Whispers of the Past by Michelle Godard-Richer is a Stress Busting Book Festival pick #historicalromance #romanticmystery #timetravelromance #mustread #giveaway
- N. N. Light
- May 9
- 4 min read
Title: Whispers of the Past
Author: Michelle Godard-Richer
Genre: Historical Mystery/Romance
Book Blurb:
Fueled by curiosity and her dream of becoming a big-time journalist, Bella Thomas digs deep into the history of her small-town Mayflower, Illinois.The town had thrived until a local factory burned down many years ago, killing its founder, Henry Hinchcliffe, widowing his new wife whose identity was lost, and devastating the economy. Bella vows to unravel the mystery of Henry’s widow and publish a story about her, so she’ll never be forgotten again.In a twist of fate, instead of finding the past, Bella is snatched out of the present and transported to the factory, one year before the fire. Soon, she can't seem to stop herself from falling in love with the sweet and swoon-worthy Henry, even though he's destined for another.
Racing against time, can she prevent the fire and save Henry - even if he can never be hers?
Excerpt:
She reached the end of Main Street and turned to head for home. But then she paused, and turned right instead, down Crocus Avenue to the charred warehouse that was once the Mayflower Jelly Bean Factory. If it hadn’t been built of brick and concrete, the structure never would’ve survived.
The windows were all long ago broken from the fire, giving easy access to anyone wanting to enter. The once thriving factory had become a hangout for teenagers and a refuge from the cold for the town’s homeless population. Even after almost a century, the town had never recovered from the loss of the factory.
Bella imagined the inside would be as bad, if not worse, than the outside. Having never been one of the cool kids, which she didn’t mind in the least, Bella had never wanted to sneak into the old factory to get drunk or high.
She stared at a broken window. Should I?
The silence of the sleepy town pressed in around her. She shrugged. What could possibly go wrong?
She pressed the flashlight button on her phone and shone its beam inside a broken window. Old newspapers and garbage littered the concrete floor, now brown from years of filth rather than grey. Vandals had spray painted the walls, covering them in graffiti.
What is wrong with people?
They showed such disrespect for Henry Hinchcliffe and his once thriving factory. She prayed Henry’s soul was in a better place where he couldn’t see what had become of his business.
Bella leaned her upper body through the window and stuck her arm out to illuminate more of the warehouse. Old, rusted pieces of metal from antique machinery were stacked in a corner.
What else is hidden in the dark?
Curiosity and questions niggled, even though she had no clue what she hoped to find. She’d read the actual factory, not including the storage area at the back, was half the length of a football field. If she left without taking a closer look, she’d never be able to sleep. She braced one foot on the windowsill, then swung her body through the opening, landing on the dirty floor.
She covered her nose with her sleeve to block out the pungent odors of stale urine and rotten food. You would have to be desperate for warmth to sleep in such a filthy place. She angled her phone at the ground to avoid stepping in gum and trash as she walked towards the back of the factory. A few random pieces of metal were scattered across the floor. If only she could find something more meaningful to photograph for the article. An old poster advertisement would do the trick.
Bella continued walking deeper into the dark storage area. She shone her flashlight into the corner. The edge of a small box stuck out from beneath an old newspaper. Leery of touching anything with her bare hand, Bella kicked the newspaper aside, then gasped. Somehow, a box of jelly beans had survived almost a century. The corners were stained brown, but the logo of the Mayflower ship was intact.
Perfect!
Bella kneeled. As the tips of her fingers brushed the old box, wind slammed against her in deafening gusts, lifting the dust and dirt off the floor. Debris swirled around in a vortex, blocking her view of the factory.
What in the holy heck?
Bits of dirt flew into her eyes and up her nose. She crouched into a ball covering her face with her arms.
This is what I get for being nosey and breaking into the factory.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
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What’s your favorite way to combat stress?
I like to curl up with a book and forget about the real world.
Why is your featured book a stress busting read?
Whispers of the Past is a lighthearted and sometimes funny story with a mystery to keep readers entertained.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs May 1 – 31, 2025
Drawing will be held on June 1, 2025.
Author Biography:
Michelle Godard-Richer is an award-winning thriller and horror author with an Honours Degree in Criminology from the University of Ottawa. She was named Best Canada Author of the Year by N.N. Light’s Book Heaven and earned a Crowned Heart from Ind’Tale Magazine.
Her fascination with crime and human behavior, combined with a lifelong passion for the written word, led her to realize a childhood dream of becoming an author. She enjoys crafting strong protagonists and diabolical villains with realistic and believable characteristics while making their lives as complicated and dangerous as possible.
When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her in the garden or with her nose in a book. She lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta with her husband, two children, four dogs, and a cat.
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