Review - - After Paris

After Paris

by Mary Ellen Taylor

Publisher: Montlake

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

At twenty-five, Ruby Nevins has already endured more than most. But after two years of battling cancer, she’s warily determined to move forward. Researching a new project about a French actress, she soon uncovers an old diary that will change her life forever…

Cécile, the “it” girl of early 1940s French cinema, vanished from Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942. Sylvia Rousseau, Cécile’s dressmaker and confidante, left that same year. Working to piece together the truth behind Cécile’s disappearance and Sylvia’s extraordinary life, Ruby recognizes the women as kindred spirits. They risked their hearts and lives to aid the Resistance, and each day was a struggle to survive.

Ruby knows her cancer could come back, but she’s learning to embrace the future rather than fear it. If Cécile and Sylvia could live their lives in the shadow of death, so can Ruby. Because she knows there’s so much life―and love―to fight for.

PJ's Thoughts:

Mary Ellen Taylor has written a compelling, thought provoking, dual-timeline story that immersed me into the lives of three remarkable women - two in the past and one in the present. Opening with a harrowing scene in the days following the liberation of France, she then moves to present day, setting the stage for Ruby's story before returning to the past and the unfolding journeys of Cécile and Sylvia before, during, and after the German occupation of Paris. 

The transitions between past and present felt organic and seamless as both stories unfolded. I was equally immersed in both timelines as well as the fates of the characters. Ruby may not have been caught in the life or death consequences Cécile and Sylvia faced at the hands of the Nazis but her life or death battle with cancer was no less consequential. I enjoyed her journey and the twists that awaited her, both personally and in her professional quest to discover the fates of Cécile and Sylvia. I especially enjoyed her unexpected romance (yes, there's a happy ending).

What strength all three of these women exhibited in the face of danger. Taylor doesn't hold back in showing readers all sides of them, especially Cécile and Sylvia. Their courage, vulnerability, morally questionable actions, wants, desires, and fortitude are all important parts of their human story. 

A portion of this book with which I was not familiar was the path taken by the French film industry during WWII. I was not aware of the number of people who were compelled to work with the Germans during that time even though they were against everything the Nazis stood for, how they were forced to straddle two worlds without alienating either side. It's a fascinating part of the book. 

If you enjoy dual timeline stories featuring complex women with the courage to face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, told with strength, compassion, emotional depth, and undying hope, pick up a copy of Mary Ellen Taylor's After Paris. I highly recommend it. 

Review - - The Promise of Tomorrow

The Promise of Tomorrow

by Mary Ellen Taylor

Publisher: Montlake

Release Date: June 1, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

When Olympia leaves her small Virginia town, she doesn’t expect to look back, much less ever come home. But after a year on the road, her sister’s engagement pulls Olympia into everything she left behind: her family, her husband, and the grief she’s been trying to forget.

She’s determined to stay a few days, maybe a week—just enough time to visit gravestones and sign off on the divorce her husband, Spencer, asked for. But he’s reeling from their shared loss, as well as complications with his aging parents, leaving his heart just as fragile as Olympia’s. The more time they spend in each other’s orbit, the less sure they are they’ll be able to walk away for good.

As family secrets come to light and family bonds stretch to the breaking point, Olympia must decide where she’s going next and where she belongs. She’s used to coping with life’s complications alone, but maybe the best way to heal is together.

PJ's Thoughts:

So. Many. Feelings. When I pick up a Mary Ellen Taylor book I know I'm in for an emotional ride and The Promise of Tomorrow is no exception. She reels me in and keeps me hooked with relatable, flawed characters who engage my emotions, holding me at their mercy until their stories have been fully told, and storytelling skill that leaves me feeling like I'm right there with them, every step of the way.

No man - or woman - is an island and that is especially true in this book. There are many relationships skillfully interwoven throughout the book, all important in their own ways to the healing, forgiveness, and growth necessary for Olympia, Spencer, and others to move forward. I appreciate the fact that Taylor doesn't cut corners with any of them. Real life people don't change overnight and neither do her characters. They do, however, gradually evolve as a result of events in their lives, leading to a softening in some cases, strengthening in others, and the possibility of new beginnings in others.

I especially enjoyed the alternating chapters in this book told by Spencer and Olympia and the flashback social media posts detailing Olympia's personal journey of the previous year. They give the story a full scope of perspective, heightening the stakes and immersing me even more deeply into their evolution, individually and as a couple. I pulled so hard for these two. 

