This is a beautiful written novel about families with special needs children. It's dual time line with Amelia and her deaf son John in 1923 and Erin and her autistic son Will in present day. Both stories are full of love of mothers for their sons and how they work to help them find their place in the world despite their special needs.

Erin is helping her mother clean out her grandmother's cluttered home so that the house can be sold. As she is going through piles of 'mementos' she finds an envelope of old pictures. She's unsure who is in the pictures but she is amazed to see that the young boy in the picture looks exactly like her son Will. She goes on a quest to find out about the people in the pictures and what happened to them. At the same time, she is overly stressed at home while she tries to find the best place for her son to go to a school that will provide him with the best chance of learning to live with his needs. Her husband and Will's twin sister are helpful but Erin is the person who really worries and tries to do the best for her son. Her research of the pictures leads her to Monarch Manor, now a dilapidated mansion, and she continues to try to find out more about the family. She soon finds out that Amelia and her son drowned on a stormy night when they were on a boat ride on Geneva Lake. But she still has hope that somehow the connection will help her with trying to help Will. The further she digs, the more discrepancies she finds. Did Amelia and John really die?

Amelia is visiting Monarch Manor with her son John, who is deaf. Her husband has just died and her mother in law wants to send John away to a school for 'people like him' so that he will no longer cause embarrassment to the family. Amelia is heartbroken and knows that she needs to do something to keep her son with her because she knows that she can help him learn to live a good life. Did they really drown or was this just a way to escape from her mother in law and her plans?

This is a beautiful story about love and the lengths women will go for their families and their children.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )

3.5 stars! I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Maureen Leurck's lovely second novel, Monarch Manor. We join the lives of Will and Erin in the present day, John and Amelia in the early 20th century -- and we discover the connections that run between them along the way. I was totally charmed by Amelia and John and their relationship with each other, their unending, unconditional love. Erin and Will's love paralleled theirs, though different and more complicated, I'd say.

I felt so many wonderful ideas were touched on throughout the two stories, especially about making sacrifices for the ones you love and also unintentionally placing the burden of sacrifices on others. Amelia placing a burden on John, Matthew, Alfred, etc. Erin placing a burden on Charlotte, Luke, Will. It is a heavy, heavy topic. But within all of these sacrifices, there seemed to be hope. I felt hopeful at the end of it all.

Thank you to Maureen Leurck for providing me with a copy of the book. I look forward to seeing what she does next! ( )

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Monarch Manor” by Maureen Leurck, Kensington Publishing, July 30, 2019

Maureen Leurck, Author of “Monarch Manor” has beautifully written and vividly described the characters and landscape in her novel. “Monarch Manor” was a mansion that was built surrounded by gorgeous gardens and flowers that attracted Monarch Butterflies to flutter all around. The story is narrated by two characters and two time-lines, that eventually connect. The Genres for this story are Fiction, Historical Fiction, some Mystery and Suspense. This is an intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, romantic, emotional story that tugs at my heartstrings. The author describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex and complicated.

Erin Marinelli is cleaning out her Grandmother’s house with her mother and finds pictures and memories of past family. Erin and her husband have an old house. One of her twin children Will has Autism and is having trouble in school. Erin is frustrated at times. Looking at the pictures, Erin sees a young woman with a young boy that looks exactly like Will.

The young woman, Amelia and her son John, supposedly drowned many years before. John was deaf. After Erin looks into the family history, there are questions and the mystery as to why and what really happened to Amelia and John.

I love that the author discusses the importance of mothers, sons, families, disabilities, emotional support, love and hope. I would highly recommend this wonderful read. Happy Reading. ( )