I was excited to read another book by Michelle Griep. Her latest book, The Innkeeper's Daughter, did not disappoint. It combined mystery and romance in a delightful way. The book had some unique and quirky characters that had me laughing out loud at times. As the story unfolds, the reader will see the characters struggle with giving up control and letting God take control. This message is subtly woven throughout the book. I definitely recommend reading this book.

This is the sequel to Brentward's Ward which I have also read. They are very different in flavour and I prefer this book. They can certainly be read in either order, or alone, because there's not much that ties them together. The Innkeeper's Daughter was somehow very different from my expectations but surpassed them anyways. The story is darker and grittier than I expected and there's practically no mention of faith or God until much later in the story but then when the author does speak of it, it's not fluff, but strong, true, good stuff. She deals with coming to the end of yourself and finding peace only in trusting God, and finding your self worth by knowing his grace. Powerful stuff, and beautifully written into the story. 

I love these characters, Alex and Johanna of course, but Johanna's mother and brother and even Thatcher add such depth to the story, and some needed humor. The setting is described so vividly you can see it clearly as you read but it doesn't slow down this 'Regency suspense'. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, my only complaint being that there was a little too much romance and attraction. Some is good but there was a fair bit here. 

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review. My opinion is my own.

Michelle Griep is a superb writer and this book is one of her best. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages. Her characters are so real and as the danger lurks your heart beats faster with each incident. There is a  hero, fair maiden, puppeteer, smugglers, traitor, dandy and a band of traveling musicians who cannot play and a falling down inn in need of much repair. All of this suspense and  espionage yet God's truth and love shines through proving He is supreme and we can put our faith in that. I certainly enjoyed reading this book as the plot was very different and interesting. I was given a copy of the book from the publisher and I'm happy to leave this positive review for a great book.

This Regency adventure/romance has pretty much everything. The writing grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go, with well-rounded characters and a taut plot that just keeps adding layer upon layer of intrigue. 

We start with the very harried title character, Johanna Langley, fretting over money she doesn't have in order to keep the failing Blue Hedge Inn in business. It's just Johanna, her mother and her 10-year-old brother Thomas trying to keep the place afloat, as Mr. Langley has been dead for years. The old inn has only one lodger, Mr. Nutbrown, and he owes rent. Mr. Nutbrown has a few screws loose, only speaking through his hand puppet. The upcoming Oak Apple Day festivities will bring business to Dover and hopefully enough of it will come to the inn to accrue the money due to the villainous Mr. Spurge, who is eager to take over the building and send the family to St. Mary's workhouse.

Officer Alexander Moore is a Bow Street Runner assigned to go undercover as Alexander Morton, a wealthy gambler and dealer in fine wines, and he's sent to Dover to ferret out a traitor. He's the epitome of a romantic hero: good-looking, observant, savvy, hard-bodied, quick-thinking, tough-as-nails but compassionate, and also extremely lucky, I'd say. He's instructed to stay at the Blue Hedge Inn specifically. 

The man's got a knack for being at the right place at the right time, as he does when he first arrives and meets Johanna by catching her when she falls from a rickety ladder. The romance immediately commences. The way Alex gets torn between his duty and his feelings for Johanna is beautifully played throughout the entire book.

More characters make their entry. Young Thomas, thinking he's helping, brings a band of musicians to stay at the inn- for free- in order to entice more business through the doors. Unfortunately, Mr. Quail's group isn't particularly talented, and they prove impossible to evict. Samuel Thatcher is Alex's shadowy contact with messages back and forth from London. Viscount Edward Coburn is the host of the gambling party Alex infiltrates, where he becomes acquainted with Robert (Robbie) Coburn, the viscount's nephew, Louisa, the viscount's daughter, and Major General William Overtun. Shifty locals Blackjack Cooper and Charlie Cooper have a history with Alex and can expose him if they come face to face. We're given lots of suspects to choose from.

