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    Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)
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    Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)
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    Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)
    Ebook375 pages6 hours

    Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)

    By Shirley Hailstock

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    When you’re sitting on top of the world,
    You only have two decisions to make.
    Do you fall to the left or the right?

    Erika St. James has seen both the best of life and the worst of it. Losing the only parent who loved her unconditionally when she was twelve, she fled to a man who became a dear friend and one who taught her to run a multinational corporation. However, he didn’t teach her how to find good relationships -- especially the man-woman kind. On his death-bed, he tells her a secret, one that brings Michael Lawrence in to again upset her life.

    Michael Lawrence, a traumatized attorney, has turned his back on the law and escaped to a solitary life in the Maryland mountains. Discovering he is heir to a fortune, he can only claim it if he returns to the city and works with Erika St. James, the beautiful new president of a multinational corporation. While his thoughts of her stray from the boardroom to the bedroom, someone else has plans to make him pay for past deeds. And Erika is the pawn he’ll use to force Michael into his crosshairs.

    If they survive, will they be able to love again?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherShirley Hailstock
    Release dateJan 22, 2013
    ISBN9781939214072
    Unavailable
    Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)
    Author

    Shirley Hailstock

    Shirley Hailstock likes to explore new worlds and visit exotic places. As an author, she can visit those places, and be the heroine of her own stories. The author of over thirty novels and novellas, Shirley has received numerous awards. Her books have appeared on BlackBoard, Essence and Library Journal bestseller lists. She is a past president of Romance Writers of America.  

    Read more from Shirley Hailstock

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    Reviews for Legacy (Capitol Chronicles Book 5)

