Secrets of an Old Virginia House

by Tara Cowan

MADELEINE APKARIAN has been cancelled. On the heels of a raucous public spectacle, she is terminated from professorship at a top tier university. Maddie flees Boston, determined to save her career. Traveling to Hayden’s Ridge, she hopes to gain access to one of America’s most private colonial homes and its unseen archives, much to the chagrin of the current owner, Samuel Hayden.

HE AGREES to let her catalogue historic documents—nothing more. But when they stumble across a long-forgotten portrait of an eighteenth-century lady who may have had ties to Thomas Jefferson, he finally shares more. As secrets of the Hayden family’s past are revealed, the enigma of Samuel’s ancestry grows. Their historical journey takes them to old letters, to the Virginia of the distant past—to Monticello—and just when Maddie thinks she has escaped the present into history, she finds the two worlds are deeply entwined. Resolved to unravel the secrets of the house, both Maddie and Samuel may get more than they ever expected—from the past and the present.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 5, 2023

About the author

TARA COWAN has been writing novels since she was seventeen. She is the author of the Torn Asunder Series and Thank God for Mississippi. A huge lover of all things history, she loves to travel, watch British dramas, read good fiction, and spend time with her family. An attorney, Tara lives in Tennessee and is busy writing her next novel.

TARA holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, with minors in English and History, from Tennessee Tech University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Reviews

[Crystal Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have already recommended this to many

Such a well written interesting mystery with romance and history all tied in so seamlessly even has some parts you laugh out loud because we all have those relatives that say anything they want. Perfect escape from a cold rainy day. This has definitely made me look up and plan to read more of her books! Love the Authors note too making it easy to look up more on the subject of this book. Thanks for writing this ❤️

[Suzi Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great author

This is a remarkably written book, plan on reading it straight through and wishing it wouldn't end. Hope you enjoy it.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started ok but then I just got lost in all the technical connections in genealogy. I became quite bored with that and the silly love interest in the two historians.

[Eva Garrett]

Enjoyed book.