The writing desk

It's 1902, and socialite Birdie Shehorn has spent four years at Wellesley instead of doing what's expected of her: finding an appropriately rich husband. So now her parents have arranged for her to marry. But Birdie wants to write, something women of the time aren't encouraged to do. In the present, Tenley Roth has penned a best-seller and become a star. She's expected to write a second, but she can't because she's been in a state of shock ever since her father's death. The mother who left her when Tenley was nine has asked her to move in with her and care for her through 12 weeks of chemo treatments. To top everything off, Tenley's boyfriend has surprised her with an insistent marriage proposal. Two strong women from two different eras, both writers facing unpleasant futures, share many similarities as they strive to achieve their goals regardless of any obstacles. And it all starts with a very special writing desk. Best-selling Hauck's (The Wedding Shop, 2016) latest faith-based book has wide appeal.--Mosley, Shelley Copyright 2017 Booklist

Hauck (The Wedding Shop) winningly casts an oft-overlooked desk as a talisman for two aspiring authors. Gifted with the desk in the 1890s, heiress Birdie Shehorn stashes her novels-in-progress inside; more than a century later, Tenley Roth sits before the furniture immobilized by writer's block as her book deadline looms. Both women contend with family legacies bestowing privilege and obligation: Birdie-a "true princess of New York"- dreads the loveless marriage engineered by her parents; Tenley, descended from eminent authors and praised for her debut, fears being unmasked as a hack. As chapters crisscross between Birdie and Tenley, Hauck contrasts the women's faith journeys: Tenley's dawning awareness of comfort from prayer and Scripture, Birdie's longer-held conviction and more mature (though no less spirited) response to trials or injustice. Romance fans will cheer gratifying plot convergences, revelations of piquant secrets, and beguiling depictions of Gilded Age society. Among book clubs, Tenley's solution for her second novel may raise both eyebrows and discussion. Narrator Windy Lanzl smoothly bridges the time shifts, accommodating period-appropriate diction and infusing warmth that enhances the engaging narrative. VERDICT Public libraries should purchase for inspirational romance readers, especially Hauck's fan base.-Linda -Sappenfield, Round Rock P.L., TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.