    4/5

    11 ratings34 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The time: 1902The place: New YorkCaroline is young and in love. Her guardian aunt is stiflingly negative regarding nearly everything about Caroline and definitely about her upcoming nuptials which she refuses to have any part of. The groom is from out West where the buffalo roam & where he has a cattle ranch.The time: current dayThe place: EnglandErica and sister Beth have come from London to spend the holidays in the ancestral home. The home that their grandmother has willed to them upon her death if they both live in the home. Erica wants to but Beth is terrified to live in the house. Too many secrets must be kept.The story goes back and forth between Caroline's (Erica & Beth's great grandmother) story and that of Erica and Beth. Beth suffers from horrible depression and anxiety. Erica tries to watch after her older sister but is also very curious about Caroline's history and things left in the house from that era. As she searches through her great grandmother's belongings she finds letters written by and to Caroline. She learns that she lived in New York and out on the western plains. She thinks there was a child as she finds a photo of Caroline with a baby. Yet she knows that Caroline married a Lord and that this could not have happened had she had children. As the story weaves it's way forward and backward it was quite easy to become engaged with the young American Caroline but not the older European Caroline. It was also easy to become engaged with Erica and Beth, along with Beth's son and the gypsy type family and friends who, at times, lived on the English estate. Erica knows that the mystery of her great grandmother involves these people who were a part of she and Beth's childhood at the time that their cousin, Henry, disappeared.I read this for my R/L B/C and have to say that it was one of about 3 that we have read this year that was not a yawn. I enjoyed it but not enough to read again. I gave it 3 stars.
    • 4/5
      An interesting albeit a bit too long story of two sisters who need to revisit their past in order to move forward. A secret from the past, told in alternating chapters, is eventually revealed impacting the lives of many woman down the generations. Well written, some historical information and interesting characters kept me reading.
    • 5/5
      The Legacy by Katherine Webb is my kind of book! Anyone who's read this blog for any time now, knows that I love dual time period stories, so dang, this one had me when I read the first page when we learn that in 1905, Caroline Calcott flees Storton Manor with a pillowcase over her shoulder. Caroline turns out to be Erica and Beth's Great-grandmother, a Great-grandmother with a secret.Author Katherine Webb then fast forwards the reader to the present time, when Erica and Beth return to their Grandmother Meredith's home after her death to sort through the house and its contents. As Webb takes us back and forth in time and the sisters make the decision to live in their "legacy" home, old secrets and webs of betrayal are uncovered. Webb deftly moves us from story line to story line, past to present and back again as slowly but surely the well plotted mysteries are revealed. The elements of a good and engaging story are all here in The Legacy, envy, betrayal, secrets and deceptions. All there, just waiting to be pieced together. I've said that I enjoyed this book, but I want to really stress that The Legacy is one of the best, and most engaging book I've read all year!
    • 4/5
      This was a find - a book I could not put down. Erica's grandmother has died and Erica and her sister Beth return to their old home where they spent their time as children. They have not been there for a long tme and when they return Erica is confronted by memories of a summer long ago when their cousin Henry, whom they did not like, went missing and was never found. Erica sets out on a mission to find out what happened to Henry so the past can be put to rest and Beth can find some peace. As she sifts through the family history she learns more of her great grandmother Caroline and discovers another mystery that needs to be solved. The book moves very effectively between the present and Caroline's time. We read Caroline's story and as we do we learn more and more of the family's secrets. A life can be changed by just one decision made in haste which may soon after be regretted but the consequences have to be lived with forever. The characters in ths book were well drawn and their situations real. To me it was well worth a read.
    • 3/5
      Slow to start. Prefered story of early years and Caroline. Also Erica, Beth, Dinny and Henry
    • 5/5
      I just read the last hundred pages and was entirely engrossed with the ending. When I first started the book, I found that I spent a lot of time questioning what was happening and who the people were and what time period the actual novel was taking place. My questions were eventually answered as I kept reading . . . glad I did! The story is actually told by two different people - Caroline and her life around 1900's in America and then Erica and her life around 2010. In order not to give away too much of the plot, I will quote something from the back cover of the book. "Erica and Beth Calcott return to the house where they spent idyllic summers as children. As Erica sorts through her late grandmother's belongings, strange fragments of family history, and vivid memories, break the surface of the present day . . . Memories of their cousin, Henry, who disappeared one summer long ago. Of their grandmother, a bitter woman, full of a deep, dark hatred. As Erica sifts through remnants of the past, a secret emerges, reaching all the way back to a beautiful heiress in turn-of-the-century Oklahoma. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal - and the heartbreaking legacy left behind."
    • 5/5
      This was a very gripping listening about a family history. Two sisters went back to their late grandmother's manor. There was a legacy that they wouldn't inherit the house because it was thought that their missing cousin should be the legal owner of it. When the two sisters arrived around Christmas time they got threw back into their family history which was a great secret. Erika couldn't let go to dig out all the secrets whereas her sister would have liked to keep it buried. They meet people from their past but also from their ancestors and in the end Erika was able to put together all pieces.
    • 2/5
      yes it is romance novel and all the english high society is in every romance story and then there is the wild gypsy and native indian. story was certianly fiction and not the least believable but a decent entertainment.
    • 4/5