While the book has multiple "tah-dah/in-the-nick-of-time" rescues for the heroine and hero, unlikely coincidences, and a way-too-perfect leading man, it is an irresistible page-turner. The leading characters are spiritual, with some significant personal revelations concerning their relationships with God. This is woven nicely into the story without disrupting the flow or seeming preachy. The content is clean.

My only reservation (and this is AFTER finishing the book and reflecting on the plot) is whether a section where Alex is imprisoned is necessary. He learns who is responsible and accepts the instigator's explanation (which itself is a stretch, upon this reader's reflection) without complaint. This seems odd despite Alex's assignment.

Despite this small glitch, the various twists and turns of the plot are fascinating. By the end, I was so hoodwinked, I couldn't begin to guess who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. (Well, except for Alex, of course.) The story builds to a (literally) explosive climactic scene offshore when all is uncovered and you finally get the full story.

What follows is equally satisfying, because it turns out there's a cleverly hidden side romance that's revealed in the story's resolution.

Loved this, from beginning to end!

It's funny how authors will strike on a similar idea at the same time; this is the second novel I've read recently about a female Regency-era innkeeper (the other being Julie Klassen's The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill), though that's where the similarities end. They are very different in tone. This one is more suspenseful, with significantly more danger (not unexpected, given our hero is a lawman working on ferreting out a traitor).

I have to admit, I saw Johanna and Alex's conflict coming a mile away--it's pretty much inevitable that a woman who hates liars will fall for a man who is undercover and can't share the truth. All the expected problems ensue. Otherwise, the author does a good job filling the story with interesting and often quirky characters, the most notable of which being Mr. Nutbrown.

One thing I really liked was the author's ability to show rather than tell--I'd wondered why the two smugglers would insist on dragging other people into their schemes until I caught on to their illiteracy, which is never explicitly stated. The clues are all there pointing to it, but it's up to the reader to figure out. And THAT, by the way, is a legitimate reason for a bad guy to drag the good guys into their schemes--the necessity of a skill set they lack. I enjoyed the twists and surprises at the end; I had wondered how all the complex plot pieces would fit together, and they came together most pleasingly.

Thank you Barbour and NetGalley for the free e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

The cover of this book, "The Innkeeper's Daughter" drew me in, along with the author's previous books. The story is about a family of Innkeepers, specifically Johanna, struggling to pay their monthly rent for their dilapidated inn. A group of musicians, a man that speaks only through a puppet on his hand and a dashing gambler/merchant all come to the Inn at the same time. Mysterious comings and goings among the inn's patrons surround Johanna, her bother and mother. As Johanna tries to find other ways to pay the rent, she inadvertently  becomes involved in a group of smugglers which are also traitors to the Crown. Johanna falls in love with Alex, the merchant, and has her heart broken in the process.  I thought the book was slow in the beginning but the plot picked up in the second half. I didn't think this was the best book I ever read by this author but is was still a enjoyable read.

A story of action, love and almost losing out. Miss Johanna Langley, her mother is the innkeeper of the Blue Hedge Inn. It is very dilapidated and in desperate need of repair. It is the only place they, her mom, Thomas, and herself have to stay or they are off to the workhouse. Mr. Alexander Morton, is a bow Street Officer, he has been put in charge of finding a traitor.
So much happens in this story, the goal, falling in love, finding out about his father and who Ford is.   It is just a marvelous read, it keeps your attention and makes taking the time to read it well worth the effort.

The Innkeeper's Daughter was my first novel by Michelle Griep.  It is the story of Johanna Langley who is the innkeeper of a failing inn on the verge of bankruptcy., and she is doing everything to keep her doors open and her family out of the workhouse.  Enter Alexander Moore who is sent to the inn as part of his cover for an uncover operation to stop a threat against the Crown and a smuggling operatoin.  Sparks fly between Alexander and Johanna,, but Alexander cannot reveal his true idenity without blowing his cover.  Things become more complicated as Alexander is bethrothed to the daughter of a suspected traitor.  Will Alexander and Johanna find love with one another? Will Alexander's mission succeed? Will Johanna find a way to save her business?  Readers can expect an intricate plot with a cast of colorful and quirky characters.  The mystery succeeds much better than the romance angle.  Fans of Julie Klassen will find another favorite in Michelle Griep.

