The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman Review

 Hello Everyone :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I hope this has been a lovely week for you all, and that you have many fun things planned for the weekend.

I also pray that it's a week where you've been inspired more than ever to dive into reading God's word, and spending time with Him through prayer and worship.

He loves us so much, and I pray that 2023 is a year where we all begin prioritizing Him over everything else going on in our lives.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you've probably heard me talk many times about just how much I've come to love Barbour's multi author Doors to the Past series.

If you're interested in checking out any of my reviews of other titles in this series, you can do so using the links below:

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D. Basham

Bridge of Gold by Kimberley Woodhouse

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Behind Love's Wall by Carrie Fancett Pagels

High-Wire Heartbreak by Anna Schmidt

Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

However, I'd never actually gotten around to going back and finally reading the very first title in the series. I'd always wanted to, but somehow I'd just never done it.

I recently decided that needed to change, and I picked it up from the library, ready to dive right into another fantastic dual timeline story.

Keep reading below to read my full review, and find out if it lived up to my expectations. 

The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman:

Source: Library

Publisher: Barbour

Publication Date: February 1st, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Dual Timeline

Series: Doors to the Past

Synopsis:

Can a Legacy of Sadness be Broken at the Menger Hotel?
 
Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Young widow Hedda Krause checks into the Menger Hotel in 1915 with a trunk full of dresses, a case full of jewels, and enough cash to pay for a two-month stay, which she hopes will be long enough to meet, charm, and attach herself to a new, rich husband. Her plans are derailed when a ghostly apparition lures her into a long, dark hallway, and Hedda returns to her room to find her precious jewelry has been stolen. She falls immediately under a cloud of suspicion with her haunting tale, but true ghost enthusiasts bring her expensive pieces of jewelry in an attempt to lure the ghost to appear again.
 
In 2017, Dini Blackstone is a fifth-generation magician, who performs at private parties, but she also gives ghost walk tours, narrating the more tragic historical events of San Antonio with familial affection. Above all, her favorite is the tale of Hedda Krause who, in Dini’s estimation, succeeded in perpetrating the world’s longest con, dying old and wealthy from her ghost story. But then Dini meets Quinn Carmichael, great-great-grandson of the detective who originally investigated Hedda’s case, who’s come to the Alamo City with a box full of clues that might lead to Hedda’s exoneration. Can Dini see another side of the story that is worthy of God’s grace?

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Barbour's multi author Doors to the Past series has quickly become one of my all time favorites, and yet I'd never actually read the first title in the series. The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman had an intriguing sounding premise, but I was a tad leery of picking it up due to the ghostly mentions throughout the synopsis. However, I was expecting this to be handled in a way that would still be appropriate to the genre, so I decided to go ahead and give it a chance.  Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying this one, and it definitely didn't become a new favorite.

I did appreciate the real historical components that the author included with the story, as I wasn't familiar with either The Menger Hotel or the legend of Sallie White before picking this one up. If nothing else, the story definitely gave me a great appreciation for both. I also thought it was an interesting component that the historical bits were from an autobiography that the protagonists in the present were reading, as I don't think I've seen that particular element done before in a dual timeline novel.

However, I didn't end up being a fan of the way the ghostly apparition stuff was handled. Even though it was wrapped up in the proper way, it still felt like too much for a Christian fiction novel, especially with the way that the female protagonist in the present, Dini, feels about such things, and it honestly made me kind of uncomfortable to read about.

I never ended up caring for either Dini or Hedda as characters, and I thought they were both kind of terrible protagonists. Both were more on the seductive side; as in the past Hedda is basically a woman of loose morals who uses whatever she can to try and encourage rich men to pay her lifestyle. Dini, in the present, dresses flashy and revealing, and mentions doing so quite a few times over the course of the story. She also is kind of manipulative and selfish, and her career choice included some unethical and questionable choices, and overall, her character wasn't one I could find myself rooting for. Both women seemed extremely materialistic and shallow, and I had a hard time staying invested in a story where I didn't really like either of the main characters. 

The faith element is next to none, and I was completely blown away when it's revealed at the end of the story that Dini is a Christian, as not one encounter throughout the course of the story would have ever implied this to be true. After hearing that, her obsession with ghosts and spirits made me even more uncomfortable, because she definitely should have known better. Her career choice also included some unethical components, and overall, her character wasn't one I could find myself rooting for. Quinn is said to be a Christian from early on, but it doesn't seem to play that big a piece of his life other than attending church, and overall, I thought the faith element was definitely missed in this one. 

Lastly, the ending seemed to come together way too easily, and the resolution to the mystery really didn't seem to be believable to me personally.

I expected more, and I was sadly disappointed. I'm actually glad I didn't read this one first in the series as it might have prevented me from picking up all the other amazing titles that follow it, and that definitely would have been a shame.

Final Rating: 2/5.

I don't personally recommend this one, and it won't be a reread for me in the future.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :) 

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.