      Beth and Erica return to the Calcott Mansion where they spent their summers as children after the death of their severe and cold grandmother Meredith. Things happened there one summer, things which haven't been forgotten, things left unspoken between the sisters, things that still haunt them both in different ways.Two different stories unfolded at the same time, we follow Erica's discoveries of her past generations and we meet Caroline (Meredith's mother and Beth and Erica great-grandmother) and learn of her past life in America and what lead her to be the way she was in the end of her life. Bitterness, disappointment and lost lives of two generation of women and hatred between the Calcotts and the Dinsdales.Will Erica be able to sort everything out? To learn all the why's?A family saga with all the necessary ingredients to keep you nailed to the sofa reading until you know what really happened and which will leave you wanting for more after you turn the last page.Entertaining, mysterious and perfect for a rainy Sunday evening.Enjoy!
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written family mystery.
    • 4/5
      The Legacy is the story of two sisters, Erica and Beth, who are making a return to their grandmother's English manor house which is haunted by childhood memories of the disappearance of their (bratty) cousin, Henry. Storton Manor is filled with the ghosts of their childhood memories both good and bad which the sisters must face as they make the difficult decision about whether they will stay and live in the sprawling mansion or sell. During the time they spend there, an old friend shows up, and events long past are revisited with suprising outcomes. Interwoven with Erica and Beth's story is the story of their great-grandmother, Caroline, a child of privilege living in New York City who marries for love and moves to Oklahoma Territory in 1902 to be with her husband on his ranch. Times are hard on the Oklahoma frontier, and Caroline soon begins to wonder if love is enough to sustain her. Webb laces the two very different stories together so skillfully that they seem to truly belong together, and though it's not a fast-moving book by any means, it's filled with the suspense of wondering how the two stories must intersect. The characters are very well fleshed out so that even when they do loathsome things, you can understand why. A part of me wanted to loathe Caroline, she's not a particularly lovable character, but Webb draws out her isolation and her struggles against it so well that you can nearly understand when the suffering she perceives drives her to do unforgivable things and how her legacy impacts her family down through several generations. The book was a slow read for me but was made the better for it because it's so richly atmospheric that you want to spend more time in the dusty halls of Storton Manor and Caroline and Corin's Oklahoma ranch. Webb's dual storyline makes for an addictive and satisfying read that I heartily recommend.
    • 2/5
      I started to read this book but quickly learned that it wasn't for me. The writing is too dramatic for the beginning and also kind of distant, I didn't feel immediately pulled into the story or feel like I had any reason to invest time in learning what happened to the characters.
    • 4/5
      Erica and Beth Calcott face the unpleasant task of moving into their grandmother's stately manor home. Having spent time there as children, their grandmother's will states they must live there together or sell the home. However, living there reopens old wounds including the mysterious disappearance of their cousin Henry. While sorting through things, Erica soon discovers that their great-grandmother Caroline also had some secrets. Covering the mysterious pasts of both Erica and Caroline, this book tells the story of heartbreak, depression, and betrayal, and their affects across multiple generations.This book started out so slow. I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish it really. However, I forced myself to stick with it, and I'm glad I did. Once the story picked up, it was awesome. I didn't want to put it down. I think Caroline's story was the most interesting. It took me a while to put together the pieces of that puzzle. It was extremely sad to see that her impulsive decisions twisted her life and her descendants so much. I felt bad for her, but I also was upset with her. I also wondered what would have happened if they had been able to diagnose and treat what I suspect was a case of major depression in Caroline.I thought Erica was fairly interesting. She was trying to do the best she could to take care of herself and her sister, and I can see how that could be very trying. I did see the major "twist" or surprise for Erica coming a mile away though. I don't know if I'm just a lucky guesser, or if it was just that obvious. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. So if you think it starts off a bit slow, keep giving it a shot. In the end you are treated to a very complex and interesting tale that is worth your time to read.Galley provided by publisher for review.
    • 4/5
      The story of two sisters who return to the home of their grandmother which they have inherited after her death. It is clear that something happened there during their childhood that has deeply affected one of the sisters. The book jumps from present day to the past and the life of their grandmother and of the sisters' childhood. I enjoyed it a lot.
    • 5/5
      I saw the review of this book on the TV Book Club and thought that is sounded really good. Well it is !. This is the sort of book that I like, a family saga over generations, a rambling old house, the gypsies in the wood, family secrets to be uncovered and a legacy. The story is set in the present, two sisters left the grandmothers house where as children they use to visit with their cousin Henry. Then the story is in the past revolving around the great grandmother and what happens to her, hence the secrets. What I found brilliant about this page turner, was that at the end of each section you are left ona cliffhanger and you don't want to move onto the next part, you want to sat where you are to find out what happens. This book is well worth a read and would make a perfect holiday read.
    • 4/5
      I love dual time narrative books. I love it when people in the modern day story find out about something that happens in the past. Therefore, I was very much looking forward to reading The Legacy, and was not disappointed. Erica and Beth Calcott are sisters who have inherited their grandmother's big house, Storton Manor. In going back there for the first time in many years, it awakens old memories of their evil cousin, Henry, who went missing one day by the dew pond. Intertwined with this modern day story is the story of their great-grandmother, Caroline, and her time in Oklahoma at the start of the 20th century.I found this book a little difficult to get into, and think it probably needs a good run at the first third to get into it properly. I also found the Oklahoma chapters a little drawn out. However, the modern day story kept me enthralled throughout, and when it all started to come together it was really quite gripping. I did guess what had happened to Henry quite early on, but it was a nice twist to the tale nonetheless.In all, an excellent debut novel and I would definitely read more books by Katherine Webb.
