ARC REVIEW : WHAT THE WIND KNOWS

In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything…

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?

I am a massive fan of Amy Harmon. She has yet to write a book that I haven’t adored. So you can imagine my excitement at getting the ARC for her newest book!

The author writes a very beautiful note at the end citing her own journey to Ireland, the homeland of her great-grandfather, to discover her heritage. It was amazing to find out about all the little details from her life that she added to her book. That note added to the poignancy of the story.

After Anne’s best friend in the world, the man who alone raised her, her grandfather Eoin dies, she travels to his hometown in Ireland to fulfill his last wish of spreading his ashes in the lake he grew up around. A renowned author, Anne has only ever heard and read stories about Ireland from Eoin but never allowed to visit the place until now. Something out of a fairytale happens to her in Eoin’s hometown. She finds herself in the Ireland of 1921. A spitting image of Eoin’s mother also called Anne, a six year old Eoin thinks he got his mother back who everyone thought had perished with his father back during the revolution. Eoin lives with his grandmother under the care of his father’s best friend Doctor Thomas Smith now. Thomas Smith and everyone else are mystified at her supposed reappearance and Anne is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Suddenly all the cryptic words of her grandfather makes sense. Did he know this would happen? Did he always know that Anne would go back in time to be with him again? Should Anne tell Thomas the truth? Will anyone believe her? How can she go back? Does she want to go back leaving behind the only person she ever loved to a time where he is dead?

The writing and the story is just something else! How beautifully does Amy Harmon portray the feelings of Anne here? The suspicions and confusion of Thomas and everyone else was also amazingly brought to life. My only complaint from the story is that the love story did not get enough time to grow and breathe on its own. But there was so much emotions in this book that everything else can be forgiven. I particularly liked the element of suspense. Also, despite it being a historical romance in its essence, the pace never felt too slow or boring. Even though I knew the bare minimum about Ireland’s history, I was completely engaged by the story.

I give this story an extra star just for the emotions it made me feel and for how well-researched it is. Highly recommended!