The Thief of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep review

 Title:  The Thief of Blakcfriars Lane

Author:  Michelle Griep

 Ch: 33

 Pg:  320

Genre:  Christian Historical mystery, romance

 Rating: 4 stars

 
Publisher: Barbour

 

I’m not going to lie I picked the one of because the title and cover were giving me Sherlock Holmes vibes. But The Thief of Blackfriars lane was so much more than that. I was hooked for the first page. But while reading it also gave me Oliver Twist vibes as well.

Constable Jackson Forge had a chip on his shoulder, and he was trying to prove himself. Kit Turner’s an “thief” with a heart of gold. Neither trust the other but they’re going to need each other to solve a crime and save Jackson’s job.

But I have to say Kit Turner was my favorite I loved her spunk and her sass. Historical fiction needs more sassy and spunky heroines. And I wish this one had a sequel. I want more Kit and Jackson adventures.

Fans of Rachel McMillan’s Herrington and Watts mysteries will enjoy this one.

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

 

The Noble Guardian review

Title:  The Noble Guardian

Author: Michelle Griep

Series: The Bow Street Runners book 3

 

Chapters: 32 Plus epilogue

Pages: 319

Genre: Christian historical Romance 

Rating: 4 stars

The Noble Guardian is the third and final book in the Bow Street Runners series.  I enjoyed this one more than the second one in the series but not as much as the first.  I did enjoy this series about the bow street runners pretty much the forerunners to the London police department.  

Abigail Gilbert thinks she's leaving a loveless home for something better but she's in for a surprise.  Captain Samuel Thatcher is looking forward to his upcoming retirement when he agrees to see Abigail safe to her betrothed.  But along the way danger lurks at every turn testing both in more ways than one.  Both will have to learn to trust God and that His ways are not our ways.  

To me this felt a bit like a Cinderella story.  In which Abigail leaves a bitter step mother and a loveless home with a picture of what prince charming looks only to discover that sometimes princes charm can be found in unlikely places. 

I am looking forward to the next book from Michelle Griep and would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, the late regency period and England. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Review of The Captured Bride

Title: The Captured Bride 

Author: Michelle Griep 

Pages: 256

Series: Daughters of the Mayflower book 3 

Genre: Christian Historical fiction 

Rating: 4 stars 

The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep is the third book in the Daughters of the Mayflower, but it was the first book in the series that I didn't DNF. While the writing of the first two books was good the storyline of The Mayflower Bride and The Pirate Bride just didn't hold my attention.  

But I loved Mercy Lytton and Elias Dubois. Everyone thought Elias was a traitor who started out working for the English but then switched to the French. Mercy was a woman doing a man's job as a scout. Half white half Mohawk but raised as a full blooded Mohawk.   

I always seem to like the frontier stories set during the colonial period more than the ones set in the "civilized"  areas of the colonies. These stories just seem more real with strong characters both male and females, because I pretty sure colonial and frontier women had to be tough in order to survive. Michelle's The Captured Bride captures those aspects of a frontier novel. She's not afraid to shy away from the rough, gritty, and dirty aspects of frontier life.  Real frontier life wasn't pretty and it wasn't clean.  

In The Captured Bride, Michelle Griep doesn't white wash history but she also doesn't make the Natives out to be the automatic villains either so that was a nice change of pace from similar novels. This is the second frontier novel by Michelle that I have read the other being A Captive Heart.  In both these novels her main character has a foot in two worlds, one white and the other Native.   She does it with the right balance she doesn't favor one side over the other. 

The Captured Bride was the first novel I read set during the French and Indian War, I now want to look for other book set during this time period.  As well as more books by Michelle Griep. She now joins Laura Frantz as my go to frontier authors. 

Review of The Captive Heart

Title: The Captive Heart

Author: Michelle Griep

Chapters: 40

Pages: 309

Genre:  Christian Historical fiction, Christian Historical Romance

Rating:  5 stars

     In The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep Eleanor Morgan has run away from England with little or no options. Once in the colonies she has only one option marriage.  She ends up married to Samuel Heath, a trapper and tracker raised by the Cherokee. He only  wants a mother for his young daughter. But since everyone in his community believes him to be a murder no one wants to marry him. Till Eleanor comes to town running for her past. 

     Eleanor has a hard time adjusting to life with Sam, and her new life on the North Carolina Frontier.  As well as the fact that Sam's best friend is a full blood Cherokee. 

     The Captive Heart is a historical fiction novel with a hint of romance set in on the North Carolina frontier before the American Revaluation. At a time when the Cherokee fill that their land and way of life is being threatened. But it to me it was also a bit of a Beauty and Beast retelling; Eleanor is the beauty character and Sam with his scars both physical and emotional is the beast. Michelle has a way of making her character's come to life and jump off the page and Eleanor and Samuel in The Captive Heart was no different.  Both the characters have a lot to learn not only about each other but themselves and God as well.  The Captive Heart is also a story of healing, finding love and learning to trust God. 

Review of Brentwood's Ward

Title: Brentwood’s Ward

Author: Michelle Griep

Series: Bow Street Runners

 

Chapters: 34

Pages: 314

Genre: Christian Historical fiction Christian Historical Romance

Rating: 5 stars

Brentwood’s Ward is basically Jane Austen meets  Sherlock meets Copper.  I am always iffy on Regency books. So far the only ones I had liked had been Jane Austen’s.   But with Brentwood’s Ward I was happily surprised with this one.   Nicholas Brentwood  is a Bow Street Runner basically an earlier London cop.  He is hired to protect  Miss Emily Payne.  However Emily thinks that her guardian is going to prevent her from finding a husband this season.  Nicholas realizes that Emily and her pug Alfie is going to give him trouble. This may be his toughest case to date.  What starts as protection detail soon turns to  a murder mystery.

I really did enjoy Brentward’s Ward to the point of I cannot wait for the next book in the series.  I’ve always been a history lover  and a criminal justice major so I loved that this was based on the forerunner of the London police department.  And in reality the forerunner to most modern police agencies.

I received a e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.