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The House on Liberty Street — Home of Second Chances
Uncover the dark side of Christmas in this compact, deep and gratifying tale of a resilient, all-female household on the brink of irreversible change.
It is December 24th 2019 in a Victorian home in the small, Northern California Gold-Rush-era riverfront city of Petaluma. Festive tables are set, a roaring fire warms the tree-lit parlor and empty pillowcases rest at the end of the twin beds of widow Adamaria's excited young granddaughters. Rain begins to fall as the four women of the house settle in for a cozy, uneventful holiday. What could possibly go wrong?
The House on Liberty Street unfolds with slow-pleasured holiday preparations as Adamaria and her daughter Gracie prepare for a traditional Italian American wine country Christmas despite their meagre funds.
In turn, heartwarming and harrowing, unexpected events unfold after a stranger disturbs sleep in the early hours of Christmas morning, intensifying the physical, financial and emotional conflicts faced by these formidable women.
It is December 24th 2019 in a Victorian home in the small, Northern California Gold-Rush-era riverfront city of Petaluma. Festive tables are set, a roaring fire warms the tree-lit parlor and empty pillowcases rest at the end of the twin beds of widow Adamaria's excited young granddaughters. Rain begins to fall as the four women of the house settle in for a cozy, uneventful holiday. What could possibly go wrong?
The House on Liberty Street unfolds with slow-pleasured holiday preparations as Adamaria and her daughter Gracie prepare for a traditional Italian American wine country Christmas despite their meagre funds.
In turn, heartwarming and harrowing, unexpected events unfold after a stranger disturbs sleep in the early hours of Christmas morning, intensifying the physical, financial and emotional conflicts faced by these formidable women.
218 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2022
About the author
Frances Rivetti
8 books11 followersNational Indie Excellence Awards Finalist & Independent Publisher's Book Awards 2020 Gold Medal winner for Best Regional Fiction, Pacific West, Big Green Country author Frances Rivetti is a British American writer based in Sonoma County, Northern California.
Her second novel The House on Liberty Street was released in Dec 2022 & was a finalist in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards.
Frances Rivetti's third novel, Floating in the Middle was published in Nov 2025.
Her second novel The House on Liberty Street was released in Dec 2022 & was a finalist in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards.
Frances Rivetti's third novel, Floating in the Middle was published in Nov 2025.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 14, 2023
“The House on Liberty Street” is a charming Northern California cozy thriller that combines the comfort of curling up with a cup of tea in one hand and this exciting page-turner in the other!
The story takes place in the superb setting of septuagenarian Adamarie’s worn, yet regal Victorian house in the lovely picturesque town of Petaluma north of San Francisco.
Besides falling in love with Adamarie and her house, I fell in love with her daughter, Gracie, who’s returned home with her two delightful young daughters after divorcing the abusive, mentally unhinged husband, Raymond.
Now Gracie plans to get on with her life, which means reconnecting with an old high school love interest, all while Raymond lurks ominously in the background.
I should mention all of this takes place at Christmas when the weather is cold and rainy. But inside, the house smells of lavender, homemade biscotti fills the cookie jar, and woodwork gleams in the firelight.
In other words, a cozy place in which to watch a mother’s insistence and a daughter’s determination unite to protect against those who mean harm, while allowing in those who mean to love.
The story takes place in the superb setting of septuagenarian Adamarie’s worn, yet regal Victorian house in the lovely picturesque town of Petaluma north of San Francisco.
Besides falling in love with Adamarie and her house, I fell in love with her daughter, Gracie, who’s returned home with her two delightful young daughters after divorcing the abusive, mentally unhinged husband, Raymond.
Now Gracie plans to get on with her life, which means reconnecting with an old high school love interest, all while Raymond lurks ominously in the background.
I should mention all of this takes place at Christmas when the weather is cold and rainy. But inside, the house smells of lavender, homemade biscotti fills the cookie jar, and woodwork gleams in the firelight.
In other words, a cozy place in which to watch a mother’s insistence and a daughter’s determination unite to protect against those who mean harm, while allowing in those who mean to love.
February 12, 2023
This was a perfect read! Beautiful, fully realized characters (including the two young girls, which I find rare in most of my reads) and this includes the actual House on Liberty street. A much loved and lived-in sanctuary for several generations of small-town Italians, the author poured so much detail into the house descriptions I could easily picture myself in the cozy (and maybe a little damp) rooms. Taking place over just about 24 hours on a Christmas Eve/Day, this book has both suspense and a feeling of steady slow development all at once. It’s a story of a family, both fragile and strong, dealing with loss, acceptance, forgiveness, traditions old and new, and second chances. Even the supporting characters are more than one dimensional and it was easy to picture all of the various human relationships and interactions. Bonus for all the descriptions of the small Northern California town of Petaluma where the book takes place. By the final pages, I felt like these characters could’ve been my own friends and family. Thank you to Frances Rivetti for another satisfying read!
December 13, 2025
It was really 3.5 for me. Started well, seemed a bit confusing at the climax and then ended quickly. Still, it was pretty well done, much better than quite a few books I check out at the library and never finish. I wanted to see how this turned out. I the author keeps writing.
February 21, 2026
Really liked this - took place in Petaluma and written by an acquaintance, we a page turner.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews