In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel Review

 Happy Wednesday Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you decided to drop by The Preppy Book Princess.

I'm Kirby, and I'm excited you're all here :)

Today, I'm looking forward to getting to share a review from one of the titles featured in my "2023 Most Anticipated Releases" post.

I've been a fan of the wonderful multi author Doors to the Past series pretty much from the beginning, and today's review is going to be the upcoming release from this series.

Keep on reading down below for my full review.

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Barbour

Publication Date: February 1st, 2023

Series: Doors to the Past

Genre: Christian Fiction/Dual Timeline/Mystery

Synopsis:

A Gem of a Mystery Takes Center Stage

​Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she’d be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she’d take over the family’s auction company. But mostly she’s disappointed herself. What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar—Pierson Brooks. Pierson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
 
A century earlier…
Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I started off the year with two kind of meh reads, so I was hopeful this would be the one to break the trend. In Spotlight and Shadow is a wonderfully plotted mystery that highlights author Rachel Scott McDaniel's mastery of the dual timeline story setting, and I ended up loving it every bit as much as I did her first installment in the series.

Each timeline is intriguing, and full of characters that stood out to the reader, and I had a hard time wanting to put this one down. The rich history of the city of Pittsburg is woven into each and every page, and I loved how it's interwoven right into the mystery and corresponding plot developments.

I know it's pretty early in the year to be making such claims, but I have a feeling this one is still going to end up being one of my top reads of 2023.

I love how this author continues to write from the heart, and I love how the faith element is tied into the story beautifully, and managed to bring me to tears. So much of this novel centers around the concept of identity, and it's always a beautiful thing to have the reminder illustrated that our identity is always rooted in our Heavenly Father's deep and never ending love for us.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Rachel Scott McDaniel has written another winner in my eyes, and I can't possibly recommend it enough.

I've loved both of her contributions to the Doors to the Past series, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Thanks so much to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Barbour) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day, and I look forward to sharing much more bookish content with you all in 2023!