    • 4/5
      The Legacy is two novels in one. The author, Katherine Webb, switches back and forth from present day to the past; weaving a complicated tapestry of familial history and deceptions. The reader learns of lies from both time periods and as the story unfolds, learns how past errors have complicated present day issues.The characters showed depth, as the story evolved, their personalities changed based on how the events affected them. I enjoyed seeing an author tackle character development in this way, the changes were there, but the other characters weren't always aware of the circumstances. This showed especially well with Caroline, who was cold and shut off in her later years and her family never knew why.The story is unique. The author teases the reader by revealing only bits of information towards the mystery in each chapter. I found the switch in time periods each chapter a bit jarring and had to take a bit to remind myself what had transpired two chapters ago in the time period I was now entering again. Still, it was an interesting novel and well worth reading. It will be available on September 1!*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
    • 5/5
      The Legacy is a book about the Calcott family. Present day-Erica and her sister Beth, Past-Caroline, their great grandmother. When Erica and Beths Grandmother Meredith dies they discover that she left them Storton Manor, an imposing house in Wiltshire, England. As children they use to spend summers there with their cousin Henry until one summer when Henry disappears. Although a search was conducted Henry was never found. Erica is determined to find out what happened to Henry and why his disappearance has affected Beth so much that it eventually sends her into depression so bad that she attempts to take her own life. As she digs through letters and pictures another secret emerges, one that involves Great Grandmother Caroline and her life in 1902 when she lived in America. Through this she discovers that because of Carolines secret she was incapable of loving her daughter Meredith which in turn made Meredith a bitter and angry person. I love how this book goes back and forth between the two stories, past and present. And I never knew which story I wanted to continue. My only regret is that Erica does not discover the complete truth to one of the secrets but enough to satisfy me.I would recommend this book to anyone who like a good mystery and also loves family history. I look forward to reading more books by Kathleen Webb.
    • 3/5
      Really readable. I gulped it down in a couple of servings. But whoa, you've got to suspend your disbelief towards the end. Erica and Beth are forced by the will of their dead, hostile grandmother to live in the manor house of their ancestors. This is an opportunity to solve two mysteries: what happened to their childhood playmate, Henry, who vanished completely one summer day? And what turned their grandmother into the bitter and twisted crone they knew?
    • 4/5
      I liked this story, the setting, the characters that where fascinating to me, however I felt it moved along very slowly. Yet everytime I stopped reading, I eventually was pulled back to find out more about the hidden family secrets. I did really love how the book was told by two different women's perspectives. One in the early 1900s and the other in the present day. Each section left you hanging off for more while it switched. The first story involves Caroline, a beauiful heiress who eventually turns bitter. The other chapters introduce us to two sisters, Beth and Erica both of whom return to Storton Manor in England following the death of thier grandmother. The sisters are flooded with memories of their summers there and also of the mysterious disappearance of their cousin, Henry. Erica sets out to discover what really happened. However, she uncovers a family secret involving their great grandmother Caroline.I did enjoy the book and would recomment it to readers who don't need lots of action and fast paced chapters. This story slowly takes shape but the family secrets are wickedly naughty and the book left me wanting just a bit more.
    • 3/5
      This book was rather gothic to me. There are two storylines: one in the present and one the past. It kept me interested until the end, and I didn't see the final plot twist coming. I thought that Caroline and Meredith were too one dimensional -- would be more interesting if they had any redeeming qualities.
    • 4/5
      I won an arc on Librarything. The book is about two sisters, one heartbreaking secret and a past that cannot be buried. The release date is September 2011 and I recommend reading it if you like books about family relationships.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to love this book but it did not come together for me. It was too easy to solve the secrets and I did not find the characters likeable at all. Overall I just couldn't lose myself in this story and ended up reading it in stops and starts.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but once I got into it, I was hooked. The point of view switches between current day England and turn-of-the-century America, and both plot lines feature a secret that eventually twines together at the end. It was these secrets that kept me reading, despite the fact that I figured it all out about 2/3rds of the way through the book.Not a bad start for a debut author. I look forward to her next book.
    • 3/5
      After inheriting Storton Manor from their grandmother, sisters Erica and Beth Calcott go back to a place that has haunted them since the day of the disappearance of a friend years ago. In poking through some things, she finds a photo of her great grandmother Caroline with a baby -- one which surely must have been born before Caroline's known marriage.In a parallel story covering the early part of the 20th century, we learn that Caroline, a woman from New York, married an Oklahoma rancher, and traveled west to meet him and live. We learn of the trials and tragedies of the short time she spent out west before she left the area and what prompted her to hide that part of her life from her descendants. I really enjoyed the Oklahoma portion of the novel far more than the contemporary portion and would have liked to have seen it be the star of its own novel. The contemporary sections were not as engaging, and the manner in which they were presented sometimes made it hard to determine if it was 20 years ago or present-day since the characters involved were the same. It is also clear that there were repercussions of Caroline's past in the manner in which she treated those around her, including her own daughter. As a genealogist, I was also disappointed that Erica, as she began her search, did not try to research American records to determine if there had been a previous marriage and to see where this might have taken her. There were certainly enough clues interspersed throughout the narrative that would have led me to several sources which would likely have told more of Caroline's story for her descendants. I certainly appreciated Erica's consulting with a relative who had done some family history research, but it was clear that the author did not seem to understand genealogical problem solving.Recommended for persons who can appreciate the historical aspects of the story without being too disappointed in the disjointed nature of the contemporary story. This review is based on an Advance Readers Copy of the book offered by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
