Top Ten Summer 2021 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Summer 2021 TBR List.

1. The Prince of Spies (Hope & Glory, # 3) by
2. The Second Blind Son (Chronicles of Saylok, # 2) by Amy Harmon
3. The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale
4. Crossed Lines (Love Along the Wires, # 2) by Jennifer Delamere
5. The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young
6. The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
7. The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski
8. Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, # 7) by Sarah J Maas
9. Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey
10. Hooked on You (Maple Falls, # 1) by Kathleen Fuller

Which books are on your Summer 2021 TBR List? Let me know!

Ten Books I Didn't Get to in 2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Didn't Get to in 2020.

1. Hooked on You (A Maple Falls Romance, # 1) by Kathleen Fuller
2. A Wild Hope (Wild Swan Trilogy, # 1) by Celeste de Blasis
3. The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
4. The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, # 1) by Aime Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
5. The Seventh Sun (The Age of the Seventh Sun, # 1) by Lani Forbes
6. The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena
7. Fireborn (The Aurelian Cycle, # 1) by Rosaria Mundo
8. The Hive by Barry Lyga
9. Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, # 7) by Sarah J Maas
10. Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning

Which books did you not get around to in 2020? Let me know!

Top Ten Winter 2020 TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Winter 2020 TBR List.

1. The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep
2. Hooked on You (A Maple Falls Romance, # 1) by Kathleen Fuller
3. A Wild Hope (Wild Swan Trilogy, # 1) by Celeste de Blasis
4. The Other Side of the Sky (The Other Side of the Sky, # 1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
5. Layla by Colleen Hoover
6. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, # 2) by Jennifer L Armentrout
7. A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 4) by Sarah J Maas
8. The Gentleman Spy (Serendipity & Secrets, # 2) by Erica Vetsch
9. Faith's Mountain Home (Hearts of Montana, # 3) by Misty M Beller
10. Sword of Rage (Reigning Kingdoms, # 1) by Jennifer Anne Davis

Which books are on your Winter 2020 TBR List? Let me know!

The House at the End of the Moor - Review

The House at the End of the Moor

By: Michelle Griep

Publication: April 1st 2020 by Shiloh Run Press

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?

Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house. Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.

The cover of this one gives me a mystery vibe. I'm a fan of Michelle Griep. My favorite book by her has been The Captive Heart. And I did enjoy her Bow Street Runners series. But I will say that her books sometimes trail into being more plot-driven instead of romance-driven. And while that isn't wrong or bad, my personal preference usually tends towards the relationship-driven. The House at the End of the Moor was one of these plot-driven books.

Maggie was an opera singer but fled her life in Bath after being propositioned and threatened with bodily harm to her father. She's found a new life of anonymity with only a maid and manservant.

Oliver was wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison. He's determined to escape and find justice by figuring out who did the crime he was accused of. When he's injured in his escape and Maggie's maid stumbles upon him not far from their home, Maggie takes him in to restore him to health. The two find out that they are linked by the real criminals. And they decide to travel to Bath to find out the truth and to clear Oliver's name.

Meanwhile, Oliver is being hunted by the constable/prison guard he escaped from. Sebastian comes off as evil but really his motivations are twisted and his understanding of God and His will is a bit skewed as well. Maggie is also being pursued by her former manager who wants his prize goose back.

Through the dangers of both being chased as well as rooting out the criminals responsible for committing a crime and bribing witnesses and a judge to have Oliver wrongly convicted, Oliver and Maggie learn what each other is made of. And of course, they begin to fall in love. As I said, the story is much more driven by the action of figuring out the real criminals as well as fleeing those chasing them than by their growing feelings for each other. I enjoyed both, but as my blog is about telling how a book made me feel, I think I would have enjoyed a bit more romance.

I particularly liked the side story of reconciliation. Oliver and his father have a strained relationship. Maggie and her father also had a strange relationship. Only one of the characters has an opportunity to make things better with their father, but I enjoyed this aspect of both characters' lives.

I didn't really have any complaints about The House at the End of the Moor. I read it quickly and was invested in the characters and their journeys. I liked the romance even though I could have enjoyed a little more between them. The House at the End of the Moor gets 4 Stars. Have you read The House at the End of the Moor? What did you think? Let me know!

