The Kahills of Willow Walk is a journey of the soul which explores the deep issues of societal matters, family secrets, and the idea that love and destiny can always triumph.
The Kahills of Willow Walk is a romance, not just your typical boy meets girl, boy chases girl until she catches him kind of story, but a real romance. You'll fall in love with Hamilton's voice, style and word choice as you grow to love Kat, Dawson, Granddad Jedediah and are repulsed by some of the rest. You'll want to protect Kat from some of the things the reader is privy to that the characters aren't. We follow Kat's path into the exciting world of fashion with college friends, Deb and Bonny who provide contrast to Kat's devotion to family values and ties.
Through the many twists, turns and surprises in this book, Hamilton's pen is an equal match to this family saga that is only too short in the telling.
Laden with secrets in multi-generations, Dawson Kahill tires his best to protect his half-sister Kat, while his father remains behind in Mexico, hiding behind a bottle of booze, and Dawson's wife hides behind a box of chocolates and Kat has dreams of bigger and better things and she heads off to New York City for a career in fashion designing.
When I was a teenager, I loved to read Gothic romances like the ones written by Dorothy Eden, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis A. Whitney. The stories always seemed to involve a young bride who married a handsome but mysterious man who moves her into the family home--a sprawling mansion with an evocative name and secrets lurking around every corner. They were usually set in the 1800s, and I loved the descriptions of the elegant dresses too. THE KAHILLS OF WILLOW WALK reminded me of these beloved books from my past, but this book offers modern bonuses that will make it appeal to all readers.
The Kahills are a close-knit family with a richly emotional past that's filled with plenty of secrets, and author S.K. Hamilton reveals some--but not all--of them with perfect pacing as she sketches each character in vivid detail. Brother and sister Dawson and Katarina Kahill are immensely likable in their devotion to each other and to their beloved grandfather, Jedediah, a crusty old gentleman who will steal your heart from his first scene. Factor in Kat's blossoming career in fashion design--with some wonderful descriptions of dresses every bit as elegant as those from the Gothic novels--her courtship by a wealthy playboy aptly named Lincoln Wolf and the places he takes her in New York City, a trio of mentally unstable women who are all out to thwart Kat and Daw's happiness, plus ghosts from their past that they must finally face, and you've got a family saga to rival any I've read before.
And since I've heard through the grapevine that there's a sequel to this book coming soon, I'll be watching my Inbox with bated breath for the release notification so I can find out about those other secrets the author teased me with!
Who knew the Wright's had a trunk full of hidden family secrets? Searching for treasure and hidden family secrets is one way to fuel the flames of passion.
