This book started with a lot of promise - not just another read about WWII. I enjoyed the murder must plot and the alternating POV.

The parts I struggled with most were the flashbacks to WWII - not the story per se but more so that these sections were very long with little to no place to break.

There are so many things wrong with this book that any inherent interest that the central premise holds is dissipated as the narrative progresses. It’s a dual-time narrative (which almost seems de rigeur in contemporary novels) and concerns a grandmother and granddaughter in Germany. Martha the grandmother is a young girl during the rise of Hitler, and this part of the book is by far the most interesting. She mysteriously disappears when her granddaughter Maya is a young girl. Twenty seven years later, Martha’s body is discovered – in America. Maya immediately makes her way there to try and found out what happened. And at that point the story becomes too melodramatic with a cast of unlikely, almost Gothic, characters and gradually a convoluted mystery is unravelled. For me, the problem was that the mystery is just too intricate and is sometimes hard to follow. The scenes set in Germany are well done, but in the modern day strand Maya does some crazy and ill-advised things, there are too many sub-plots, and the “romance” is too Mills & Boon for comfort. A tauter structure would have helped retain my interest. As it was I found the plot too unfocused, and as I couldn’t relate to Maya herself, I too lost focus. Not a bad book, for sure, and there’s some good writing here, but a bit of ruthless editing wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Maya's grandmother disappeared while Maya was away from Germany studying in the US. 25 years later her grandmother's body is discovered and Maya sets out to discover what happened and why her grandmother was even in the US only a few miles from Maya when she disappeared.

The basic storyline of Maya, her grandmother, and the mysterious Montgomery family is actually wonderful and quite compelling. I was caught up in the possibilities. Unfortunately, I was often distracted by the disjointed manner in which the story was told. Frequently switching time period and place and point of view, then inserting a fairy tale that was supposed to tie everything together (it didn't), the story actually becomes confusing. Add to that the plot "twist" that was actually quite predictable, and I was disappointed. Not a bad effort. I'm glad I read it, but certainly not the best I've read this year.

#NetGalley#HotelOnShadowLake

This story is filled with historical descriptions and takes place in different time lines. A emotional story that you won't forget.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed the characters; Martha, Hans and Wolfgang I was enraptured by their story. Myah‘s character was very well written, I followed along with her was she trying to solve the mystery of the grandmothers death. I love the stories in the past, I loved the different takes on them and I really enjoyed the story. It was a haunting tale from the time of war and a beautiful story of love, compassion, betrayal and family.

I will definitely be looking for more books for this author.

This is an amazing, emotional love story that takes place during Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The story moves back and forth between the present day and the 1930s. It's the author's debut and she did a wonderful job. It's a beautiful story suitable for young and old adults. I highly enjoyed it and I recommend it!
I received this book from Netgalley. Thank you so much, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

I read the synopsis for this book and before I even got to the end of the synopsis, I had decided that this was one book that I simply had to read. I really enjoyed reading ‘Hotel On Shadow Lake’ but more about that in a bit.

I really felt for the character of Martha, Maya’s beloved Grandmother. She grew up in the 1930s in a Germany that had been taken over by the Nazis and she had to attend groups that she had no interest in. Martha was not a fan of the Nazis but she couldn’t really express her opposition out loud because the penalties would have been lethal. Martha is horrified at what is taking place in the land of her birth. What she finds even more horrifying is the fact that her own brother has become one of the state sponsored thugs, beating up anybody and anything in their way. I also felt for Martha’s mother who was in the middle between a daughter strongly opposed to the regime and a son, who was all for the regime. No wonder the poor lady suffered. When we meet Martha again in the 1990s she has made a new life for herself. However, her new life is shattered when she receives a letter that had been held up in the mail for over 40 years. A few years later in the present day Maya decides to investigate her grandmother’s life, disappearance and death. Who was the letter from and why does it have such an effect on her? Why was Martha’s body found in a place that she didn’t have any apparent connection with? Will Maya ever be able to unravel the mystery? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.

This book appealed to me on so many levels. I am a history geek as well as a book geek and I love learning about all things German. I studied history to A-Level and went on to do a university degree in German. A large part of my A-Level course was learning all about the Nazis as was part of my degree and I had to read some horrific accounts of opposition to the Nazis and I watched some of the horrific Nazi Propaganda films. So I definitely had a sense of how brutal the regime was but following Martha’s story in ‘ Hotel On Shadow Lake’ makes it somehow seem more real and personal. Instead of just learning facts and figures, you learn actual detail. Of course I loved all the German words and I enjoyed reading them out loud as it meant I could use my very rusty German pronunciation, which has lain dormant for well over a decade. Another major draw for me with this book, was the fact that the story is based on the own author’s family history, which she has written about with such great care and sensitivity. Yet another of my passions is family history and I am always interested in what other people manage to turn up in their tree. I haven’t discovered anything as poignant as this story in my own family history- yet.

