The In-Between Hour | Barbara Claypole White

Stats:
Paperback, 384 pages
Published, December 31, 2013
Publisher, Harlequin MIRA

Description from Goodreads:
What could be worse than losing your child? Having to pretend he's still alive...

Bestselling author Will Shepard is caught in the twilight of grief, after his young son dies in a car accident. But when his father's aging mind erases the memory, Will rewrites the truth. The story he spins brings unexpected relief…until he's forced to return to rural North Carolina, trapping himself in a lie.

Holistic veterinarian Hannah Linden is a healer who opens her heart to strays but can only watch, powerless, as her grown son struggles with inner demons. When she rents her guest cottage to Will and his dad, she finds solace in trying to mend their broken world, even while her own shatters.
As their lives connect and collide, Will and Hannah become each other's only hope—if they can find their way into a new story, one that begins with love.

My Thoughts:
First, I need to thank TLC Book Tours and Barbara Claypole White for providing me with a free copy of this book to review. And I love the fact that Barbara took the time to autograph the copy before sending it out.
When I started the book, I was hooked.  It is beautifully written and characters and places truly come alive with her writing. 
The had a few themes that I think are really important.  One of those is mental illness.  Will's father is suffering with Alzheimer's.  He remembers the past, but not that his grandson has died in a car accident.  From the descriptions, Will's mother also most likely suffered from being Bipolar.  Hannah's father and grandfather had a history of depression and now her adult son is also dealing with depression and has recently attempted suicide.  It also shows us that what happens in childhood can affect us as adults.
Will has to return to his childhood town to take care of his father due to the fact that his father has been thrown out of the nursing home.  He and his father rent a cabin from Hannah and their lives begin to intertwine.
Will has to face the fact that his son is dead and not only grieve him but also his father that is being lost to disease.  Hannah has to try to help her son after moving him home.  And Will and Hannah soon find comfort in each other.
It really was a wonderful book and I cannot recommend it enough. I look forward to reading more from Barbara Claypole White.

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Barbara Claypole White
Connect with Barbara on her website www.barbaraclaypolewhite, Facebook, or Twitter @bclaypolewhite.