The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio

The Last Camelia is a story that's hard to put down…and figure out. There's a lot going on at once: a story of a young baker's daughter who only wishes to do right and help her struggling parents.  From NYC to England, we follow her as she becomes embroiled in a fire-thieving ring, falls in love, uncovers intrigue, and realizes she must do what's right, no matter the cost to herself.

The modern day story is a woman in a similar plight and from NYC to England, we join her and her husband as they tiptoe around each other, each keeping secrets—hers a long bigger than his. Just how long can she hide her past, especially with it hot on her heels in the form of threatening letters, mysterious flowers, obsessive phone calls, and stalking?

I couldn't bear to put the book down and often found myself reading until the wee hours of the morning, until my eyelids could stay open no longer. It's well-written and gives us just enough to keep us interesting and yet not so much that we figure out the ending and conclusion asap.

I wouldn't call this a love story, but a historical/time slip mystery. Regardless of what one wishes to call it, it's a great read. I could really relate to both heroines, I felt as though I were there within its pages no matter whose POV it was. My only quibble would be I did at times grow confused when the POV first changed, even though they were chapter by chapter.

Five bikes and I received this on LibraryThing.