To say that reading ‘Hotel On Shadow Lake’ became a serious addiction is an understatement. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn in by the end of the first page and because you need to know what happened, why and to whom, you just keep reading and reading. Once I picked up the book, I found that I just could not put it down and my Kindle came everywhere with me. The pages were turning that quickly that they were almost turning themselves and before I knew what was happening I had finished the book, which I was so disappointed about. The author writes about such tragic events with such care, sensitivity and attention to detail that even I (who is not usually affected by things I read) felt a lump in my throat. The character that will stay fresh in my mind for a long time to come, is that of Martha. There were numerous times when I so wanted to jump into the pages of the book to help her or provide a comforting word. The descriptions of places in Germany were so vivid that it made me want to visit Germany as soon as I can.

In short, I really did enjoy reading ‘Hotel On Shadow Lake’ and I would have no hesitation in recommending this author and her book to anybody and everybody. It is certainly a lesson in how Nazism could divide a family. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

This is a story in two parts Martha in wartime Germany and her granddaughter Maya in present day. Maya always adored her grandmother Martha and was devastated when she disappeared and didn't find out until years later when her body was found in the US what had happened to her. Maya determined to find out the truth goes to the states to try and piece the story together

I loved the concept of the book but did find the writing a bit disjointed and long winded at times hence only three stars

Maya Weisberg, the protagonist of Daniela Tully’s underwhelming Hotel on Shadow Lake, is on a quest to find out what happened to her grandmother. Martha Weisberg’s remains were found near a resort in upstate New York. This is strange because, as far as Maya knows, her grandmother would never travel outside of Germany and because the remains show that her grandmother was murdered. Maya travels to New York, twenty-some years after Martha went missing, to find out what happened and uncover her grandmother’s secrets.

This uncovering of secrets comes in the form of long sections of either flashback or Maya reading a letter. These chapters, at first, seem to have little bearing on the mystery at hand. Eventually, they do explain what happened to Martha and why. My problem was that these sections run longer than a chapter and just seem too long, which makes this book a clunky read. My other problem is that the one sex scene in the book is written in three or four cliché-ridden sentences that set my eyes to rolling. It is so nondescript that I’m really just assuming that two characters had sex.

Maya’s digging into the past reveals that her grandmother had a secret romance during World War II and how she came to die in another country, on another continent. I figured out what happened well before the end, so reading the rest of the book was a bit of a chore. I had high hopes when I requested this book on NetGalley. I really like stories about ordinary Germans during World War II, especially ones who become resisters. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. I think Hotel on Shadow Lake would have benefiting from a bit more editing to get rid of the clunky parts and weave the flashbacks, letters, and present sections more tightly together. And get rid of scenes that consist entirely of clichés.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for this advance copy. Debut novel from this author, based on her on her own family history, full of mystery and intrigue. The cover drew me in as usual, what is it with beautiful atmospheric covers? Maya’s grandmother disappears and the story revolves around a journey back in time to the “Third Reich” and the struggles of those who stand against the regime. A 4* read, would’ve been higher but struggled with the fairytale scenes.

A wonderful read. Told in a dual time period narrative, this is a family saga filled with secrets, mystery, tragedy and love. This is an impressive debut novel. Highly recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book

Hotel on Shadow Lake is like two historical fiction books meshed with a thriller meshed with a romance.

The story follows two main characters - Maya and her grandmother Magda about seventy years apart.

Each story on it's face is very interesting but the conclusion was not satisfying. There are too many characters and the way that the backstory was revealed at times was cumbersome.

What starts out as an interesting premise just can't hold through until the end because this book can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

4☆ A Beautifully Poignant read. That is steeped in History!

Hotel on Shadow Lake is a story set in Munich. It's a Poignant read filled with secrets, heartbreak, war time history and mystery.

The first part tells the story of Martha and growing up as a young women in the time when Hitler ruled Germany in the 1930s
Martha has a twin brother Wolfgang and we get to experience how he becomes a man and treats Martha appallingly.
He dies. But Martha receives a letter from him 46years later.

I adored all the facts and history surrounding Martha's story.
The burning of the books is something I remember reading about. Which cut Martha like a knife as her passion was literature and reading.

The second part to the story was told in present day by Martha's Granddaughter Maya.
You see Martha goes missing and suddenly the remains of a body is found.
It appears to be Martha.
Maya sets out on a journey to discover just exactly what happened to Martha.

I love reading about war time as there is so much rich history to uncover.
For me by far the best part of the story was reliving Martha's life in Germany.
The passion that Daniela puts into Martha's story oozes off the page.
She creates the perfect atmospheric scenes. The fear women faced under Hitler's reign.
Not being able to have an opinion, conforming to his way of thinking, the women were to become housewives whilst the men were able to gain an education. All the brainwashing and sexism and fear.

At times the story became a little disjointed and the passion became lost.
The first part of the story is the strongest. It takes a while to get going so stick with it as it does get better the more you read.

I enjoyed reading Hotel on Shadow Lake, its steeped in rich history, adventure, passion, secrets, Tragedy and mystery.
It's a slower paced book that gets better the more you delve in.
Overall a good first Debut Novel that is based on Daniela Family History.
Would recommend this book if you are looking for a historical read with a mystery twist.

