot-driven than character-driven, but as a beach read, it fills the bill. I enjoyed following the original cast into a new stage, and the resolution of the mystery of Annie O'Neill and her daughter, Lacey.

I have to say the trilogy doesn't live up to the high standard Diane Chamberlain set with the first book I read of hers, Necessary Lies. But that was recent, and a full 8 years after Her Mother's Shadow, so I assume she really hit her stride. I will continue to seek out her newer works (her latest one is Silent Sister, published in 2014). Perhaps she has found a new gear and will continue to get better and better. What a treat that will be.

I’m sure the book is fantastic but the quality of “used very good” condition is bs! This book came to me all sun faded and with what looks like mold or something all over it. It’s pretty gross that they would sell this for more than .50 at a garage sale. Not happy

This book takes the story of Annie's daughter from Keeper of the Light and shows the after effects of secrets being exposed. It's always interesting how children turn out to be very much like the parent they don't want to be and Lacey mirrors her mother in so many ways. Am now reading Kiss River and wished I'd read it second instead of third in the story of the O'Neill family. The reading is easy and a wonderful diversion from a hectic life.

Great book and very good author. Have not regretted ordering any of her books. I would recommend Amazon.com to anyone to order good books.+

I ordered the book... got it quickly... and there was little to no damage to the book, just like the description had said! Great Book!

Diane Chamberlain is a master storyteller, able to blend romance with women's fiction in a seamless flow of words. In a trilogy set in North Carolina's Outer Banks, HER MOTHER'S SHADOW is the grand finale to a tale that began with [[ASIN:1551669595 Keeper of the Light]] and flowed flawlessly into [[ASIN:0778320022 Kiss River (Mira)]].

HER MOTHER'S SHADOW focuses on Lacey O'Neill, a woman in her late twenties who has spent the past decade molding herself into the image of her mother. When Lacey was thirteen, her mother, "Saint Anne," was fatally wounded in front of her, the result of a gunshot wound from a distraught husband coming to take his wife and son home from a women's shelter. For ten years, Lacey has done everything within her power to emulate the woman who could do no wrong-Annie O'Neill, the perfect mother, the doting wife, the community volunteer, the Mrs. America of North Carolina. She's living a good life, working as a stained glass artist with a man she admires, living with her brother, Clay, and his wife and daughter.

Lacey's life is thrown into turmoil, not solely with the arrival of an almost-teenager who resents being uprooted after the death of her own mother, but with the knowledge that her perfect mother, the bastion of North Carolina society, was not the woman she had thought her to be. Because suddenly everything she's ever believed to be true comes crashing down upon her.

Secrets are dangerous things to keep. And everyone involved in HER MOTHER'S SHADOW has secrets. Who is mysterious attorney Rick Tenley, and what is he doing in Kiss River? Bobby Asher, a fellow artist who brings out deep feelings in Lacey, spent a lot of time with Jessica, her young charge's mother. Could he be the father Mackenzie never knew she had? And what about Lacey's own father, the man who somehow forgot to mention for the last twenty years or so that his own wife engaged in acts with half the town's male population that were far less than saintly? Her boss and mentor suddenly takes on a new roll in her life, her brother, Clay, and his wife begin having marital problems over a young girl who should have nothing to do with them, and suddenly the lighthouse Lacey lives in is no longer the refuge it's always been.

HER MOTHER'S SHADOW is a wonderful book. Filled with characters as real as any you know in real life, it's a page-turner that will keep you reading long into the night. This book is a story of forgiveness, of redemption, of love, and most of all, of hope. How many children really know their parents? How many parents do outrageous things to keep their children innocent? And how many people, being as imperfect and human as they are, have secrets that are kept solely to protect those they love?

I'm sorry to see this trilogy end, but I'm looking forward to what Ms. Chamberlain comes up with next. HER MOTHER'S SHADOW is definitely not a book to be missed.