The Noble Guardian - Review

The Noble Guardian (The Bow Street Runners, # 3)

By: Michelle Griep

Expected Publication: June 1st 2019 by Shiloh Run Press

320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Regency

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A Cross-Country Trip through Regency England Brings Intrigue, Rogues, and High Adventure

The must-read conclusion to Michelle Griep’s Bow Street Runners Trilogy: Life couldn’t be better for Abigail Gilbert—but it’s been a long time in coming. Having lived with a family who hated her, it’s finally her time for love. Abby sets off on a journey across England to marry one of the most prestigious gentlemen in the land—until highwaymen upset her plans and threaten her life.

Horse patrol captain Daniel Thatcher arrives just in time to save Abby. But she’s simply another victim in a job he’s come to despise. Tired of the dark side of humanity, he intends to buy land and retire.

Abby pleads with him to escort her for the rest of her journey. He refuses—until she offers him something he desperately needs to achieve his goal. . .money. Delivering her safely will give him more than enough to buy property.

So begins an impossible trek for the cynical lawman and the proper lady. Each will be indelibly changed by the time they reach her betrothed, if they don’t kill one another first—or fall in love.

The Bow Street Runners series hasn't been a complete win for me. I really enjoyed Brentwood's Ward, but The Innkeeper's Daughter was a disappointment. I wanted to put off reading The Noble Guardian mostly because I needed a change in genre, but the publication date was quickly approaching so I decided to go ahead and read it.

I could quickly tell that the story and characters would be more interesting to me than The Innkeeper's Daughter. Abby's struggle with her family was heartbreaking from the beginning. Her determination to remain strong and her hope for a bright future despite her past was what really pulled me in.

Thatcher took a bit more convincing to be Abby's guardian than I expected. I guess my ignorance of what would be involved in being a traveling guardian came out here because I was expecting Thatcher to ride in the carriage with Abby so they could have all kinds of great conversations. It makes sense that this wouldn't be the case as the culture of the day wouldn't have really allowed it, plus you can actually guard better OUTSIDE of the carriage I suppose. I had no real complaints about Thatcher himself. Maybe a little more backstory besides him having been in the military and having lost a sister when he was younger. Not much else was explored.

I never even thought about the difficulties of transporting a baby in a carriage for long distances. Man, this was an interesting addition. Emma's part of The Noble Guardian was bittersweet. She was endearing, and as a mother of two young children, I can completely understand how draining it must have been to look after her in a confined space without the safety features we would have today.

Favorite quotes:

-"In my line of work, you run either from God or toward Him."

-"Past hurts often lose their sting when shared with others."

-To be driven to such extremes, loving wholeheartedly and desperately wishing for a minute alone? Or was she being selfish? Either way, God bless each and every self-sacrificing mother on the planet.

-"Life is more than good ideas. It's the risks that return greater results."

The Noble Guardian was more what I've come to expect from Michelle Griep. I was interested in and invested in the characters' well-being and happiness. While Thatcher was definitely involved in law-keeping and guarding, he had much less of a mystery to solve than the prior two books in this series. Personally, I was glad for that. The Noble Guardian gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Noble Guardian? What did you think? Let me know!

The Innkeeper's Daughter - Review

The Innkeeper's Daughter (Bow Street Runners, # 2)

By: Michelle Griep

Publication: March 1st 2018 by Shiloh Run Press

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Regency

Source: Personal Kindle Library (freebie)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A London officer goes undercover to expose a plot against the Crown

Dover, England, 1808: Officer Alexander Moore goes undercover as a gambling gentleman to expose a high-stakes plot against the king—and he’s a master of disguise, for Johanna Langley believes him to be quite the rogue. . .until she can no longer fight against his unrelenting charm.

All Johanna wants is to keep the family inn afloat, but when the rent and the hearth payment are due at the same time, where will she find the extra funds? If she doesn’t come up with the money, there will be nowhere to go other than the workhouse—where she’ll be separated from her ailing mother and ten-year-old brother.

Alex desperately wants to help Johanna, especially when she confides in him, but his mission—finding and bringing to justice a traitor to the crown—must come first, or they could all end up dead.

