In the Shadows of Chimney Rock

by Rose Senehi

A TOUCHING TALE OF FAMILY & PLACE. An heiress to one of the South's lumber dynasties reaches out to her mountain roots for solace after suffering a life-shattering blow, only to be drawn into the race against time to save the beauty of the Hickory Nut Gorge in Western North Carolina. She struggles to redeem the legacy of a father she's never known. Hayden Taylor starts to heal in the womb of the gorge and the edgy exhilaration of Asheville, never suspecting the man who killed her father was stalking her. Football legend, Ben Beckham, is looking for redemption too, and tries to earn it working for a local land trust, only to discover he's falling in love with a woman he can't have.

289 pages, Nook

First published March 24, 2008

About the author

Contemporary fiction writer, Rose Senehi, is noted for weaving historical data into her romantic thrillers. FALLING OFF A CLIFF is a story of two women a generation apart and from two different worlds who are driven by passion to heal no matter what dangers they have to face. In the 1920s, Lula Mae clings to a doctor woman as they gallop horseback all over the steep, harsh Blue Ridge Mountains. In the 60s, Nurse Holly travels the same mountain paths to reach the ill and search for the mother she's never known. CATCHING FIRE, awarded the 2019 Historical Book Award by the NC Society of Historians, Inc., tells of the heroism displayed by hundreds of firefighters to extinguish the horrific Party Rock Fire that raged through the mountains surrounding Lake Lure, NC. Woven throughout this tale of two firefighters in love, yet, torn apart by swirling suspicions and mistrust, is the story of a family struggling with its past in the frightening present. CAROLINA BELLE, A Love Story, is her eighth novel and takes place in an apple orchard in Hendersonville, NC. Read this novel, and you'll never look at an apple the same way again. Among her seven "stand-alone" novels that take place in the Southern Blue Ridge are "Dancing on Rocks," winner of the 2014 Indi-Reader Discovery Award for Popular Fiction, "Render Unto the Valley," awarded the 2012 IPPY Gold Medal for Fiction--Southeast., "In the Shadows of Chimney Rock", a finalist for the SIBA 2009 Book of the Year Award, and "The Wind in the Woods", a finalist for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Award. All of her novels are part family saga, part mystery, and part love story.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of predictable. I enjoyed reading about landmarks I was familiar with.

[Lisa Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to the author at the Mt. Mitchell Arts Festival in Burnsville, NC. I was curious to learn more about West North Carolina (WNC) AND asked her which book of hers should I start. She said none were in a series so any would work. She then asked me what were my interests. I said I enjoy painting and she immediately recommended this one. It did not disappoint. I continue to learn about WNC within the confines of her novels and am entertained by her storytelling. She is one of my favorites.

[Jamie U · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. Enjoyable story even if predictable at times. Loved the setting of the story! Having a perfect view of Lake Lure from my back deck it was nice recognizing most of the places she was talking about. A few errors may have slipped past the editor (like a random spelling of the name as Rickie once when it was Ricky every other time. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

[Karyn Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for local bookclub. Enjoyed the fact that the setting references many places I have been since moving to western NC. The story itself is too predictable and overloaded with exposition rather than letting the characters tell the story. Just okay.

[Annette]

Oh my.... When a New Yorker takes on the accents of western North Carolina and Charleston, the results can stop a reader cold. For instance, Ricky picks Hayden up at the airport. It's just the two of them, and Hayden (on p. 221) says, "I really appreciate y'all coming to pick me up." Does she think he has a mouse in his pocket?

The plot is exciting, and some of the characters are pretty compelling, but... so many flaws...

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good imagery and good character development. It touched on some of the problems and joys of living in the Western North Carolina mountains and why they draw us to them.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!