I adored When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder. Great character, engaging plot and beautiful setting. Five stars.

I have to be honest. I pushed myself to keep reading this book and was set to give it a two or three rating for over half of it. It is a hard, sad, dark read in my mind. Mr. Stanhope is the true saving grace of the book. A wonderful man really and after a time his son Gilbert shows the same mettle. I will say the characters are realistic enough to give me a near depressed feeling for chapter after chapter.
Finally, coming to an end I wavered on the three-star rating but took it to a low four. The glimpse of hope I finally felt, nearly too late for the book to redeem itself is barely there. I get it. The time period held dark days, especially for the 'lower class' and poor children of the earth.
Miss Duncan and her beloved brother Heath are main characters that endure the absolute worst and some of the best of a few people. Heath is at times the epitome of strength, sacrifice and faith. The Rector is another special character.
The faith in God for both Nan and Heath along with the Stanhope family is one good thread throughout the story.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I received the advanced reader's copy from the publisher and NetGalley. This is my own personal opinion about it. It made me feel sad to be truthful. I may try to read another of the author's books in the future.
Be aware: Severe physical child abuse, attempted rape

This was my first novel by Hannah Linder and I look forward to going back to read her first novel. There were a lot of different points of view, which I actually appreciated. It was unlike other novels I’ve read lately, and I was able to follow along with all the storylines. The beginning did hop along for a few chapters in order for everyone to finally get to the correct ages for the story to pick up pace. I enjoyed the mystery and felt it tied together nicely in the end.

Gilbert, was my favorite character, and I rooted for him throughout the book. I loved his protectiveness for Nan, but wish that we would have seen more of her inner feelings for him as the story progressed. My favorite relationship in the book was that of Nan’s brother. I felt how the trauma of his childhood effected his life and my heart went out to him multiple times throughout the novel. His actions and thoughts were in turmoil with his past and his devotion to God. It effected all his relationships, but I love how it left him open to love also. I felt he was a very well written character.

Overall the story had a bit of a dark feel to it. Their childhood and especially the way Nan’s brother was treated, even at the end of the novel was disturbing. The undesirable demands and actions of their father, as well as the treatment towards Nan by one of the male characters in the story, was also unhealthy and a bit disturbing at times. I didn’t mind these elements, but I could see how others might. This would be my only caveat before recommending this book to anyone.

I struggled at first to truly be invested in this book because the beginning was trying too quickly to cover a significant portion of the children’s life before getting to their current age. However, once it slowed down, it was easier to get involved and intrigued by the story. There were still times that the story felt more rushed. Sometimes scenes ended abruptly which was maybe on purpose but sometimes jarring. And it seemed to lack some of the beautiful prose that I have found in this author’s other stories. But it was still over all well written and enjoyable to read.

I severely disliked father Duncan from the very beginning. It frustrated me the way he could show up after years of being gone, having deserted his children and left them basically on the streets to die, then just assume they are going to love him, and obey and do his every command.

Heath I liked a lot though I should have liked him being a little more firm with his father. But I did love his quiet and mostly gentle nature.

Nan drove me crazy. I got super annoyed with her talent for making poor decisions and her desperation to try and please a father who literally deserted her and who clearly did not love her or treat her well.

I really liked Gilbert and felt for him the most. I felt his heartache and pain and wanted to shake Nan for her immaturity.

Charlotte was one of my favorite side characters. Slightly spoiled but also fun and cute, and just a lonely girl wanting someone to spend time with her. Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope were also great though I didn’t get as much of the mother as I did of the father.

As I got more into the story it got harder to put down. There was enough going on to intrigue me and keep me reading. However, it did get really stressful toward the end when so many bad things were happening and honestly it just felt really dark and hopeless even though apparently the characters did trust in God but sometimes I still felt more of despair and darkness then light and hope. That did come later at the very end, but that was also when things started finally getting better.

Warning: I also personally struggled with the fact that once again there was an almost attempted rape scene at least once, and sort of twice.

*I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

WHEN TOMORROW CAME by HANNAH LINDER is an inspirational historical romance novel with unforgettable chatacters and a strong Christian message. There is mystery, suspense and the glamour of old English estates, and the class distinction that was entrenched in society in the 1800’s. Altogether a thrilling story that will keep you riveted until the end!
Heath Duncan and his sister Nan are abandoned by their father when they are twelve and six respectively. Heath feels responsible for Nan and is relieved when she is taken in by Fredrick Stanhope and his family at Dorrington Hall. She and Gilbert Stanhope, who is fourteen, start off on the wrong foot, but end up great friends and playmates. Heath is taken in by the vicar of Chanfest who instils godly wisdom into the young fellow.
All along Heath and Nan have longed for their father’s return, but the man who comes back from his life at sea is very different to the father they remember. They are caught up in trying to please him, but there is a sinister secret that threatens their lives and the lives of those they have come to love…..
It is a story about unconditional love, forgiveness and redemption, as opposed to hatred, conniving and self seeking.
I cannot recommend this enjoyable read highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

4.25 ⭐️

I don’t know why, but I had the hardest time getting into this book. It took me until almost 40% to get invested in the story, but once I did, there was no putting this book down. The action, the unexpected yet absolutely perfect romance, the moments where I wondered if I would throw my phone across the room if a certain character died, and especially the climax—wow, the author absolutely blew me away and made me feel so many emotions on such a deep level.

