Sain, Leanna. Magnolia Blossoms. Kingsport, TN: Twilight Times Books, 2010.

Sweet Magnolia Poinsett (understandably) loathes her name, preferring instead to go by Maggie. At 25, tough and worldly Maggie is a photographer for the prestigious National Geographic magazine, until she contracts malaria on a shoot in Zaire. Ordered to rest, Maggie reluctantly returns home to Charleston, South Carolina and the Civil War-obsessed parents who chose her horrible moniker. With typical misunderstanding, her mother and father decide that a family vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains is just what they all need, dragging her along to Golden Apple Farm, a small bed-and-breakfast nestled in picturesque MacKinlay, North Carolina. Despite the beautiful countryside and Jane MacKinlay,the kind proprietress,  Maggie is all set for a week of misery. Until she sees the ghost.

Jane MacKinlay suspects there is something different about the young woman who arrives with her family in the spring of 2010. When Maggie sees Thomas, Jane knows that her prayers have finally been answered. Shot in 1864 for desertion, the spectral Confederate is also Jane’s great, great uncle, and she thinks Maggie can help him–by returning to the past through Golden Apple Farm’s best kept secret: the iron gate. But Maggie is skeptical. After all, time travel? Ghosts? Then, one full-moon night, she follows Thomas … straight through the gate into 1864.

Soon Maggie is on the run. Disguised as a boy, she assists the photographer Thomas with his business of capturing Civil War action, all the while looking for a way to save him from his untimely end. But the wartime South is a dangerous place; overrun with spies, deserters, and villains of all kinds. Thomas, Maggie, and the entire MacKinlay clan (many of whom readers will remember from previous books) must do things they never thought themselves capable of  doing in order to survive.

This is a rousing end to a wonderful trilogy, and fans of novels such as Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series will be particularly delighted with the romance, time travel, and adventure surrounding the intrepid Maggie and handsome Thomas.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

8 Comments

Filed under 2010, 2010-2019, Henderson, Historical, Mountains, Novels in Series, Novels Set in Fictional Places, Romance/Relationship, Sain, Leanna

8 Responses to Sain, Leanna. Magnolia Blossoms. Kingsport, TN: Twilight Times Books, 2010.

  1. Leigh-Anna Bailey

    Magnolia Blossoms, along with the other two books by Leanna Sain are great time travel stories filled with lots of North Carolina as well as Southern history. This book took me to the depths of emotion as I read the story. I reccomend you read Magnolia Blossoms as well as Gate to Nowhere and Return to Nowhere – you will be in love and left wanting more!!!

  2. What terrific books! Well done, Ms. Sain!

  3. Ann Greenleaf Wirtz

    I have read all three books in the series (Gate to Nowhere, Return to Nowhere, Magnolia Blossoms), and each one captivates with a clever plot, well-drawn characters, and excellent writing. Magnolia Blossoms can be read and enjoyed independently from the first two, but it does make a perfect ending! Leanna Sain is a very gifted writer!

  4. Karin Wooten

    I love time travel books, and getting some NC history is a bonus. Leanna does a wonderful job of making the characters real and all three of her books in this Gate to Nowhere series keep the reader captivated. Great reading for any age!

  5. Amber Stott

    I greatly enjoyed this book! It’s filled with loveable characters; balanced comedy, romance, and action wonderfully; and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I also learned a lot about the Civil War that I had never fully understood before. Even though it’s a time travel book, it’s still very realistic and stays true to the time period. I would definitely recommend this book, as well as the others in the series, to anyone of all ages.

  6. Dianne Pedersen

    It is wonderful when a close friend is able to become a published author. Leanna deserves this right. She makes words come alive in a spell-bounding read that is difficult to lay down. She studies and includes history with mystery and love. She is truly an exceptional author and a true friend!

  7. This lady writes magnetic books…the can’t put it down variety,love a few ghosts flitting thro’ the pages!
    Bookindler Downloadable Books to Lighten Your LOad

  8. Peggy Bryant

    What a great series of books. I enjoyed them immensely. I was sad when I finished the last one because I felt like I had went back through the gate myself and I wanted another trip. Ms. Sain graces with her talents and I can’t wait to read her next book.