So I've loved Michelle Griep in the past. I adored The Captive Heart and really enjoyed Brentwood's Ward. The concept of the Bow Street Runners was so fascinating to me that I was excited to jump into The Innkeeper's Daughter. However, things didn't go as smoothly as I wanted.

Probably my biggest issue with The Innkeeper's Daughter was the pacing. It felt so slow to me. I was probably 60% or more finished before I felt invested. There was so much bouncing around with the plot that it was just about impossible to feel as if I had any of the secrets figured out. I certainly don't like to figure everything out with books that involve some sort of mystery, but I do like to feel like I've got an idea of what might be going on.

Similarly, I didn't click with Johanna and Alex. Feelings developed way too quickly without much deep interaction between the two. I needed more. I wanted more. I just felt like everything was rushed overall.

Mr. Nutbrown (Hare as I call him in my head) was a struggle for me. I don't want to put down anyone who might have a similar mental condition (I'm not exactly sure what diagnosis Mr. Nutbrown would have if he were in a modern medical environment). Yet I just got constantly frustrated with him and his part in the entire story.

Overall I was just really disappointed. I thought about DNFing, but I really didn't want to do that since I have The Noble Guardian for review. In the end, I pushed through, yet I didn't really enjoy the journey. The Innkeeper's Daughter gets 2.5 Stars. Have you read The Innkeeper's Daughter? What did you think? Let me know!

Brentwood's Ward - Review

Brentwood's Ward (The Bow Street Runners, # 1)

By: Michelle Griep

Publication: January 1st 2015 by Shiloh Run Press

314 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Regency

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Place an unpolished lawman named Nicholas Brentwood as guardian over a spoiled, pompous beauty named Emily Payne and what do you get? More trouble than Brentwood bargains for. She is determined to find a husband this season. He just wants the large fee her father will pay him to help his ailing sister. After a series of dire mishaps, both their desires are thwarted, but each discovers that no matter what, God is in charge.

I read and loved The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep a few years ago. I knew I wanted to read more of her work after just that one experience. Later I saw The Innkeeper's Daughter as a freebie on Amazon and snatched it up. However, I didn't know it was the 2nd in a series until after the fact so I put off reading it. Then I came across The Noble Guardian (book 3 in the same series) available for review on NetGalley and snatched it up as well. The only thing left to do was purchase Brentwood's Ward and get started on the series praying that I wouldn't be disappointed with Michelle Griep's writing style and thus be uninterested in reading all three books. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed at all.

Emily Payne appears completely spoiled. Her cares seem to be only as deep as caring for her dog and finding the perfect dress or accessories this season to snag the richest husband she can find. Of course, things aren't so simple as that, and Emily certainly has deeper cares and concerns. She does have to learn that life is more than securing a rich husband. And her father's disappearance leaving her in the hands of what basically amounts to a *police officer starts her lessons off with a bang. She quickly learns that it's better to have Nicholas as an ally than an enemy.

Nicholas takes the job of guarding a spoiled socialite for the sole purpose of obtaining the funds to help his dying sister. She needs a miracle, and Nicholas believes that if he can just get her into a better situation she will have what she needs to get better. Yet this job turns out to be more than he ever expected. Emily's father turns up dead. His business partner also turns up dead. And someone is coming after Emily in an attempt to collect on her father's bad debts. Nicholas has to figure out who and how to stop them. But he didn't expect to find himself falling for his ward.

Favorite quotes:

-Nothing was more torturous than dressing in garments tighter than a straightjacket while eating fish bait served on fine china.

-"A person's character is most clearly seen not by what they show, but what they hide."

-Why did emptiness weigh so much?

-"Marriage is a lifelong commitment. Do not run headlong through a door that will lock tight behind you, without first discovering what's on the other side."

-"No one escapes this life without scars, Miss Payne. Not even God."

-Truly, was there anything more horrific than peering at one's own self?

*Michelle Griep has an author's note at the end of Brentwood's Ward that gives a brief history on who and what the Bow Street Runners were. I found this entire idea completely fascinating, and I'm finding that I love not only this time period for the normal aspects of it, but also for the stories that cover situations that aren't the norm or weren't the norm at the time. I'm looking forward to finishing this series and finding out more about these fictional Bow Street Runners.

