My Review
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction.


My Rating: 3 and ½ Stars because of violence.

Recommendation: 14 and up, because of how some characters act.

My favorite character/s: Johanna Langley is a strong character, I love how she takes care of the people who she cares about.

My Verse for Johanna is Psalm 4:1
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. King James Version.

Alexander Moore is an okay character, I love how he acts with Thomas and he gets better through the book.

My Verse for Alexander is Romans 13:13
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. King James Version.

My thoughts: I enjoy this book, Historical Fiction is one of my favorite Genres and this book does not disappoint.

Slight spoiler,
Warning Some men are rude and disrespectful to Johanna, and there is a bit of violence.

I received this book from Celebrate Lit in exchange for my honest review and the thoughts are my own. ( )

This is the second book by Michelle Griep I have read. I have not been disappointed! This book is a love story but it is so much more! This is a Christian historical fiction novel but not overly preachy by any means. There are themes of honesty, trust, and kindness throughout.

The main character is Johanna and she is a 25 year old single woman living with her mother and brother. They run a local inn in Dover. They are struggling to keep the inn afloat and trying to find new ways to bring in lodgers to stay. They also have a tavern where they serve drinks and food. It became run down when Johanna’s father died and they are now struggling to find funds to pay the mortgage and make needed repairs. The repairs often take a backseat when funds are short. There is a classic “landlord” who is pressuring them in hopes of stealing it away from them scenario running in the background of the story throughout.

It is certainly a colorful cast or characters!

A man named Mr. Lucius Nutbrown seems to be a little strange. He carries a hand puppet around named Nixie and only seems to communicate with others using the puppet.

There is a man named Quail and he is the fiddler in a band that is hired to entertain at the inn for room and board. The problem is that none of them seem to be very good musicians and he is quite flirty with Johanna. This makes her very uncomfortable.

A gentleman by the name of Alexander Morton enters the scene with a very secretive life. He is a kindhearted man by day and a gambler by night. He carries a gun everywhere he goes and has an odd set of skills for a supposed wine importer. He seems to always have business to attend to but no one ever really knows where he goes when he leaves the inn.

There is a local viscount and his daughter that seem to provide evening gambling opportunities for several men in the area but there seems to be more to them than meets the eye.

There are nasty characters who don’t hesitate to abuse and kill if they feel the need. It is certainly not a “gentle” story in that regard. I love a good book with clear bad guys and clear good guys. I love that this one does not cross the line into confusing us on that point.

It is all very secretive and twisty! It has all the elements of a great novel for me… intrigue, romance, twisty plots, a happy ending and justice served for most of the characters. It is historically accurate with the occasional spying and intrigue going on behind the scenes. There is something big… very big… happening but Johanna is so consumed with trying to save her inn she just might miss it. The author weaves the story and characters together in a very logical fashion and keeps the story exciting right up to the last page.

I highly recommend this book for those who love a little mystery and intrigue as well as a good historical novel. I would give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I just loved it and wanted to share it with you guys! ( )

I delighted in this novel, another in the Bow Street runners series. Joanna works her heart to the bone at the Blue Hedge Inn her family owns. She watches over her young brother and her aging mother who are her world. The Inn’s holds a rough crowd in the lower class section of Dover, England, but it’s her life and she must make ends meet to pay the rent. Unbeknownst to her, an undercover officer has taken up residence under her roof, with the name of Alexander Morton. He’s not the usual customer since he pays ahead of time for his room and board. The bar brings in ruffians and some aren’t who they seem to be.

I enjoyed the intrigue and mystery played out in the plot. The two main characters cannot deny the chemistry that develops between them. Alexander struggles to maintain his strong, godly beliefs while he discovers who is smuggling at the docks. The author incorporates some humorous and colorful characters, such as Mr. Nutbrown, who only speaks through his puppet and skips paying his bill by climbing out his window.

Michelle Griep, one of my favorite writers, brings depth, true human flaws plus graces into her books. She clearly believes that faith in God is worth clinging to in any circumstance. ( )

I received this as a free kindle book through Goodreads Giveaway. Overall all the story was interesting and I enjoy historical fiction. I debated on the rating (3 vs 4) and decided it was missing something or it was just too slow moving but a good story line. ( )

Where do I begin?? I loved this book! From the first page it had me hooked. I was already telling my family to read this book while I was still in the second chapter! Michelle Griep has a way with words. I really enjoyed how all her characters were different, and they stayed different throughout the whole book instead of blending together towards the end like some stories do. And then, you think you've figured it all out, but nope! Miss Michelle throws another curve! It was awesome! This story was filled with lots spiritual content, intrigue, suspense and plenty of laugh out loud moments! I really didn't want this book to end!

Note: There were a few fighting scenes that could be a little much for some people and some comments hinted at things I wasn't comfortable with. But I still loved this story! Miss Michelle is an author I definitely want on my shelf! ( )