Journey’s End by Jennifer L. Place

The title of Journey’s End describes many things about this book. It was a place and that estate became a character in itself and it was a state of being for the main characters of Quinn Delaney and Declan Gray. Set in the Hudson Valley in the alternating times of the late 1800s/early 1900s and the 1930s, Journey’s End describes the tragic life of Declan Gray through the stories that his best friend Quinn Delaney relates to his grandson, Aiden. When Aiden discovers Declan’s lost diary, he gives his dying grandfather one of his last wishes, to know what actually happened to Declan when he disappeared 30 years previous. The heart of this novel are the relationships and I wish I could have had more time to delve into them. This is where I felt Ms. Place might have rushed herself. I wanted to see more of the interactions between Quinn and Declan, Declan and his wife, and Declan and his spunky business partner. The only relationship that felt truly satisfying was between Quinn and Aiden and I still would have liked more time with them. Still, Journey’s End is a unique and heartfelt story with above average writing. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes character-driven period pieces.

*Disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this novel with a request for an honest review.*