Diana's Review Of 'The Captive Heart' By Michelle Griep

The Captive Heart

The Captive Heart By Michelle Griep
Shiloh Run Press, October 1, 2016

Reviewed By Diana Flowers
~5 stars!~
(No Spoilers!)

Captivating!

In The Captive Heart, author Michelle Griep pens a spellbinding saga that sweeps the reader away to the heart of the strikingly beautiful, but perilous wilderness of South Carolina—fraught on every hand with wild animals, savage Indians, harsh elements, and unscrupulous, evil men. 

After her brute of an employer makes unwanted advances towards her, elegant English governess, Eleanor Morgan, has little choice but to flee to the colonies. When the family she is to work for never shows up, Eleanor is forced to settle for the only option available—marriage to a trapper and tracker who is determined to find a mother for his little girl, Grace.

Samuel Heath is looked upon by many as a murderer with a scarred face, hair as wild as a Gypsy's, and piercing, penetrating eyes. Eleanor finds him quite frightening and enigmatic, but in spite of his brawny, formidable persona, he treats her as one should a lady—never stepping beyond the bounds of propriety—while continuing to protect her from dreadfully precarious situations. Just who is this mysterious man and why do the Cherokee Indians hold him in such high esteem, but not the gossiping townsfolk? And why does the prim governess's heart do a strange dance when he draws a bit too close for comfort?

I have heard so many marvelous things about this author that my curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to read her work. WOW! Talk about someone's heart doing a strange dance!? Mine was definitely racing out of control right along with Eleanor's during a wild animal attack, a terrible forest fire, and umm, well...definitely every time the the hunky hero showed up on the scene! lol Michelle Griep knows how to write an emotionally gripping novel that keeps the reader glued to every page...with complex, multi-faceted characters, descriptive prose, and suspense! Not to mention breathtaking romantic tension that left me weak in the knees. Oh my! I'm definitely a new fan and anxiously await her next book! If you don't read another novel again this year —

BE.SURE.NOT.TO.MISS.THIS.ONE!

This novel may be purchased through Amazon, CBD, B&N, BAM, and your local bookstore. 

GIVEAWAY: Michelle Griep is generously offering a paperback copy of The Captive Heart to one blessed commenter! (US entrants only.) Please be sure to leave your email address for contact purposes should your name be drawn - written (at) and (dot) to protect yourself from spammers. 

Noela Nancarrow reviews UNDERCOVER BRIDE by Margaret Brownley

Undercover Bride

Undercover Bride (Undercover Ladies, Book 2)

By Margaret Brownley

Barbour Publishing, Inc (June 1, 2015)

Reviewed by Noela Nancarrow

5 Stars *****

Tying the knot – might it be in marriage or with a noose?

Three things I KNOW will happen when I read a story by Margaret Brownley. 1. I know I will be thoroughly entertained by a completely unique and captivating plot. 2. I know I will learn little-known yet fascinating historical facts. 3. I know at some stage I will laugh out loud! You can expect all these things and more whilst reading this second, although completely stand-alone book, in Margaret Brownley’s ‘Undercover Ladies’ series.

Pinkerton detective Maggie Cartwright has been assigned the daunting task of going undercover as a mail-order bride to Garrett Thomas, the man suspected of being the Whistle-Stop Bandit. Her mission is to dazzle this alleged thief and murderer while searching for evidence to be used against him in a trial. But Maggie has barely arrived in Arizona Territory when the wedding is moved up, so she is desperate to discover incriminating evidence before she finds herself married to a criminal!

As Maggie gets to know Garrett as the gentle and devoted father of two endearing children, she finds herself torn when the facts begin to stack up against him. As much as she despairs of tearing this ‘unfairly handsome’ bandit away from his children, Pinkerton agents never let emotions get in the way of capturing their man.

The tentative feelings that develop between the main characters have disaster written all over them, yet this conflict doesn’t hinder the sweet, exciting, and precarious romance in Undercover Bride. And as always, author Margaret Brownley creates a brilliant secondary cast. Deserving a mention is the fabulous Aunty Hetty who, in her mind, could die at any time with her imaginary myriad of maladies. This tale is first and foremost a mystery, one that is unpredictable and extremely well-executed. The spiritual themes of forgiveness and seeking God add layers of inspiration, and the ‘miracle’ that wakes up the church is a stroke of genius! Highly recommended and guaranteed to keep the midnight-oil burning!

*Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of Undercover Bride to review. I was not required to give a positive review.