Johanna is the daughter of an innkeeper.  She has taken on the main responsibility for her family’s inn after the death of her father, both her mother and brother work to maintain their only source of income.  Alexander Moore is a man on assignment, he incognito and working as a spy as Alexander Morton, rogue, wealthy man at leisure.  When these two meet it’s an instant attraction, however, Alexander is working and is not able to tell Johanna who he is, and Johanna is trying to keep her family afloat financially.  When Alexander is in danger, Johanna is drawn to him despite the danger and they both have to fight for their love and a future.  Apart from the time in which the book is set it has little to do with “Pride and Prejudice” which it is compared to.  This is a lovely, historical romance with an interesting adventurous story and characters that were fun to get to know.

Fans of Downtown Abby and Regency novels are sure to love this latest by Michelle. 
I enjoyed Johannas feisty temper and the strength that she displays throughout the story.  Even though she's runs things and tries to keep her brother in line most times it doesn't hurt to let someone else step in for awhile. 
Even the strongest needs a little TLC!!! One person just can't handle all!!
I like Johanna cause at times, she's headstrong just like me and stubborn too!! It's a shame we women can multitask and most men can't. 
Alex is such a dear!! Handsome too!!
I love how he is there at the right time and places (My hearo)
I enjoyed the mystery, trust, and Faith even tho it doesn't come easily at times! Especially for me and Im still in the learning stages!!
I think the thing I enjoyed most about the book is how Michelle kept you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what would happen next!!
I definitely would recommend this book to my friends! 
Thanks Michelle for a great story!!

I couldn't get into this book so I couldn't finish it. Sorry about that.

Suspenseful book kept me guessing until the end… This is the first book that I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it.  I hated to put the book down.  The book has traitors, smugglers, traveling musicians, mystery, romance, and Christian values.  Trusting in God is a theme that runs through the book.  I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Net Gallery.  This is my honest and voluntarily given review. Johanna is struggling to pay the rent on her family's inn to keep them from the workhouse.  Johanna asks her young brother to bring guests back from the ships landing.  Thomas brings back guests that she doesn't expect; travelling musicians playing for their room and board, and a man who is too well dressed for the inn.    Alexander Morton, an undercover Bow Street Runner, is trying to find the traitor in town.  Alex was told to stay at the inn and to become engaged to Louise, the Viscount's daughter.  When Johanna falls into his arms, Alex is intrigued by her.  Johanna is not used to a man's attentions and is suspicious of what Alex really wants.  This book is suspenseful and kept me guessing until the end.  I highly recommend this book.

"The Innkeeper's Daughter" by Michelle Griep
An excellent story, well written and spell-binding.  Yes, I heartily recommend this story with all of it twists and turns, romance and intrigue. Also, be sure to read the "Historical Notes" at the end.. you just might learn something you never knew or maybe had forgotten.  I was gifted a free copy of this story and as you can tell.  I truly enjoyed this reading adventure.

I always enjoy Michelle’s books and this one was no exception.

Can I just say I loved Alex. What a great hero and shows himself as such from the beginning with his first encounter with Johanna.

Johanna is a wonderful heroine, she is strong and determined and willing to do whatever she has to to help her family.

The other characters in this story help to round out the plot and keep things interesting, that’s for sure. Johanna’s little brother is a character and likes to get into trouble.