Lastly, Taylor is especially adept at creating settings for her stories. Whether you've visited Virginia or not, her descriptions bring Blacksburg and the surrounding area to life, making it easy to imagine hiking the mountain trails, exploring the dry lake beds, and hanging out at the best pizza place in town on a busy football weekend. 

If you enjoy multi-layered stories with complicated relationships, challenging circumstances, complex characters, and hard-won second chances, give this one a try. 

Content triggers: miscarriage, grief, Alzheimer's, cancer

Review - - Honeysuckle Season

 

Honeysuckle Season

by Mary Ellen Taylor

Publisher: Montlake

Release Date: September 1, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

Adrift in the wake of her father’s death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it’s also a distraction from her profound pain.

When asked to photograph a wedding at the historic Woodmont estate, Libby meets the owner, Elaine Grant. Hoping to open Woodmont to the public, Elaine has employed young widower Colton Reese to help restore the grounds and asks Libby to photograph the process. Libby is immediately drawn to the old greenhouse shrouded in honeysuckle vines.

As Libby forms relationships and explores the overgrown—yet hauntingly beautiful—Woodmont estate, she finds the emotional courage to sort through her father’s office. There she discovers a letter that changes everything she knows about her parents, herself, and the estate. Beneath the vines of the old greenhouse lie generations of secrets, and it’s up to Libby to tend to the fruits born of long-buried seeds.

PJ's Thoughts:

Honeysuckle Season is one of those books that is a total immersion experience. Once I began reading, I had to continue until the final page was turned, the final secret revealed. Two stories told in dual timelines, one in the early 1940's, the other in present day. Lives intersecting, long-held secrets exposed, forgiveness given, and hope restored. This book has it all.

Mary Ellen Taylor has a gift for bringing stories to life. She draws you into her world and into the hearts and minds of her characters. I could feel the desperation of Sadie as the story opened, feel the damp earth beneath her hands, hear the night sounds of rural Virginia as danger surrounded her. 

SADIE

Tuesday, March 15, 1943

Bluestone, Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains

There were three tricks to hiding. First, it was important to breathe as shallow as possible. If you were doing it right, your nostrils barely flared, and your breathing was as shallow as the James River in drought-hot summer heat. Next, a good rabbit tamed its racing heart and did not allow it to pound and drum against the ribs. Sounds had a tendency to echo beyond the confines of the body.

And the third trick, and not the least by far, was keeping your eyes cast downward. You never looked at whoever was hunting you. 

Talk about capturing your audience. There was no way I was putting this book down after that. I had to know what happened next.

Alternating between past and present, and from different characters' points of view, this multi-generational saga slowly unfolds under Taylor's expert guidance. The fully-dimensional characters, realistic circumstances, perfect pacing, and exquisitely painted settings had events rolling through my mind like a cinematic masterpiece. This scene, with Libby in the old abandoned greenhouse at dawn, is one of my favorites. I can see it so clearly.

LIBBY

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Bluestone, Virginia

The morning air was already warm, and by the time she saw the structure, her shirt was damp. The sun was nearing the horizon and bringing with it streaks of gold and orange light.

She angled her body through the open door and moved to the center of the greenhouse. Enveloped by the thick moist air, she shut off her flashlight and tucked it in her back pocket. She snapped a few pictures of the dome but knew with one glance into her viewfinder the light was not right yet. Good photographers understood the right moment could not be rushed, and if captured, patience and speed were essential. 

Seconds grew into minutes as the sun shyly nudged up over the sloping eastern horizon. The hints of light were brilliant.

She moved to the fountain and raised her camera to the dome. She clicked once or twice and glanced at the image. The right time was close. Water dripped, an animal scurried, and somewhere a glass pane rattled slightly in the breeze.

The air thickening, she sensed someone was standing behind her. She turned, expecting to see Colton or Elaine, ready with a babbling explanation about timing and light.

But there was no one there. There was only the whisper of the wind in the trees that stirred an odd sensation within her.

"Don't be silly," she whispered to herself.

And then, as if a curtain on a magnificent stage opened, the sun tipped above the horizon and made its entrance. Orange and yellow light kissed the glass dome and expanded into a rainbow of colors. Her mind calmed as she raised her camera, knowing she would get the shot. 

Honeysuckle Season is an immersive experience that engaged my heart, my mind, and my emotions. I walked beside these characters every step of their journeys. If you enjoy multi-generational women's fiction with a romantic thread (and a happy ending), I highly recommend this book.