    • 3/5
      Jumping between the present and past, usually into previous generations, is clearly in vogue. I haven't minded this for the most part, but for me it's begun to feel formulaic. With this book and the last one I read, one generation kept me reading in spite of how unengaged I was with the other. In this book I simply wasn't interested in the characters in the present. As much as I tried to care about what mystery was behind Beth's mental state and what happened to Henry, it wasn't until I'd reached the second half of the book that I actually wanted to fast-forward from the early 1900s to read their stories.I thought that the author did an excellent job in establishing time and place, and the leap from early frontier life in America to the gentrified country estate in present day England felt real. I could almost feel the dry wind and layers of sand on my skin but also the bitter damp of winter in England.I enjoyed this book overall and would recommend it. I just wish I could have cared as much about the characters in the present as I did their predecessors.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but once I got into it, I was hooked. The point of view switches between current day England and turn-of-the-century America, and both plot lines feature a secret that eventually twines together at the end. It was these secrets that kept me reading, despite the fact that I figured it all out about 2/3rds of the way through the book.Not a bad start for a debut author. I look forward to her next book.
    • 4/5
      The first thing that struck me about this novel is how vividly the author describes Storton Manor. I could see its looming grey façade, the dew pond, the trees and clearing where the Dinsdales lived. I wanted to go there. I wanted to search each and every room, much like Erica did, looking for secrets. As I continued to read, my love for the house grew, as did my curiosity around the two stories. There were times where I enjoyed one story over the other and was so tempted to skip ahead to continue reading. This holds especially true with the romance between Caroline and Corin Massey. I was completely entranced with how they met, the sacrifice she made to go to Oklahoma. I understood her trepidation, her anticipation of seeing him. I was so wrapped in the hope of their success that I forgot about Storton Manor and the mystery surrounding Henry’s disappearance.The Legacy made me sad, so very sad. I hated the way Caroline treated Meredith, how the black hole that should have held a heart had no love at all for a precious child. I clearly understood why and how Meredith became the insensitive woman she was. Then again, I understood what hardened Caroline to become the kind of woman with no love in her heart. I wish she had done things differently, found peace in what happened to her and moved on with her life, not run from it. I do disagree with her about something: you can always go back. You can right your wrongs the best you can and then let them go. It is harboring them in the dark shadows of your being that causes bitterness. She could have found happiness if only she had learned to accept and let go.Once I was done reading, I yelled to myself, “That’s not good enough!” I want more. I want a clear resolution, which it surprising to me because I usually enjoy a fade out ending. I think my disdain came from the pathetic way Erica pinned for Dinny. I fear that she is doomed to repeat the mistakes of her great-grandmother Caroline. Never letting go of the past, forever longing something that once was. It also came from knowing the there was no justice served for those left behind in Oklahoma. It breaks my heart, it really does.Overall, I enjoyed this novel very much. I’m glad this is one that Julie and I read together for our challenge. We’ll have a lot to talk about. On a side note, I’m not sure what it was about this novel, but it felt good in my hands. Maybe it was the picture of the girls on the cover that reminded me of my sister and I. Maybe it was how strong but pliable the pages were. Whatever it was, I wish all books were made like this.
    • 4/5
      The Legacy is one of those time-split novels, which jumps back and forth between the present day and 1902-5. In present-day England, Erica Calcott returns to Storton Manor, the place where she grew up, after the death of her great-aunt. Erica’s sister (and Erica herself) are both haunted by a secret dating from their childhood, which rises to the surface after Erica runs into an old childhood playmate. The story jumps back in time to Erica and Beth’s great-grandmother, Caroline, newly married and living on the Oklahoma frontier.Normally I groan when I see one of these books in stores: “oh, no, not ANOTHER” time-split novel!” I think that the market is oversaturated with them. But I actually enjoyed this one, although I could more or less predict Erica and Beth’s story. The story moves quickly, and I was equally interested in these women’s stories—although I for one couldn’t stand Caroline; I thought she was incredibly selfish and mean (in the sense of little) for doing what she does. Erica is a little flat as a character, though, and I thought her “investigation” of her great-grandmother’s story wasn’t really an investigation. Every time the story jumps back to Caroline, it seems as though Erica automatically knows by osmosis or something what happened all those years ago.But I really did enjoy the story; there were a number of plot twists that I thought were unique and original. It took me a little bit of time to get into the story, but when I did so I found myself really enjoying it. The author’s prose style isn’t really developed yet, but I thought her use of the present/past tense for each of her heroines was clever. In all, I thought this was an enjoyable book about the power of memory to play tricks on us, and about different people remember different things about the past.
    • 2/5
      Disappointing – I looked forward to The Legacy but it didn’t live up to expectation. The first half plodded and when it finally got going, it became predictable. Few characters were likeable. The one interesting story thread, of Caroline’s first marriage felt flat towards the end. I cannot recommend this book!