That Night on Thistle Lane

By Carla Neggers

New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers returns with the second book in the Swift River Valley series, That Night on Thistle Lane, following Secrets of the Lost Summer.

More than just make-believe

Librarian Phoebe O'Dunn deals in stories, but her passion for history has taught her that happy endings are rare. Her life in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts, is safe and uneventful…until she discovers the hidden room.

Among its secrets is a cache of vintage clothing, including a spectacular gown-perfect for a gala masquerade in Boston. In the guise of a princess, Phoebe is captivated by a handsome swashbuckler who's also adopted a more daring persona. Noah Kendrick's wealth has made him wary, especially of women: everybody wants something.

When Noah and Phoebe meet again in Knights Bridge, at first neither recognizes the other. And neither one is sure they can trust the magic of the night they shareduntil an unexpected threat prompts them to unmask their truest selves.

After all, it takes more than just the right costume to live out your personal fairy tale. It takes heart…and the courage to be more than you ever dreamed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
• Release date: Feb 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781460303283

Carla Neggers

New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers is always plotting her next adventure, whether in life or for one of her books. Her fertile imagination and curious nature make her ready for anything. It is also these qualities that sparked her love of reading as a child and continue to drive her passion for storytelling today. With her trademark blend of action, suspense and down-to-earth, realistic characters caught up in extraordinary circumstances, her novels never fail to take her readers on an exciting journey. Carla began writing as a youngster, when she'd grab a pad and pen and climb a tree to spin her stories. Growing up in western Massachusetts, she is the third of seven children. Just before she was born, her Dutch immigrant father and Southern-born mother packed up the car with two kids and all their belongings and headed north to start a new life. They settled in an eighteenth-century carriage house on ninety acres and began a long process of renovation. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, she went on to major in journalism at Boston University, graduating magna cum laude. She enjoyed a brief stint as an arts and entertainment writer, then turned to writing fiction full-time and now has more than fifty books to her credit. Travel and research both play a large part in Carla's writing. She can often trace the germination of a plot to the exact moment of inspiration. “It's part of the fun of being a writer—you never know what will spark an idea. For example, on a trip to the Netherlands some years ago, we did a tour of a canal-like waterway,” she says. “I kept thinking—what would happen if a dead body floated by? What if it was an American? It's the way my mind works—around me, everyone else was admiring the quaint countryside. I was devising a murder.” Once a plot is hatched, the real researching begins. Her novels have taken her atop the northeast's highest peaks, onto a shooting range with a police academy instructor and across the world as she scouts out locations and seeks the authenticity that imbues her novels. The author's greatest pleasure comes in those moments when she feels she's gotten the story just right—when it all comes together on the pages of her book, exactly the way she's envisioned the tale in her mind. Then, when readers connect with the story, her satisfaction is complete. “Everything comes down to the finished book,” says the author. “When I hear from a reader that the story resonated, and that he or she had a great time reading it, I know I've done my job and done it well.” When she's not working on her next book, Carla enjoys traveling, hiking and kayaking. She's set out to become a “four-thousand-footer” by climbing all forty-eight peaks over four-thousand feet in the New Hampshire White Mountains, and she's always planning the next trip—and the next adventure—either of which just might inspire a new story. Carla lives in Vermont, where she and her husband have recently renovated their mountain house not far from picturesque Quechee Gorge. 

Reviews for That Night on Thistle Lane

[fernemysteryreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited to be one of the winners of the Spring Fever Book Giveaway, receiving this title signed by Carla Neggers. It's amazing to see your name as one of the winners announced on Facebook but when the book arrives in your mailbox it's absolute bliss!
I am a former librarian and one of my work experiences was as an assistant director/children's librarian in a public library in a very old building. It was so easy to picture Librarian Phoebe O'Dunn's discovery of the mysterious hidden room. The story is rich in so many ways but particularly expressing love of family, friendships that grow even deeper as they evolve, children now in their adult years becoming more aware of the past experiences of their parents and deepening their love and appreciation, and the true beauty of loving relationships growing in the midst of a changing world.
I love all of Carla Neggers books but this will remain as one of my top favorites!

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited to be one of the winners of the Spring Fever Book Giveaway, receiving this title signed by Carla Neggers. It's amazing to see your name as one of the winners announced on Facebook but when the book arrives in your mailbox it's absolute bliss!
I am a former librarian and one of my work experiences was as an assistant director/children's librarian in a public library in a very old building. It was so easy to picture Librarian Phoebe O'Dunn's discovery of the mysterious hidden room. The story is rich in so many ways but particularly expressing love of family, friendships that grow even deeper as they evolve, children now in their adult years becoming more aware of the past experiences of their parents and deepening their love and appreciation, and the true beauty of loving relationships growing in the midst of a changing world.
I love all of Carla Neggers books but this will remain as one of my top favorites!

