The RiverCliffe Legacy by Dee Ernst – a Review

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Description:
“That is not a ghost story. That is the RiverCliffe legacy.” She looked at me, her eyes gentle. “Do you find that hard to believe?”

Three years after her divorce, Risa Armitage is still trying to get back on her feet. Living in the basement of her mother’s brownstone with three kids, one bathroom and no cross ventilation is not her—or her three kids’—ideal.

When the family of the father that she never knew leaves her a surprise inheritance, RiverCliffe, Risa knows her prayers have been answered. She plans a quick trip up to the Hudson Valley to check out the inn and the surrounding farm before figuring out what to do with her newfound wealth.

But when the long weekend results in a summer retreat, and Risa begins to realize there’s more to RiverCliffe than just a source of income. Her kids are each finding a place to fit in, and she’s finding the local sheriff has a lot more going for him that just keeping the peace. Then there’s the crazy story about all the Cliffe women from the past, and the graveyard right next door…

As Risa learns more about the history of RiverCliffe, and the father who abandoned her, the more she realizes her future is not just determined by who she is now. With humor, warmth, a little help from the beyond, she learns that to move forward means to accept her place among a line of women all blessed—or cursed—with the RiverCliffe Legacy.

Review:

Risa Armitage is living in her mother’s basement with her three kids, after a rough divorce. The kids are absolutely miserable after leaving their life and friends behind to move in with their grandmother.  While contemplating what to do with her children for the summer break and a tight budget, Risa gets word that she has inherited Rivercliffe, a resort destination in upstate New York. She has inherited the property from her father’s mother, Cathy Newsome, with whom she had never met. Risa decides to visit for a weekend just to see exactly what she has inherited. 

Once she arrived, the kids have an amazing change of attitude and fall in love with everything RiverCliffe.  Each child finding a niche and a place to belong. When the children beg their mother to come and stay for the summer, Risa has no idea what staying at RiverCliffe would mean. And there are secrets at RiverCliffe!  Secrets that are spoken if freely but Risa has a hard time believing in them. 

Can Risa begin to embrace all that is her inheritance?  On the property there is an old cemetery and all the women that are descendants of Gemina Cliffe supposedly have an amazing ability.  One that allows them to speak to those who are residents of the cemetary. Risa doesn’t quite believe  in the stories, even when she is told that it is her legacy! 

This story is about a broken mother struggling to find her place in the world after a rough divorce. While the divorce shook her to the core, she is strong, resilient and bound by the love of her children!  RiverCliffe is so beautifully written that you wish this was an actual place that you could visit yourself and explore. 

I loved how each of Risa’s children after struggling with the aftermath of a rough divorce, find their place and their path at RiverCliffe! And while the children begin to feel whole again, so does Risa! Finding herself while exploring her father’s family that she knew nothing about! 

This is not a ghost story but a story of discovery, of family and of finding your way in the world. The RiverCliff Legacy by Dee Ernst was beautifully written!  Spellbinding! 

Reviewed by Erin

Copy supplied for Review