About the Book

Book: When I Meet You

Author: Olivia Newport

Genre: Christian fiction

Release Date: May, 2020

Book 3 in the Tree of Life Series: A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Faith Journeys on Family Trees

A trunk abandoned at Denver’s Union Station more than a century ago leads Jillian and Nolan to untangle the mystery of its contents—including correspondence with the head of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency Denver office. While Nolan digs into the legalities of the findings, Jillian searches for the descendants of a stolen identity who might not be who they think they are on Colorado ranch land. When Drew seems anxious to hear what Jillian has to say but his Great Aunt Min slams the subject closed—twice—Jillian is all the more determined to find out what happened to the woman who never claimed her luggage, why Min doesn’t want to talk about it, and what will happen for Drew if he gets the answers he seeks.

When I Meet You is the third book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.

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MY REVIEW

I simply adore time slip books. The author is very well versed in taking readers on a journey in this emotional and intriguing series. Even though this is book three in the series, I think readers can still read it as a stand alone. I would recommend however to read the first two books to get a feel for who the characters are.

Jillian has a gift for details as she uses her knowledge as a genealogist. I was so impressed with her character and how thoughtful she was at unraveling the mystery of a long ago forgotten trunk. It was easy to visualize the time period and the young woman who will risk her life to save her family's name and wealth. Jillian has her hands full with digging up records that could destroy a family or finally give them closure about a trunk left many years ago at a train station. Why would someone not pick up their belongings?

Lynnelle is a fascinating character who travels by herself across country to deliver papers that could help save her father’s reputation and business. Along the way several characters seem to take interest in her. I was very interested to see who could be trusted as two couples are drawn to Lynnelle. Can you imagine traveling by yourself with secrets that put your life in danger? The author does a great job weaving a mystery that spans generations.

My brother was always interested in genealogy and has left me many documents on his search for answers about our family. We had sone very interesting relatives and the more my brother searched the deeper the mystery became for us. In this story as I read about the different ways to search for information, I realized I needed to finish what my brother had started.

The author has written a story that explores a family who opened the door to expose the ugliness of greed and deceit. The faith element is light but just enough to get a sense of the characters belief in God. As I finished the book I had so many questions I wanted to ask. I’m glad to know there will be a fourth book coming out soon. I loved Jillian’s father and how gifted he is as a chef. I loved reading about the different recipes he tried and wished I had been at the table when he served up the savory and sweet menu. There is a bit of a hint of a romance between Jillian and someone who becomes vital to the story. He was a bit unsure why Jillian was interested in where he lived and who his relatives were. The author lays a foundation that spans generations and brings it full circle in this exception story of the value of family.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak.

More from Olivia

Stolen Identity or Stolen Secrets?

Years ago I made a business trip to a country in Asia. Somehow I managed to pack for two weeks in carry-on luggage. This was before everyone started carrying electronic devices that required a bag of their own, and the impoverished area I visited had only intermittent electricity anyway.

When it was time to come home, my luggage met the requirements to keep it with me as I traveled halfway around the world through several airports. But at the boarding gate, a woman pushed a cart stacked with six oversized and overstuffed suitcases, insisting she had to take all of them on the plane. Her argument was that she couldn’t risk losing her personal belongings. She was moving back to the States, this was everything she owned, and she just wasn’t having this nonsense about abiding by the same limitations as the other 300 people in line or that none of those bags would fit in an overhead compartment anyway. The airline staff began waving people around her to get the large aircraft boarded on time for an international flight. She was one of the last people to take her seat—without her bags.

I admit I prefer keeping my bags with me and getting in and out of airports quickly. And once my bags didn’t come off the same plane I did, and it took a few hours for them to be delivered to me.

But what happens to truly unclaimed baggage? One-half to one percent of baggage that goes through American airports is never claimed. Airlines will try for ninety days to find the owners. If they can’t, they have to do something with it. Generally it’s sold, sight unseen, to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama. There it is opened and sorted into what can be cleaned and sold in their store, what might be donated, and what has no value and is disposed of as trash. They find some pretty interesting things!

But my brain goes back to the curious question of why the baggage is unclaimed in the first place.

It’s not just because the airline lost it. We’ve all seen the lines of suitcases that baggage handlers remove from the circling conveyer belt because they’ve been around enough times that it’s obvious no one is there to pick them up after the flight. People got off the plane and left the airport without their bags. Why?

My new book, When I Meet You, raises the same question about travel in the railroad era. A trunk abandoned at Denver’s Union Station more than a century ago surfaces, leading genealogist Jillian and her lawyer father, Nolan, to untangle the mystery of its contents—including correspondence with the head of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency Denver office. While Nolan digs into the legalities of the findings, Jillian searches for the descendants of a stolen identity who might not be who they think they are on Colorado ranch land. When Drew seems anxious to hear what Jillian has to say but his Great Aunt Min slams the subject closed—twice—Jillian is all the more determined to find out what happened to the woman who never claimed her luggage, why Min doesn’t want to talk about it, and what will happen for Drew if he gets the answers he seeks.

When I Meet You is the third book in the Tree of Life series. Return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.

Visit www.olivianewport.com or find me at www.facebook.com/OliviaNewport.