Felicia Mason

“Hidden Riches” is the story of three adult siblings who travel to their (fictional) hometown of Drapersville, NC, for the funeral of their older sister. While Ana Mae had remained a home-town girl, working menial jobs, going to church and living her simple country life, the three had fled the area years earlier to make lives for themselves in bigger, more exciting, locales. Grudgingly, they return home for the funeral, dragging their problems with them.

Delcine, the oldest, arrives as Marguerite, a name befitting the glamorous lifestyle she’s built in the D.C. suburbs with her powerful husband Winslow, a high-ranking government official. Despite their trappings of wealth, the two are having financial problems, and the trip south couldn’t come at a worse time.

For middle child JoJo, who works as an exotic dancer on the Las Vegas strip, the homecoming shines a spotlight on her unhappiness with husband Lester who wastes no time in demonstrating his lack of grace, or common sense.

The baby of the family, Clayton, possibly has the most at stake with the trip home. He must relive the shame of homosexuality he’d shed when he escaped Drapersville years before and settled in San Francisco where’s he’s built a prosperous career as a doctor. He’s also built a loving family with his loyal partner Archer, a successful attorney. Lately there have been rumblings of discontent between them, and this time together could make or break their relationship.

Expecting a quick in-and-out trip to lay their older sister to rest, they quickly discover Ana Mae had other plans. She might have spent her life simply, but not meagerly. She’s been active with her church family, and she even dipped her toes into some financial investments.

When the siblings discover that Ana Mae had money—big money—they start jockeying for position to make a claim. But Ana Mae hasn’t made it easy. A skilled quilter, she devised a test for her family in the form of clues embedded in her life quilt. In order to solve the puzzle, and claim the money, the siblings must learn who Ana Mae really was. From the first meeting with the attorney, the siblings’ lives, and their impressions of their deceased older sister, are turned upside down.

The book is a fast read but rich in emotion. Mason draws her characters, including a secondary cast of friends and townspeople, with flaws but with sympathy, skillfully pulling the reader into the everyday life of this small southern town.

Terrific book.

(I received this book as an ARC for review.)… (plus d'informations)

Hidden Riches by Felicia Mason
Wanted to read this book for the cover has a quilt on it and the story line sounded like it'd make a good read and it does.
Starts out with the funeral of a sister. the brother and sisters and their spouses all come to attend the funeral and the reading of the will tells them to find the treasure by looking at her legacy quilt.
Problem is one gave it away to a junkman. They get it back and scurry to find out what the blocks really mean. So funny at times, so sad. Family has to all come together to figure it out...so many secrets and twists to the plot.
Like how it reads and especially the quilt journals as they mean a lot. Other works by the author are excerpted at the end.
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review… (plus d'informations)

Holiday Dream: Christopher's GiftsWhisper to MeThe First Noel (Harlequin Kimani Arabesque)
Christopher's Gifts by Gwynne Forster: Nadine Carpenter hires a chauffeur who is more than he seems to be. Wade Mallory is divorced and is working to get custody of his son Christopher. Christopher is an eight year old with an attitude.
Whisper to Me by Carmen Green: Cedric Hamilton is a widower with twin daughters. Iman Parrish is a Kwanzaa teacher.
The First Noel by Felicia Mason: Kia Simmons has known loss in her life but the most telling loss is her loss of faith. She takes Joshua her nephew to Sunday school because her dead sister made her promise that her son would be raised with faith. During Christmas Pageant rehearsals they meet Franklin Williams a who is very strong in his faith.… (plus d'informations)