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You will find this book at these places and others: Amazon; CBD; Barnes & Noble

Check out Margaret's page for a load of fun and fascinating facts, plus all her books! Margaret Brownley ~ Love and Laughter in the Old West

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GIVEAWAY: An E-book of 'Undercover Bride' from Margaret Brownley, plus we have a $10 Amazon gift card which will be given away to someone who posts comments on BOTH my review of 'Undercover Bride' and on Diana's review of 'Mist of Midnight' by Sandra Byrd coming up on Thursday! 

Brentwood's Ward by Michelle Griep - Valentine Giveaway!

Brentwood's Ward

Brentwood's Ward
by Michelle Griep

Shiloh Run Press (January, 2015)

Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

5 Stars *****

GREAT VALENTINE's DAY SELF-GIFT!!!

It's been a while since I've read a novel with writing at such a stellar level! Because I'm often writing and editing my own stuff I've just become super critical of what I read. Argh!!! Then I read Noela's review of Michelle Griep's new Regency. Because of what she wrote, I decided to read the copy I'd downloaded from NetGalley. (Full disclosure, I was under no compulsion to give a positive review.)

Characterization and story line were well done and writing craft exceptional. In fact, periodically I'd stop reading and just decide I should stop bothering to write anything more myself because Michelle's beautiful wordsmithing floored me!

She captures a time in London's history, early 1800's, when there were no police. Those who did work as Bow Street Runners" were mocked for their efforts and many, to earn a living, had to also perform detective work.  Hero, Nicholas Brentwood, is losing his sister, and can't turn down the offer to guard the daughter of a wealthy slave ship owner (another nice twist is that law has just been enacted to END this horrible practice in England.)  Emily Payne, although lovely and entitled is also embued with a fragility that makes her more likable plus her father has been unloving and even placed her in an unsafe situation which resulted in terrible consequences for her maid.

In a time when one's marriage matches determined the future, the underbelly of that system is fully exposed in this novel.

Faith messages included placing trust in God instead of self, finding one's own faith, and drawing on faith in difficult circumstances.

Bibliotherapy elements: This wasn't a strong bibliotherapy book per se and I'm loathe to indicate them all because I'm concerned that they'd result in spoilers. There's so much happening in this book that I'd have a long list of potential themes but my recommendation is just enjoy the great writing and don't worry about the therapeutic value of the story.

LIKELY TO BE ONE OF MY BEST OF 2015 BOOKS!!!

Purchase 'Brentwood's Ward' at: Amazon; CBD; Barnes & Noble; BAM; Book Depository.

GIVEAWAY: A copy of Brentward's Ward to one of our Valentine's Day weekend commenters!

Noela Nancarrow reviews BRENTWOOD'S WARD by Michelle Griep

Brentwood's Ward

Brentwood's Ward
by Michelle Griep

Shiloh Run Press: Gld edition (January 1, 2015)

Reviewed by Noela Nancarrow

5 Stars *****

Michelle Griep pens an exquisite Regency novel that’s set in London 1807, incorporating shades of suspense, mystery, and romance in such an atmospheric story that it gives you the impression that you’ve just fallen into another era. And much like the misty rain blanketing London, a cloak of intrigue envelops this story, wholly enticing the reader to lose themselves within.

How difficult could guarding an heiress be? Lawman Nicholas Brentwood wonders this, especially after discovering that some of his colleagues had already turned down this lucrative assignment that was handed to him. Intent on earning enough to help his ailing sister, Nicholas takes on the challenging task of protecting the beautiful, although spoilt and headstrong heiress Emily Payne, and unwittingly lands in an evolving world of mystery and murder. Nicholas was as unprepared for that, as he was with the unraveling of his heart to Emily.

Emily Payne believes her entire future depends upon the upcoming ball, where she intends to garner a husband – and she has a particular man in mind! But is her new tag-along guardian going to mess up her plans in snaring a wealthy husband? However, as the grave danger around Emily increases, this may end up being the least of her troubles!

A master at words, author Michelle Griep adeptly molds her prose to bring life to every sentence in an invigorating story that serves up scads of suspense, peril, romance, and faith. I adored the richly-crafted characters such as the extremely perceptive hero Nicholas, and the self-indulgent Emily that has a penchant for hats, and found that these two inspired the most delightful dialogue. Woven throughout and tying this novel together, were the heartening messages on building trust and developing more positive attitudes in spite of circumstances, knowing that God is in charge.

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Purchase 'Brentwood's Ward' here: Amazon; CBD; Barnes & Noble; BAM; Book Depository..

GIVEAWAY: A $10 Amazon gift card will be given away to one blessed commenter!