Two Different Kinds of Sweet Romance

Looking for a tender romance to while away your social distancing ‘free’ time? These two new releases each share a tender love story–one historical and one contemporary.

The House at the End of the Moor

By Michele Griep, Shilo Run Press, April 2020, 320 pages.

Oliver Ward wants revenge. Revenge on the man who falsely accused him of a crime. He wants justice for himself and for the innocent man in the cell next to him. When an opportunity arises for him to escape the brutality of Dartmouth Prison, he takes it—sure God has opened a way for him. 

Maggie Lee misses her father, but writing to him might reveal her hiding place at the end of the moor. Although she misses parts of her life on stage, she doesn’t miss the assumptions, innuendos, and offers that men rain upon her. She fled one horrible night and vows not to return until the man who propositioned her and threatened her father recants. Her hiding place gives her unexpected freedom and isolation from men—until a half-dead man shows up on the moor.

Why I Loved This Book

This book represents Griep’s best work ever. I love how Maggie speaks in the first person while we get to know Oliver through the third person. This helps the reader feel present during the scenes that Maggie relates, yet keeps what happens to Oliver from feeling overwhelming. If you’ve read Les Miserables, you might feel as if Inspector Javert haunts the book in the form of Officer Barrow. 

The realistic descriptions of prison life, the treatment of poor people, and the underbelly of Bath might make readers flinch. But lovers of accurate historical fiction will appreciate the details. The beauty of Maggie’s voice and lyrical descriptions provide a counterpoint to Oliver’s experiences. 

The pace of the story makes it impossible to set down. The twist at the end provides that satisfying feeling of having read a beautiful book full of depth and meaning, not just another fluffy romance.

@MichelleGriep has a new book! You'll love #TheHouseattheEndoftheMore –historical inspirational romance at it's finest (with enough twists and turns to give it a gothic suspense feel). #bookreview #amreading #netgalley Click To Tweet

Being Known: A Novel (Haven Makers) 

By Robin Jones Gunn, Multnomah, April 2020, 320 pages

A red light on an ordinary southern California January day sets off a series of events that leave Jennalyn Marino staggering under grief. Grief for the mother she lost seven years ago, grief for the way her marriage to the love of her life seems to flounder, and grief in feeling as if no one really knows her. 

While she seems to have everything she needs to cope with the thug in her life (grief), she feels woefully unprepared. Without her fellow Haven Maker friends, she would shatter. When her first boyfriend (and the man she thought she would one day marry) shows up at her daughter’s dance class, Jennalyn starts down a path that could alter her life forever. 

Book two in a series, Being Known explores marriage, friendship, and the little choices we make that can have a huge impact on our lives.

Why I Love This Book

Without sounding like a college psychology textbook, Gunn manages to work in textbook wisdom about communication for married couples. She proves that romance can happen at any stage of a marriage.

Her characters explore ways friendships can sustain and nurture us through life’s dilemmas and trials. The Haven Makers, a diverse group of thirty-something women from different backgrounds, band together in friendship and find ways to nurture each other using their unique superpowers. 

You'll love this new release by @RobinGunn –#romance, #friendship, #growth #BeingKnown #netgalley Click To Tweet

I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.