I like the premise, that a German family's secrets endure through generations, and across continents. Maya Weisberg leaves her mundane Munich life and bookshop to follow clues to her grandmother Martha's disappearance, leading her to the mysterious Montgomery Hotel on Shadow Lake. I think the author is a good historical researcher, I enjoyed the detail and drama relating to wartime Germany. Multiple and ambitious cinematic twists confuse the plot, and a family fairy tale seems included to tie together intergenerational clues and lend significance to a clearing in the woods, but it was far too complex, what with angels, demons, humans, gods and some other kind of creatures called Imaginations flitting back and forth between three realms (Past, Present, and Future) with good and bad memories, Mother and Father memories, news, predictions and dreams, and the creation of LOVE in all caps for some reason.

I spent a lot of time re-reading confusing sentences like "She slowly retreated backward, moving like a spider on all four legs," or coyotes "sounding like a group of women screaming". I could accept one character being in control of all faculties at the age of 100, but two of them in the same story not even related by blood, seemed implausible. Especially as these centenarians aren't sitting around watching TV - they're hiking mountains and running businesses!

Munich, the Third Reich is on the rise and Hitler is bringing Germany closer to war. Martha Wiesberg is a young teenager living with her mother and twin brother, Wolfgang. As Wolfgang embraces Hitler and his indoctrination, Martha is horrified but too frightened to voice her true feelings. When she leaves home to work for a young family her encounters with her brothers friends and the vents that unfold will form the basis of a secret that will stay hidden.

Fast forward to 2017 and her Grandaughter Maya lives a quiet existence running her bookshop. Always close to her Grandmother, they shared a love of books and fairy tales when in 1990 her body was found in the debris of an old landslide on the Montgomery Preserve, a popular weekend destination for the citizens of New York, Maya knows that she must fly to America and find out exactly what happened.

What Maya doesn’t expect is an unraveling of secrets, not only those of her Grandmother, but also the powerful Montgomery family who own the hotel on the Montgomery Preserve.

This novel will take you on a journey from pre first world war America to a Germany in the thralls of the Nazi’s. It was, at times, quite difficult to follow, particularly in the first part but becomes clearer as the story unfolds and the novel progresses.

The intricacies of the Montgomery family are complex but make compelling reading and it took me some time before i finally began to work out the connection between Martha and the Montgomery family.

What I enjoyed most was the author’s descriptions of the rise of the Third Reich and what it meant for the citizens of Munich. Wolfgang’s radicalisation and total belief in Hitlers ideology was terrifying to read. The role and status of women was eye opening and not something I really that much about. Tully was especially skilled at portraying the terror and fear many felt particularly those who disagreed with Hitler and his vision for Germany.

Tully has created some lovely characters. I liked Martha’s bravery and her ability to see the real truth of the Third Reich, as well as her capacity for love and forgiveness.

Maya is in some respects very similar to Martha, but Maya is lost, with no real obvious direction in her life. The process of uncovering her Grandmother’s secrets is cathartic for Maya, it shows her what true love can feel like, and how she can decide what direction and what she wants to do with her life.

The secrets unfold thick and fast, taking the reader on a veritable rollercoaster ride, I certainly found myself turning the pages faster as Tully unveiled yet another revelation. It definitely added more tension and drama to the novel.

The imagery and description of Nazi Germany are very well done and I could certainly feel the fear, and mania that swept through the city. At the other end of the spectrum were the wonderful descriptions of the forests both in America and Germany, giving a little respite from the tensions in other parts of the story.

Tully has written a beautiful story of love and war, of family and forgiveness that will have broad appeal and be enjoyed by many.

Thank you to Imogen Harris of Legend Press for organising and inviting mybookishblogspot to be part of the blog tour.

3 sometimes intriguing stars

War has separated so many people, so many stories, so many lives, and lovers.

In this book we meet Maya and her grandmother, Martha Weisberg. They both have lived in Germany although Maya had spent some time in upstate New York during college. Grandmother, with a twin brother, had lived under the beginnings of the Nazi regime and through the war. She meets and eventually falls in love with a young man, Hans. However, there are deep secrets and frightening things going on in Germany and the three, sister, brother, and lover succumb to them.

Years later, Maya, who had lost her grandmother when she had come to the states twenty-two years ago, misses her grandmother, her care giver, the woman she knew who loved her. Maya decides to try and find out what happened to Martha.

A dead body is discovered and a wealthy family living in upstate New York holds its own secrets. The body is found to be Martha's. It is determined to be a homicide. Maya tries to unravel the many secrets and stories amidst the powerful family, the Montgomerys who own the hotel that Maya stays in. Are they connected? Is her grandmother's death tied to this family and how is it connected?

This was at times, quit an interesting story, although at times it did tend to meander and get lost in its words. It is sometimes difficult when telling a story in two time frames to connect all the points and this story seemed to have that difficulty.

Thank you to the author, Legend Press, and Netgalley for making this ARC available to me.