Overall, a great read. If you enjoy historical romance you will like this one.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Betrayal and deception abound in this clean suspenseful, historical romance! Through it all Johanna and her family struggle to keep their family together. So many red herrings and misguided people make for an entertaining read. Nobles, mentally ill, traitors, bow street runners and smugglers fill the pages. Are there any "normal," people in the story? Loved how Johanna with all her religious beliefs was led to truly believe by someone who'd seen evil daily. Would give 4 stars but the price is too high. Voluntarily read ARC, through Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.

Ever feel like it is all up to you – that you are the source for everything in your life, as I lived much of my life? If yes, you will appreciate this novel in which one of the protagonists, Johanna, feels she must control everything – everything! And if she doesn’t, Jo, her mother, and younger brother will be in the workhouse as was common in 1808 England when folks couldn’t pay their rent. Alex, a man on a mission to flush out a traitor, feels the burden of saving England from her enemies. This talented author takes readers on a tour of Dover, including the white cliffs, during the time of Napoleon’s rule in France.

Johanna’s father died before the birth of her younger brother, Thomas. She and her mother have been run the Blue Hedge Inn since then. On the outskirts of town, it has never had the business other inns enjoy, so there is little money for repairs. This month, they might not be able to pay the rent. At least until Alexander Morton arrives, then a half-dozen itinerant musicians. Thomas promises the musicians that if they play in the tap room each night and bring in customers, particularly over the upcoming Oak Apple Festival, they could stay there for no charge. 

Morton can’t believe his boss would send him to the tumbledown Blue Hedge Inn. He is in Dover to find one or more traitors communicating with the French. He will be a regular visitor at the viscount Lord Coburn’s mansion to dine and gamble. If Alex is captured by the wrong people, his boss will have to deny knowledge of what he is doing. If Alex survives and completes the mission, he will get enough money from the person funding the mission to retire on. As Alex sees the inner beauty of Johanna, the innkeeper’s daughter, he receives the worst of the assignment. He must propose marriage to the viscount’s shrewish daughter, Louisa.

The characters are drawn with care, so well that one can see Johanna’s expression when she falls, literally, into Alex’s arms, or the funny little man, Mr. Nutbrown, speaking only through his puppet. There are several memorable characters, including Johanna, her mother, and Alex.  We see their circumstances through their point of view, from the humble inn to the viscount’s mansion, or when finding out they will die at the hand of a traitor. Most especially, we see the relationship struggles Johanna and Alex have with the Lord, which might mirror that of almost every reader from time to time.

There are many surprising twists throughout, from who the bad guy/ gal really is to the horror of Alex’ arrest. The political intrigue draws many unexpected and unsuspecting people into the snare of the traitor(s). The author’s research is evident regarding clothing, the countryside, and the social structure. One does not merely go to the barn, one experiences what is heard and seen on the way there. One feels the darkness and stench of gaol, or the hopelessness of the landlord coming with an order to send Jo’s family to the workhouse. This is a novel to be savored. It is also a spiritual adventure, especially as the reader finds oneself with the same type of struggle that one did in what we want to think of as a simpler time, two centuries ago, that really wasn’t simpler after all. I highly recommend this very well-written Christian historical novel!

From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and here is my review.

The Innkeeper’s Daughter is set in Dover, England in the year 1808. Johanna Langley bears the lion’s share of the responsibility for keeping the Blue Hedge Inn open and running. Her widowed mother helps in the kitchen and with tending the rooms, while her scamp of a younger brother follows in his late father’s footsteps trying to bring in what coins he can through games of chance. The inn’s rundown appearance and lack of staff do not draw in many visitors, so Johanna must look to other enterprises in order to meet the payments required by Mr. Spurge and to avoid the work house. While a certain guest of the inn is anxious to give Johanna money, she must wonder what he expects in return. 

     Alexander Moore or Morton as he has come to be called, is directed to stay at the Blue Hedge Inn  while assigned to work undercover in an attempt to ferret out a traitor. Without many clues as to the traitor’s identity and goal, Alex must be suspicious of everyone and constantly on guard. Living a life of duplicity is difficult for this man of high morals and standards, but becomes even more so when he must deny his growing affection for Johanna when his cover demands he become betrothed to another. 