My only complaint with the book is that the plot took me a while to understand, and the story felt somewhat disjointed until about 40% through. I think it was just taking a while to unfold and it kinda left me wondering what the point of the plot was, but I’m so glad I stuck with this story because it was so worth the read. The author reminds me so much of Roseanna M. White, so if you love White’s books, I’m sure you’ll love this author’s just as much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of When Tomorrow Came. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

Here's one to pull on your heartstrings! Nan and Heath have been abandoned by their father they are left to fend for themselves on the street, until Nan is rescued by a gentleman. Assured she's cared for, Heath finds his own security with an old caregiver. They grow up apart, only for their father to show up unexpectedly...with demands and expectations, not the man they remember him to be.

This story is told from 4 points of view, sometimes feels a bit back-and-forth, but it keeps the story moving and gives needed insight into the characters. It's a gripping tale, and if you enjoyed her first novel, this one will meet your expectations as she draws you deeply into a story of love, betrayal and protection. For those who enjoy the mysterious suspense in historical fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and for the opportunity to post an honest review!

"When Tomorrow Came" is a Christian romance set starting in 1801 in England. We got scenes from different times in their lives to build the character's motives and show how things came together to create the chaos caused by the father's return. It wasn't the joyous reunion Nan and Heath had hoped for. Heath was basically raised by a rector who taught him to trust in God even when things didn't go the way he wanted. Nan was raised as part of a wealthy family. She's close friends with the eldest, a boy 6 years older than her. He knew what to say to cheer her up and support her. They're all better people for knowing each other.

Then the longed-for father returned, determined to get what he wanted by manipulating his children. He pressured Nan to marry a smitten high-born to make her dead mama and him happy, but she wanted to marry for love. Can she come to love a young man who simply annoys her? Her raised-her family's eldest son suddenly saw Nan as a grown woman, which changed how he felt about her. Heath loved seeing his sister again and her maid, a talkative woman that attracts him. And jealousies, old and new, threaten everyone's happiness.

The characters acted in realistic ways, and I cared about what happened to them. The historical details were woven into the story, creating a sense of the time and place. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this historical novel.

Such a fantastic read! I devoured this is 2 days and the late nights were worth it! I appreciated that this book felt like it was for adults and showed the good and the bad in people. It felt like a blend of Dickens in its bleakness and Austen in its sweetness. The story dwells more on the angsty side, some dark heavy things happen throughout the course of the book, but the love the characters share bring it more to a lightheartedness that balances it out perfectly.

The character are so wonderfully fleshed out, they seem so real and multi dimensional, which I find so rare in many romances where they usually focus more on the love and less on the character building. But Nan and Gilbert are so dear and I loved every second of page time they had. Heath was so endearing but such a sad pure soul. He made my heart anguish, but in a good way.

Linder did an amazing job at moving the story along at a great pace. Although the second half does get a bit dark and suspenseful, I felt so stressed out and rushed to the end to see what happens! Which is a mark of a powerful story well told in my view.

Will definitely be reading whatever Linder writes next, 5 stars!!

Hannah Linder weaves an engaging tale with "When Tomorrow Came". Abandoned by their father to be raised in a horrid public house, Nan and Heath Duncan escape to live as London street children. A very real problem in 19th Century London, these homeless waifs couldn't be better described by Dickens himself.

This novel has a compelling storyline and complex characters. At times impossibly naive, heroine Nan Duncan nearly succumbs to her evil father's emotional blackmail. Chatterbox Temperance is delightful, and Charlotte Stanhope brings levity to this serious story. Unfailingly patient Gilbert Stanhope is a perfect hero, while Heath must grow into the role. Their upbringings couldn't be more different.

The mystery element is intriguing as well. It's not immediately apparent who's vandalizing Bletherton Hall, but the villain's motivation eventually becomes clear.

Hannah Linder's prose is lovely, and the book is clean. She successfully strikes a balance between true good, evil, acceptance, and forgiveness. This author is a wonderful storyteller and I look forward to more of her works. "Beneath His Silence" was enthralling, as well.

