Sara Blaydes
Sara Blaydes
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The Restoration Garden
Releasing October 14, 2025
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A landscape architect unearths the tangled history of a once-celebrated English garden—and all its mysteries—in a captivating novel by the author of The Last Secret of Lily Adams.
Julia Esdaile is hired to restore the historic gardens at Havenworth Manor—the grounds of which are now an abandoned snarl of bramble and weeds—to their original splendor. For the enigmatic lady of the manor, ninety-three-year-old Margaret Clarke, the reason for the restoration is the deeply private story of a promise made a lifetime ago, and a vow to keep it before she dies.
It’s 1940, and Margaret’s older half sister, Irene, an aspiring artist, dreams of an exciting world beyond Havenworth. Her only escapes are James Atherton, a handsome officer in the RAF, and her sketchbook of flower drawings. Bonding over their disdain for war, Irene follows James to London, where, irrevocably in love, she is forced to make a choice she never imagined. With that, Irene vanishes from Margaret’s life forever.
Now, with the help of Margaret’s godson, Andrew, Julia is determined to uncover both the long-buried secrets of the past and the truth behind a heartbreaking mystery that only restoring the gardens of Havenworth can solve.
The Last Secret of Lily Adams
Available now
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The death of a legendary actress reveals a wealth of Hollywood secrets in a breathtaking novel about betrayal, rivalry, and the punishing brutality of fame.
One of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s golden age was Lily Adams, the beloved picture of all-American innocence. Why she suddenly vanished from the spotlight was a mystery even to those closest to her.
Upon Lily’s death seventy years later, her granddaughter, Carolyn Prior, struggles to understand a woman she loved but never really knew. Then, sifting through the memorabilia of a once-glamorous career, Carolyn comes across a letter from her grandmother. It’s the trembling admission of a secret life and a story that begins and ends with superstar Stella Lane, Lily’s archrival of the silver screen—a bombshell who was brutally murdered.
As Carolyn unearths her grandmother’s connection to the notorious unsolved slaying, her life collides with Lily’s in the most shocking ways. And with each stunning new revelation, Carolyn must decide how much she is willing to risk to unlock the truth.
Bio
Sara Blaydes has been obsessed with books ever since she demanded her parents teach her to read at four years old so she could steal her older brother’s comic books. A perpetual daydreamer, it was only natural she begin to craft stories of her own where she could escape into worlds of her own creation.
She currently lives in British Columbia with her handsome husband, two amazing children, and an overly anxious Boston Terrier puppy. She believes books are magic, summer is the best season, and parsley is never optional.
"Have books ‘happened’ to you? Unless your answer to that question is ‘yes,’ I’m unsure how to talk to you."
