Diana's Corner - Book Review Bandit's Hope by Marcia Gruver

Bandit's Hope 
by Marcia Gruver 
(Backwoods Brides-Book Two)


Review by Diana Flowers

5 stars~*****

Historical Fiction At Its Finest!

Marcia Gruver has crafted another masterpiece of a book in Bandit's Hope; a tale of love, forgiveness, greed, and deceit in 19th century Mississippi  Mariah Bell is a beautiful half Choctaw woman, and owner and proprietess of Bell's Inn, a place that she has promised her deceased mother to never give up. In keeping that promise, Mariah becomes a harborer of a very dark secret, that if revealed, threatens her very relationship with those she loves. Tiller McRae lands on the doorstep of Bell's Inn in need of shelter for a few days, and Mariah hires him as a handyman to perform long overdue repairs on the inn.

Tiller, a product of an unjust childhood, ran away from home ten years ago with his friend, Nate, and ends up in more trouble than he can handle; a life of an outlaw and a swindler, but a life that he is tired of and willing to give up for the beautiful Mariah. But if she finds out his secret, will she have him?...especially when two very handsome Choctaw Indian braves, and a childhood friend are all vying for Mariah's hand as well. And when a severely injured Otis Gooch is brought to the inn to be nursed back to health, what secret does he hold, that terrifies Tiller to the core, should the elderly man ever regain his memory and reveal it? And who steals Mariah away and why, and will the men reach her before it is too late?

I absolutely loved this tale, with its wonderful characters, twists and turns, and page turning excitement! Marcia Gruver is a master storyteller, who laces her novels with rich Southern humor (I loved Otis Gooch!) to offset the dark times her characters face. With a strong spiritual thread of love and forgiveness throughout, this book is a must read! Although Raider's Heart is the first book in the Backwoods Brides Series, Ms. Gruver does a good job of recapping so that it may be read as a stand alone, although I highly recommend them both. Nicely done!

This book was sent to me by Barbour Publishing and I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions are my own.


Giveaway:  Marcia is generously giving away a copy of Raider's Heart this week.  We at Overcoming Through Time - With God's Help are also doing a giveaway of beaded jewelry made by Carrie - a backwoods woman herself, although not a backwoods bride!  Leave a comment and your email address to enter for both giveaways.