Griep is one author I will always jump to read!

I was a little surprised by the fact this was a book about an opera singer. A different subject to be sure, yet it was done in a way that I was still gripped by the plotline.

I love the era of the setting, the descriptions were absorbing, and the characters ... Ooh, the characters, there is such an array points of view. I like how Griep isn't shy to show different characters from what some authors show in the Victorian setting.

Maggie Lee (A name that makes me think mob for some reason... *shrugs*), is not your usual heroine. Sure, she may have been in hiding much like some heroines but she is unique to the story, her story, and it is new to me. I'm not sure I've read a book featuring an opera star, I know very little of the art. Learning a bit about it was engrossing!

(*face desk* I had to look up character names. I read this book twenty books ago so that's all right, right? I mean no offense to the author since this book is spell bounding!)

Oliver was a hero I wasn't sure I would like, only from the blurb though. I mean once I started reading I couldn't help with like him. He was quite the hero!

Another character who I shall not name was an unexpected character it was an eerie to have his point of view.

The plot thickened as I rounded the fiftieth percent of the book and I loved it! As it ended I was sad that this book was not a part of a series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
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An opera singer in hiding and a wrongly convicted jewel thief collide on the moors when she finds him half-dead and nurses him back to health. When the necklace Oliver is meant to have stolen are found in Maggie’s possession, together they embark on a journey to clear his name and fix some wrongs in her life too. All the while they must stay just one step ahead of the brutish officer who is intent on returning Oliver to prison.

I was right there in this book for the first half or so. There were some narrow escapes and Oliver in a dress was pretty funny. I had my ups and downs with the characters. And then by the second half, things began to get a bit repetitive. It felt like it took longer than it should have for things and relationships to move forward. The plan to catch the real bad guys always felt flimsy at best. And the ending was a little strange.

I liked Maggie well enough, but I didn’t really care for Oliver. He was violent and usually seemed to chalk it up to the victim deserving it. I didn’t agree with him most of the time. I really liked Cassius, though, though I won’t say who he was exactly, so I don’t spoil anything. I even liked Nora, for all she was in the story. And then there was Barrow, the officer trying to return Oliver to prison. And I’m sure we’re supposed to dislike him, but the violence and wholly inappropriate behavior, alongside a self-righteous attitude was a bit too much for me. Even the pay-off for him, which I began to suspect and frankly would have been really disappointed if the build-up led to nothing, didn’t satisfy me.

This book is rife with coincidences. Besides the fact that Oliver happens to end up in the house of the woman who ended up with the necklace he was accused of stealing, he was at her last performance before she went into hiding. They both want to bring down the same man. And then near the end of the book, there’s this huge, out-of-nowhere coincidence that I do not understand why it was even written into the story.

I also don’t understand the perspective and tense choices the author made for this book. From Maggie’s POV, it’s 1st-person and present tense. For the other POVs (Oliver’s & Barrow’s are the only ones I can remember), it’s 3rd-person and past tense. At times, changing from one to the other left me feeling a bit disoriented. I have never understood the decision to do something like this.

There was an interesting focus on father-child relationships that I liked. I appreciated the atmosphere presented especially while on the moor. Once the story moved to the city, I missed the moor. The Christianity in this book was a bit muddled. Besides Barrow and his warped sense of God, I’m not sure where Oliver ended up at the end. It almost seemed like his redemption came from the love of the woman, the fact that she was willing to marry him, not from God.

Overall, I did enjoy the book to a degree, but was kinda glad when it was over. I was excited to read this book, because I’d read a Christmas novella by the author last December and really liked it. I’m not giving up on Michelle Griep yet and have my eye on a few of her other books. I would recommend this book for fans of Christian romance, especially the historical variety, and judging from other reviews, I’m in the minority again anyway. So if you like this kind of book, please read those other reviews too!

Thank you to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

I just finished reading and I’m physically exhausted! This story will physically capture you and carry you through every step, every pounding, every emotional up and down! It never lets up and will keep you in suspense with all the twists and turns.

I loved this book and the characters. The author did a great job of making the characters so real and the plot so exciting. There was never a dull moment. I loved the setting and the time frame and the history. Don't forget to read the Historical Notes at the end of the book.

I can’t wait to read another book by this author. ( )

I was so excited to win The House at the End of the Moor in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I was so excited I immediately started reading, and couldn't put it down. This novel was a wonderfully wild ride! My imagination was enraptured the entire time I read, and I devoured this book.

The connection between Oliver and Maggie is charming, both of their characters winning over my heart. The "bad guys" had me flustered right along with Oliver and Maggie, and I couldn't wait to see if justice would be served. I really loved the cat and mouse chase of the entire novel, especially the whole sequence in the opera house. I was on pins and needles the entire time and I loved every second, the level of mystery and suspense pure perfection.

The wonderfully eloquent writing of Michelle Griep is masterful, the authors talent radiating through her words. The imagery was breathtaking, my minds eye able to see every detail. Such a telling story that I was sad to see end, The House at the End of the Moor is hands down a must read! ( )

I was thrilled to read the newest novel by an author I can’t get enough of. The cover didn’t draw me in, but the fact I haven’t been disappointed by any of this authors books made me want to read this one. The beginning was slow going as the author took her time in introducing readers to her main characters. It was a struggle as I hadn’t a clue where the author was going with the story, but it was well worth my time. Be patient, as the story picks up when the sheriff bangs on the door of the house at the end of the moor. After that I couldn’t put the book down.

I liked the fact that the author had readers discover who these characters were at the same time the characters realized who the other was. Loved that and the secrets each held close to their chest, as they tried to our smart the other in this mysterious game of chess. I enjoyed the mystery, and danger. There was a strong spiritual thread as the characters struggle with their faith and are confronted by a misguided religious bounty hunter type guy. I enjoyed the splash of romance that added to the intrigue. Maggie Lee and Oliver Ward knew that one wrong move, and they’d come face to face with the enemy and back in the prison’s they’d both escaped from.

There was a creepy dark character, Officer Barrow bounty hunter type, who imagined himself higher than his title of Dartmoor Prison, “spouting Scripture with as much gusto as a stiff eastern wind. He never got it quite right, though. A missing word. An added phrase. His own doctrines colouring God’s precepts to a cadaverous shade.”.

He’s a crazy, cruel man who is on a crusade to right the wrongs of the world so he can get his soul clean from the evil he has done. He was “Trying to mend his relationship with God – done everything in his power to remedy that single moment when he’d taken a man’s life.” seeking revenge.

I enjoyed this complex, emotionally charged novel, with well-developed characters I liked getting to know. The story is filled with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I felt for them, their situation, hurts, triumphs and events that tugged at my heart strings.

I enjoyed and learned much from the historical notes at the end of this intriguing tale. This story would work well for your next book club pick. There is so much to discuss.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org ( )