These Empty Places

Author: Sarah Loudin Thomas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 368
Release Date: May 5, 2026
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

When their worlds are upended, two women brought together by their loss discover what truly matters most.

Claire Roth sacrificed love for a life of comfort on Lake Toxaway--until the dam broke, and the lake washed down the side of the mountain. Fourteen years later, she longs to see the lake restored to its former glory even as the country faces hard economic times on the eve of the Great Depression.

Socialite Lena Hawkins married her first love, who swept her off her feet after skyrocketing from rags to riches by speculating in the stock market. Now penniless and rejected by her family, Lena and her husband have arrived at Lake Toxaway for a fresh start. There, Lena forms an unexpected connection with Claire, who hires her to assist with the personal library Claire is building to provide jobs and education for their struggling North Carolina community. When Claire is given a second chance at love and Lena a tempting chance at a life of independence, both women must release the past to fill tomorrow with promise.

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Reviewer: Elizabeth Eckmeyer

Sarah Loudin again delivers another spectacular story! Every single book of hers is wrapped in intrigue, mystery, and sentimental characters. This story is no different.

Claire a middle age women who is well to do lives in Lake Toxany. She fell in love with the town and lake as a teenager. Claire was faced with a difficult decision to choose love or status. Even as a middle age women she is still looking back on her choices. 

Lena is a young women who married for passion and love. She has plans for life for herself and her husband but with the stock market crash things have changed. As she lives out her new married life she realizes that life doesn't always turn out as we hoped. 

I love this story because of the friendships and strong characters. There is mystery and history of the land and events. There is also a side of romance. It is beautifully well written. It is a page turner that keeps you wondering how things will turn out. I highly recommend this story! 

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.

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Reviewer: Paula Shreckhise

Wow, what an encouraging book! 

Emotionally rich and captivating, this story just got better and better. 

“It’s the hard things that do us the most good in the long run.”

Lena and Preston certainly knew hard, going from prosperity to poverty thanks to the stock market crash in 1930. They head to Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, for a job. Lena connects with widow Claire Roth and finds a job as a personal assistant, and Preston joins his brother at a mill run by John Bellamy. Things go wrong, but Lena learns to believe in herself thanks to mentoring by Claire. Preston finds faith and forgiveness, and a new direction. Dreams were shattered, but: “Sometimes tears are the only thing that can irrigate the wounds of the heart.”

This was a heartfelt, beautiful story and was very believable with a redemptive thread that made it that much more relevant.

There was a second chance for husband and wife, Lena and Preston, and a later in life romance for Claire and John. A mysterious legend of a treasure that could change lives for better or worse, or just fade into memories. “It’s a blessing when memories go soft. As the hard parts fade, the memories shift to feel like an old shirt. A little threadbare maybe, but so familiar against your heart, you can’t let them go.” 

A satisfying read. 

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.

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Reviewer: Winnie Thomas

Talented author Sarah Loudin Thomas brings history to life in her new book, These Empty Places. Well-researched with a richly painted setting near Lake Toxaway in North Carolina, this story is built around the dam break that gutted the lake in 1916 and the Great Depression that occurred later. The characters are realistically flawed but engaging, and I enjoyed seeing them evolve, mature, and realize what is important in life.  

The tale is centered around two ladies, Claire Roth who rejected the man she loved for a life of comfort by her beloved lake, and socialite Lena Hawkins who married the man she loved but ended up penniless when he lost everything speculating in the stock market. The two women’s lives converge when Lena and her husband move to Lake Toxaway for work. Through hardships, hard work, and life’s difficulties, they all become stronger and more compassionate. 

Themes of forgiveness, hope, and becoming stronger through adversity make this story an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Rebecca Maney

"Sometimes love requires a grand gesture, but most of the time it requires patient persistence."

Claire Roth had already learned the lesson of patience, but newly married Lena Hawkins was barreling down the road of unexpected challenges at a high rate of speed. Lena and her husband Preston had gone from riches to rags almost overnight when Preston's speculative investments on the stock market had crashed along with much of the nation's economy. Lena's upper crust upbringing had not prepared her for poverty and her affluent parents refused to support the newlyweds, having discouraged the union from the beginning.

When Lena and Preston move to the Lake Toxaway area to live with Preston's brother and wife, Lena crosses paths with the widowed Claire Roth whose money and prestige had survived the economic downturn, and whose philanthropic heart sensed a kinship with her young neighbor, offering her a job and time spent with someone wiser to the ups and downs of a young marriage. Along the way Claire is offered a second chance at love, testing her resolve to put her own past to rest in order to embrace an entirely different kind of future.

What a wonderfully written story about two women at different stages of life whose experiences criss cross the gamut of trials and triumphs, offering a poignant reminder that troubles breed strength.

"There's nothing like thinking you've lost everything you care about to make you willing to do whatever it takes to start again."

I voluntarily reviewed an early copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

I enjoyed this slow paced novel very much.

The lives of Lena and Claire were very realistic and interesting. I couldn’t put this novel down!

Preston I didn’t care much for, but I understood some of what he’s trying to do. Most of us want to do it on our own with no help from anyone. But, sometimes you just have to ask. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s prideful not to ask.

I loved the setting. Thomas describes it so well that I feel as if I’m really there. It’s a place I’ve never been.

Well paced, and I felt like I learned a little something new along the way.

I loved the faith filled themes throughout this story.

I loved how the lessons learned in this book are for everyone, even in real life.

I took away the real meaning of the word treasure from this beautiful story.

Sometimes you learn to appreciate what or who you have until you don’t. They can disappear in the blink of an eye, so to speak.

I didn’t want this story to end it was so good. I have to wait for a long time for another one of hers. She’s among my favorite authors.

The cover of this book is gorgeous!

5 stars for a job well done and for keeping me interested all the way through.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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