     Reading The Innkeeper’s Daughter was like listening to a beautiful piece of music played on a piano with a key or two out of tune. The plot was intriguing. The characters well developed. Each of the senses is piqued as characters move from inn, to waterfront, to gaming rooms, to ships’ holds. I understand that when writing historical fiction, the language of the day would be too cumbersome to today’s readers, and dialogue is often written in speech patterns more common to today; however, some modern phrases and clichés have the ability to jerk the reader out of the time period in which the story is set. For example lyrics from a popular Kelly Clarkson song are paraphrased as Johanna says, “I suppose what does not drive us into the ground only serves to make us stronger, hmmmm?” A quote originated by Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, born seventy-six years after the setting of this book. Another character refers to “doing a thorough background check,” a rather modern expression. Would I let these little annoyances keep me from reading The Innkeeper’s Daughter? Absolutely not! I enjoyed the story very much, and thank NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

When I first started to read this book I thought it was going to be a slow read but it didn't take me long to change my mind.  A story of a Bow Street Runner (Alex), with specific instructions, was sent by the magistrate to Dover to track down a traitor to the Crown.  He was ordered to stay at the Blue Hedge Inn which is where he met Johanna Langley.  I could go on and on about what happened but then I would give this story away, right? I will just say this book was filled with twist, suspense, and romance.  It kept me on the edge of my seat several times watching  to see how it all played out.  I don't think you will be disappointed in finding out who the traitor is and also how Alex and Johanna found their HEA.

A Bow Street Runner, sent to track down a traitor to the Crown, is ordered to stay at a certain inn. The innkeeper's daughter is beautiful but overworked and in desperate need of money to keep the family out of the poorhouse. Naturally, Alex falls in love with Johanna, but as part of his job he is ordered to become engaged to the daughter of a local viscount. Is she the traitor? She plans to elope with a cousin, but when the wedding is moved up, will Alex escape a most unwelcome marriage? And will the knowledge of his engagement destroy any hope he might ever have had with the innkeeper's daughter? Finally, when everything comes to a head, who will turn out to be the traitor? And will they all escape alive from the mess?

This was an enjoyable, clean and well written book, and one that I found enthralling once I got into it (especially towards the end). I did find it a bit slow at the start, but it was well worth the read. The characters were intriguing (though Mr Nutbrown was annoying), the plot intricate and with plenty of twists and turns, and the message helpful and not overdone. I find too many books overly predictable, but this kept me guessing and interested throughout. I particularly liked the whole thing with Richard Ford - but no spoilers!

All things considered, this is a book that I would enjoy re-reading, and has inspired me to look out for more by the author (this is the first I have read by her). Highly recommended.

Note that I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Johanna, the hardworking daughter of an Innkeeper, tirelessly labors in her family's inn to keep it afloat. Alexander, an undercover cop, travels to the family's inn as part of his current mission. Though spending time with the Innkeeper's daughter has nothing to do with his mission, it seems Alexander can't help but to. This story is filled with intrigue and moments I did not expect. 

First of all, I really liked this book. For those interested in stories with Christianity sprinkled throughout, this one is a stand out for me in the way it acknowledges God without turning the characters into mindless waiters. Instead, the characters act and work while still believing and looking for God in their lives. For those who don't prefer stories with Christian themes, this one still could be a good book because it seems to document only the characters beliefs instead of trying to convert the reader. 

The Good: 
-The characters are well thought out and have lots of dimensions
-The female lead has her own thoughts and acts for herself (though there are a couple rescuing type moments) 
-The romance is chemistry filled and not obnoxious 
-Mostly unpredictable storyline 

The Bad: 
I honestly can't think of anything...


The Undecided:
-The Romance is clean. This could be good or bad depending on what you were hoping to get from the story.