Linder sums up her prevalent theme of Tomorrow perfectly: Or maybe it would never come. Maybe there was just today. Nothing more, nothing less. Just the present, with all its pleasures and hurts, with the future just always out of reach. Perhaps tomorrow had never been meant for them at all. Perhaps tomorrow belonged to God.

Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an ARC of this beautiful story.

-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝-

I loved that this story began with the characters during their childhood. I felt like it helped me to connect so much more with them and it also gave them that much more depth.

{“𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂, 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅?”
No child should have to see their mother die😢 And no person should have to lose both their parents and then their sole care giver😭 Heath had the world placed on his shoulders at such a young age. To have to raise and protect your baby sister is not an easy task, much less so if you’re out on the streets. He had only ever wanted to give Nan what was best, but instead only brought hurt on both of them. He never truly wanted to hurt anyone, but he was filled with such blinding rage because of his past. Heath desired to live out a simple life as a rector in a small village.
-𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎-}

{“𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑵𝒂𝒏.”
Poor poor Gilbert. I truly felt so bad for him and his whole situation. The fact that he could only pine from afar, tore at my heart strings. To have your feelings for a person change, but theirs remain the same has got to be so incredibly difficult to face day after day. It doesn’t make it any easier to then see that person trying to love another.}

{-𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑮𝒊𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑. 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔. 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘-
Nan had such a hard early life. From her mother dying, to her father abandoning her, and then yet to have been taken from her only brother. She was then given a good life, but you don’t just forget your hardships. You don’t forget family. She was then faced with the dilemma of being loved by one she could only view as a stand-in sibling, a childhood playmate.}

All that out of revenge. Why?! Why must people be so terrible and harbor such grudges! All it does is hurt them and those close to them. It does no good to anyone.
“𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕…𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕.”

The characters faith in God was so motivating and inspirational. They understand that it was God’s will that would be done, and not their own, and yet they remained strong in their faith. They loved Him deeply and it added such depth to this already amazing story!

-𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞-

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the privilege of reading this amazing book before its release date! All opinions listed are purely my own.

I liked the prologue of this book, it drew me in straight away, but would have liked a date for that.

This story is mainly about Nan & Heath Duncan, brother & sister, who were basically left to live on the streets, scrounging for food etc, barely surviving. The Story quickly moved on. The siblings were separated and ending up living in different social circles. I found it difficult, for a while, to get into the story as it kept switching back & forth between Nan's life and Heath's. Also, the story did skip a few years.
Despite this, I did enjoy Gilbert's Character - always looking out for Nan. Also, Charlotte was spoilt but likeable, quite fun. I also liked her interactions with Heath. He treated her well, almost like an older brother figure. I thought Nan was quite naive and when her father came back, she was always wanting to please him, even though he didn't deserve her loyalty etc.

There are mysteries to solve too regarding Bletherton Manor. Once I got into the book, it did draw me in, wanting to know what happened to the characters. All in all a nice story.

I would have given this 4 stars had it not been for the repeated bad language, which I don't expect, nor like to read in Christian Fiction books.

I received a free copy via NetGalley. A favourable review was not requested. All opinions are my own.

4.75 ⭐️

Hannah Linder has quickly become one of my favourite regency writers, and this book was no exception!

Everything was beautiful—from the cover & the characters to the lyrical cadence & the heartstring tugging moments.

Speaking of characters, they were my favourite part of the story. Quiet Heath. Chatty Temperance. Protective Gilbert. Comical Charlotte. The sweet Stanhopes.
I never once liked Mr. Duncan, and as for Nan… well, I loved her & I didn’t. She just struck me as a bit too passive for my taste at times.

The chilling gothic mystery vibes were exceptional. While I wasn’t surprised by the murder or the murderer, I loved the plot progression & the tension all the “accidents” created. And tying into that, the faith elements woven throughout were light but beautifully natural and unforced.

Again, an absolutely gorgeous book, and I cannot wait for Hannah’s next book!!! 💛


Content: an attempted r*pe on a girl (it isn’t graphic & nothing happens)


*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Hannah has done it again!
The beginning has a slow build but hold on to your seat once you hit the middle. There are elements here of Mansfield Park, Wuthering Heights, and bit of Downton Abbey.

Gilbert ❤️

Two thumbs up. Highly recommend!

This was my first book by Hannah Linder and I was glad I got to read this. It was what I was hoping for from a historical novel. It had a great concept and worked with the time-period, I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them. It had a great romantic aspect and worked well in what I was looking for. I'm excited to read more from Hannah Linder.

"She didn’t want to smile. Not ever again. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. Then he’d take her into his arms, with his cheek against hers, and say, “What say you to an evening of fun, little one?”She never answered, but he always carried her downstairs anyway. Sometimes he’d place her back on the lounge, where Mrs. Stanhope would sit beside her and read her books. Other times, he’d walk her outside to the stables, where Gilbert would show her every horse and where they lived. "