The Fabled Earth By Kimberly Brock

Set against the haunting backdrop of Cumberland Island, The Secrets of Cumberland Island unfolds across two poignant timelines, weaving together the lives of three women deeply affected by the past.

In 1932, the opulence of the Gilded Age lingers as the last members of the philanthropic Carnegie family host a lavish party at their Plum Orchard estate. Among the guests are a beautiful debutante hoping for an engagement, wealthy young men eager for hunting adventures, and a promising female artist who believes she has connections to her affluent hosts. However, an evening of revelry spirals into tragedy as hidden desires and dangerous secrets surface, leading to devastating consequences that shatter lives forever.

Fast forward to 1959, and Cleo Woodbine, a reclusive painter living alone on the remnants of the servants’ quarters, confronts the ghosts of her past when a familiar figure reappears— the man who saved her life three decades earlier. Frances Flood, a folklorist seeking to uncover the truth behind a local legend, is drawn to the island to explore the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother’s attendance at the ill-fated party. Simultaneously, Audrey Howell, a recently widowed innkeeper, grapples with an eerie double exposure photograph that seems to awaken a long-dormant spirit from that fateful night.

As a once-in-a-century storm approaches, the lives of these women converge, revealing buried truths and the rich tapestry of Southern mythology intertwined with their personal reckonings on a landscape where the past refuses to stay hidden. 📚❤️