[judithdcollins · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

That Night on Thistle Lane is the second book in the Swift River Valley series and will have to go back and read the first - Secrets of the Lost Summer; however appears as could be a standalone.
A romance novel (which typically I am not a huge fan); however, she is a good storyteller and makes you feel like a fairy tale of Cinderella. A small town life about Phoebe and her mother and sisters and seemed to be long and drawn out and hard to hold interest --agree with the other reviewers as not a lot of passion between Noah and Phoebe or substance. This was my first read by this author. Not my type of book; however always like to try new authors and styles.

[beckymmoe_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was really hoping for more from this one. Even though the first book in the series didn't really do it for me, this one looked promising. There was a librarian involved! And a hidden sewing room! And old fashioned clothing, some of it patterned after dresses in movies! In the end, though, it left me with an overall feeling of...meh.

Much like with the first in the series, while reading this one I kept feeling as if the novel was hovering on the edge of being pretty good but it just never quite got there. The characters stubbornly felt like characters throughout, not achieving the status of actual people to this reader. I just couldn't connect. The drama wasn't there (Seriously--I missed their first kiss. When it came up in Phoebe's thoughts, I actually had to page back and find it), and I never really bought into Phoebe and Noah's initial attraction, let alone their "love" for each other. I kept checking the progress bar on my ereader, and not in the yikes-how-will-they-resolve-this-in-the-time-that-is-left kind of way but in a jeesh-how-much-more-of-this-is-left fashion. The big reveal at the end wasn't, really. The characters figure it out behind the scenes, and I still didn't quite understand how they did it, and nor did I care all that much. It just ended up feeling a bit silly and anticlimactic. I actually found myself somewhat more interested in Brandon's (Phoebe's brother-in-law) love life than the main characters', but I'm pretty sure that was only because he was a former hockey player, and I'm just so darn glad that the season is back on track....

[shawnmarie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was looking for a light read to keep me company one night and I stumbled upon Carla Neggers "That Night on Thistle Lane." I was concerned that since it was the second book in a series that I might not be able to get into it, but Ms. Neggers does a very good job of catching you up quick so you know who's who and what's what.There is a touch of mystery to this book and Ms. Neggers keeps the secret hidden long enough that I wasn't able to figure it out until the very end and I really appreciated that. Along the way I got to meet Phoebe and Noah and watch them fall in love. I've always had a soft spot for librarians and smarty pants geeky guys so this definitely was the book for me.If you read "Secrets of the Lost Summer" you definitely should read this book to find out what's next. If you haven't read it, well, you'll want to after you finish "That Night on Thistle Lane." It is a light, fun read with a touch of mystery and some fine, friendly characters in a classic small town.

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That Night on Thistle Lane by Carla Neggers 4 STARSI enjoyed being back in Knights Bridge,Mass. The story is fun,hint of mystery,couple of romances going on,good friendships and community. Thier is one love scene in it.Engaging plot and characters.Librarian Phoebe O'Dunn has found a secret room in the library that is full of old dresses,materials just like the person left it 40+ years ago. So far Phoebe is enjoying the secret and as not told even her sisters about it.Phoebe decided based on the old costumes that it would be fun to have a antique fashion show at the library.Her friend Olivia's fiance Dylan has bought a lot of tickets to a charity masked ball that is to benafit neonatal intensive care unit at a Boston hospital. Phoebe tells Oliva and Maggie that she has the dresses that will be perfect for them. They both try and get Phoebe to come but she refuses to do so.Dylan has made millions working with his friend Noah in his company that just went public a few months ago. Noah,Dylan and some of his buddies spent the last view days hiking and now they were going to a masked ball.Noah Kendrick is smart, graduated early from MIT. started his own company and now that he was worth billions and his company has gone public is not sure what he will do in the future especially now his best friend is moving from the west coast to a small town near Boston. He is tired of people liking him for his money. Hopes he does not get recongized at the charity event that Dylan is dragging him to. Then he sees her at the ball.Phoebe decides to go to the ball but does not let anyone know she is thier. Dylan asks her to dance and they do a few tims even kiss. Dylan sees someone he needs to figure who he is and why he has been following him. Dylan asks her to wait right thier for him. They have no idea who each of them is. Phoebe runs into her soon to be ex-brother in-law who recongizes her. Brandon agrees not to say a word to anyone that she is thier. When he finds she is leaving to drive back home alone tells her to call him if she has a problem on the way.Phoebe on her way out over hears a conversation that she figures is about her mystery man and wonders what that is about. The more she thinks on it the more she thinks he should know about it. Dylan is upset that his Princess is missing. He wished he had not left her alone at all. He is not going to leave it alone. Especially when he thinks that Oliva might know more that she saying about that.I enjoyed this book and the book before it with Dylan and Olivia story in it. Would love to read more books from Carla Neggers in the future.I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.01/23/2013 PUB Harlequin HarlequinMIRA