Three Words for Goodbye

Maddie and Clara are sisters who stay at odds with each other.  Clara, being elder, has always tried to boss Maddie around, but Maddie has her own mind.  It's been a while since the two of them have had much interaction.  Their grandmother, Violet, has some unfinished business and wants the two girls to go to Europe and finish it on her behalf.  She has paid for all of their transportation, lodging, and food, while giving them time to experience the beauties that Europe has to offer.  She has supplied them with letters instructing them what she needs them to do for her.  She knows her time on earth is short and wants nothing left to chance.  Violet knows first-hand how important sisters are and that forgiveness is the only cure for estrangement. 

Clara is engaged to be married to a man who has hired someone to surreptitiously spy on them and report back to him.  He is a business mogul who wants pretty arm-candy that he can control and mold into the perfect little homemaker.  I'm sorry--I wasn't using my inside voice on that last statement.  He's a rather despicable little character who doesn't understand his fiancee at all.  He sends her gifts along the way that show he has no idea who she really is.  Even the engagement ring he gave her is not one she likes.  

Maddie is an aspiring journalist who has a serious dislike for Clara's intended. She knows that he's not above running rough-shod over people to further his business.   Maddie is also a woman who lives by her own rules and doesn't care who knows it. 

Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb have collaborated on this entertaining novel that captures the readers from the very beginning and doesn't release them until long after they have finished the book.  The characters who populate the story are relatable and believable.  The settings are beyond imagination and the intrigue is just enough to carry the story through.  These ladies have used actual historical events to give color and interest to the narrative.  The time period of the novel is one of the darkest eras in modern history.  

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a trip through Europe to say "good bye."

William Morrow and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.