I didn't want to stop reading Brentwood's Ward. Considering I've been in a small reading slump for over a month this was much needed and helped me break free of my rut. I loved the development between Nicholas and Emily. Each made the other try to better themselves without the entire relationship being about trying to better themselves if that makes sense. I found the Bow Street Runners concept completely fascinating and original. And I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Brentwood's Ward gets 4 Stars. Have you read Brentwood's Ward? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors of 2016

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten New-to-Me Authors of 2016.

When I went to look at my read list for 2016, I was surprised to find that most of my reads were written by authors that I've read before. Almost every single new-to-me author I read this year made my top ten list for the simple fact that I read so few new authors.

1. Cinda Williams Chima - Flamecaster (Shattered Realms, # 1)
2. Marie Rutkoski - The Winner's Trilogy
3. Michelle Griep - The Captive Heart
4. Sarah J Maas - Throne of Glass series
5. Tim Tebow - Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's Storms
6. Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows- My Lady Jane (with Cynthia Hand)
7. Michelle Zink - A Walk in the Sun
8. Natalie Blitt - The Distance from A to Z
9. Shannon A Thompson - November Rain (Bad Bloods, # 1)
10. Lucy Keating - Dreamology

The Captive Heart - Review

The Captive Heart

By: Michelle Griep

Expected Publication: October 1st 2016 by Shiloh Run Press

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a an angry duke. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.

I don't know what it is about stories where the characters end up in a marriage that they didn't start off wanting that I love so much. Do you guys have any idea? Arranged marriages, Vegas sporadic marriages, marriage as a means to an end, fake marriages turned real. These stories intrigue me and pull me in just about every time. Think My Lady Jane, The Kiss of Deception, A Thousand Nights, Lick, Waking Up Married, and Redeeming Love. And The Captive Heart was no different. As a matter of fact, I think The Captive Heart and Redeeming Love have a lot of parts in common.

Honestly guys, despite my penchant for forced marriages, this book was really outside of my norm. I'm not normally a big fan of historical fiction even though I read it occasionally. While I always want my books to have some sort of love story in it, I'm also not usually into "romance novels". Even the book cover design isn't what I normally go for. I usually avoid books where someone's head or body seems to be floating in the clouds above some landscape scene. And what I didn't even know until I started reading this one is that this a Christian book as well. I don't usually avoid Christian fiction, but I don't always seek it out either. Even though I'm a Christian myself, sometimes the genre can be overly cheesy. But each one of those things added into a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Everything about this book pulled me in. Eleanor's found herself in an impossible situation. She was a governess for a wealthy family, but she finds herself married to a man to keep from being basically sold into slavery or sent to jail. She's immediately thrown into the role of caregiver (or mother) and wife even though she didn't choose either role. But she's tries to make the most of the hand she's been dealt. Samuel is a hardened man. His first wife is dead, he has this man set on destroying his life, and most everyone in town is afraid of him. He's lived a rough life for sure. Both lean on God to direct their paths.

Personally, I enjoyed the Christian aspects of this book. It wasn't a book that hit you over the head with a message like the author was trying to teach the reader as sometimes happens in this genre. I would recommend The Captive Heart both because of and despite of the religious parts. If this concerns you because you don't normally enjoy this in your books, I would encourage you to read The Captive Heart anyway. There was this one scene in particular that I would wager was just as hot if not more so than many steamy scenes in other books yet it was completely clean in language and action.

I feel like I'm not doing this review justice. My thoughts are all over the place, and I just have so much to say. I'll just include my favorite quotes and then wrap this up.

-"I am a man who's loyal to God alone."

-"Perhaps God is not calling you to live for peace, but rather to fight for it."

-He'd learned long ago that when a woman said nothing, she meant she'd die a bloody death before divulging what she thought he should already know.

-"Honor always comes at a price, else it would be worthless."

The Captive Heart is a book that is going to stick with me. I can see this being one that I'll want to re-read in the future. Fans of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers will love this one. The Captive Heart proves that you don't need to dirty up a book with language or steamy bedroom scenes to make a book exciting or hot. The Captive Heart gets 4.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Captive Heart? What did you think? Let me know!