Today is Mothers Day and I decided to spend the day relaxing and reading. Good decision because once I started Beyond the Garden, I couldn't put it down until the last page was read. It was a fantastic sequel and it was great to get back to Charleston with Ellie from Book 1 Magnolia Nights. You could read Beyond the Garden as a stand alone but parts of it will make more sense if you read it in order.

Ellie and her new husband Julian are restoring the house on the Battery left to her by her grandmother. They are also taking care of the three year old twins that her twin sister Lia left behind months earlier. As they make the twins part of the family, they are fearful that her sister will try to claim them again despite the fact that she has mental issues. This book has several plots going on - the murder of Lia's husband, custody of Julian's daughter from his first wife, Ellie's pregnancy plus a little girl who Ellie met at the art class that she was teaching that kept me engrossed in the book.

This was a fantastic sequel and I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are well written - flaws and all and I really cared about what happened to them. This is a story about love and family - not just family by birth but the family that is made out of love.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )