27 Views of Wilmington The Port City in Prose & Poetry

Review of an advance copy received from author

What fascinates me the most about this book is three things.

First, the overall concept. When I see a mystery that seems to have stopped in one timeline, only to be brought back to the surface ninety years later, I feel like all my curious guesses are tied into something neat.

I become fully invested in the truth hiding itself across generations, making the past and the present feel like scattered puzzle pieces until they finally point to huge answers, revealing layers of secrets.

Second, I guess I’d like to thank the ghostly dreams and paranormal experiences that slowly drop the clues. Witnessing paranormal experiences that transcend the logical boundaries of people who don’t believe in spirits is truly remarkable.

Liv doesn’t believe in them, and neither does Theo. Yet they both keep picking up the signs, and I think that’s brilliant. It makes the paranormal feel like something that doesn’t need your belief to exist.

It simply exists to communicate with you, showing its presence and helping you in its own way, whether you’re ready to accept it or not.

And third, the shocking twist surrounding Liv’s family, especially her narcissist dad. The twist stays hidden beneath years of parental control and obsession with reputation. But what truly hits me is not only the secret itself. It’s also the realization that every attempt to stop Liv from searching suddenly makes sense. Every warning, every argument, every threat… all of it leads back to one decision that quietly steals eighteen years from a family that deserves to be reunited.

This is not only a romance. It is not only a mystery either. This is a story where family secrets, disappearances, generational trauma, and love grow together into one tangled knot that slowly unties itself chapter after chapter.

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The story moves between New York in 1927 and present-day North Carolina.

Long ago, two little girls disappeared around the same time. Ella Carter belonged to a wealthy family. The other, Lily Dressler, came from a poor family living in a tenement. When one child was finally returned, one question never really stopped.

Is she Ella? Or is she Lily?

That question echoed through decades, leaving scars on both families.

Years later, Liv, a trauma therapist, and Theo, an attractive pianist, unexpectedly become part of that unfinished story. As they develop feelings for each other, they also find themselves walking deeper into a mystery that has shaped their families long before they were even born. The more they uncover, the more they realize that some lies don’t disappear with time. They simply wait for someone brave enough to uncover them.

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Another thing to appreciate the most is how naturally the author blends everything together. The romance never steals attention from the mystery. The mystery never overshadows the emotional weight carried by every family. And the dual timeline never feels confusing. Instead, every return to the past feels like receiving another missing puzzle piece until everything finally connects.

The story explores generational trauma without making it feel like a lecture, because you simply watch how a decision ripple through decades, affecting the lives of people across generations. If you enjoy romance wrapped around family secrets, dual timelines, paranormal touches, and a mystery that patiently unfolds piece by piece, this book is absolutely worth picking up.