This is not normally the sort of book I would read. I think I downloaded it because I was auto approved. I gave it a chance but couldn't quite get in to the story line. For now, I have put it down because I have too many books on my shelf to spend on a book I can't get into. It might be someone else's favorite book ever, but I will leave it for now.

This was a very good book.  I loved the characters, Alex and Johanna, and how they developed in the story.  The story was well written and kept my attention.  It started out slow, but once the pace picked up, I couldn't put it down.  The intrigue in the book was so mind boggling, it was hard to wrap my mind around it all.  Now that I'm finished, I want to read it again to see what I may have missed in the story.  I feel like there were a lot of loose ends at the conclusion of the book, but Alex and Johanna had their resolution.  I recommend this book to anyone that loves romance, mystery, suspense, and a growing relationship with God.

The Innkeeper's Daughter by Michelle Griep is a great read!  Danger, intrigue, gamblers, bow street runners, and romance.  With an ailing mother and a young brother will Johanna be able to save the Inn or will she have to go to the workhouse.  Can she accept Alexander's help or will Johanna be against him because he is a gambler.  Great characters and plot, and I enjoyed the writing style, it keep me turning the page.  I can't wait for more books by Ms. Griep!

I received this book from NetGalley with no expectations for a positive review.  All expressed opinions are my own.

The Innkeeper’s Daughter is a great getaway read that I enjoyed. The story takes place in Dover, England in 1808 and centers around Johanna Langley and Alexander Moore. Johanna with her mother and little brother are owners of an inn. Unfortunately they have fallen on hard times and are very close to losing the inn. Throughout the novel Johanna does all she can think to do to run the inn while trying to somehow earn the needed money to keep from losing it. Alex is an officer sent to Dover to uncover a traitor to the Crown. Mystery, danger, deception, suspense and surprises all happen as we follow these two characters and the people in their lives. 

The Innkeeper’s Daughter has many great characters and I liked them all but my favorite character to follow was Alex. The story is told from the perspective of Johanna and Alex and whenever the story was following Alex I couldn’t put the book down. Exciting things were always happening! With the story being in the Romance genre I was surprised to like Alex. But he was funny and flawed and didn’t seem overly perfect and unrelatable. Both characters recognized their flaws and tried to overcome them. 

I was ready for a light easy to read story but that also would hook me and The Innkeeper’s Daughter did just that.

I am unable to review this book as I did not read very far into it. After the first few pages I could tell that it just wasn't my kind of book.

4.5 stars rounding up

Peril, intrigue, hidden identities, shady inns, Magistrates, smuggling, danger, beating hearts, family, loss, love, hope, Dover, musicians, lost minds, puppets, friendship, death, seaside, caves, balls, gambling, trust, time and healing.

From the beginning of the book to the end, I did not want to put it down. I was very intrigued by the characters and knew there were lots of interesting backstories waiting to be revealed to the reader. All was not what it appeared to be. Especially when you're dealing with smuggling, money and slightly deranged (or mad) men.

Johanna Langley is realizing that her time is running out. She has worked and struggled and scrimped to save her mom and brother after their father's death. She's trying so hard but is met with a new struggle around every turn. Just when she feels like she is about to succeed, she is given another challenge. With her hope starting to wane, she keeps pressing forward, praying for strength.

Alex Moore has been summoned. He can't refuse. He arrives. He is told he must take this assignment and if he fails, there is no hope for him. No one will come to his rescue because of how dangerous it is. Can he survive? He's the best there is. If he does succeed, he'll get out. He'll be rich and will leave this life behind. But the ultimate test is being sent back to the area where he has worked before and he has to take lodgings in a hovel of an inn. What is the Magistrate meaning in sending him there, and in the requirements for his assignment. Surely he is joking! Yet the further in Alex gets in his hidden identity and the more he learns about those around him and those who could be connected with what he's trying to uncover, the more he realizes he's in danger. Not just his life, but his very heart.

I really enjoyed all the different characters within this novel. Many of them have many secrets, others wear their hearts on their sleeves. Some are so worn down and struggling that they turn to help in places they maybe should have avoided. But if they don't, how will they survive?

If you love a good mystery, sweet love stories and redemption, this is one that I would highly recommend. Enjoyable and great moments of suspense, having you wonder who is the real bad guy and how will everyone involved come out unscathed?

I haven't read Brentwood's Ward, but this book could be considered a companion novel to it. Brentwood is mentioned in here but it is not necessary to read that one before reading this one. Although, it is one I have had my eye on for a long time. I keep saying I'm going to read it. It's time to bite the bullet and do so. I've had my interest piqued even more so now for his story. If you are a fan of Michelle Griep's stories, you will definitely enjoy this one. I've read three of her novels and a novella and have enjoyed every one of them. I'm looking forward to her next book which is a part of the Daughters of the Mayflower series.

Content: Clean. Moments of peril, death and fighting. Not overly graphic but you know what is happening. This is a Christian fiction novel, the characters talk about giving their trust to God. I feel that it fit in perfect with the time period and what people in that time would think and do.

I received a copy from the publisher, Barbour publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Treason, lies and intrigue… Oh My!!

“Tales of power and ambition and intrigue and betrayal and desire – when you’re telling those in a big way, you automatically want to go to Shakespeare.” –Beau Willimon

I loved this story that was set during the early 1800’s when Regency England battled Napoleon and his quest to conquer the world.  It was full of intrigue, spy networks, treasonous characters, smugglers, and the agents of the Crown trying to thwart their nefarious plans and being them to justice. This quickly became a story that I CNPD [could-not-put-down]. I finished it in the wee hours of the morning.

Officer Alexander Moore, a Bow Street Runner and a good one, was on assignment… go undercover, find a traitor, discover their plans and bring them to justice.  Part of his directive included the fact that he was virtually alone. It reminded me of the 60’s and 70’s TV series ‘Mission Impossible’ and their self-destructing tape. “Your mission… should you decide to accept it…. should you be captured… the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence.” Yeah, that’s a pep talk one wants to hear prior to a mission.

Johanna Langley, along with her mother and younger brother, ran the Blue Hedge Inn. It was a rundown Inn in a less than fashionable part of town and one missed payment away from closing and sending the family to the workhouse.  They were desperate. 

This was a clean, faith-based story. There were discussions of a character’s beliefs, appealing to a higher power through prayer, expressions of gratitude, questioning something that happened, struggles when all seemed lost, praise for answered prayer, praying, and that inner dialogue between a character in close relationship with their God. This was not preachy in any way and in context with a person of faith.

Rating: PG-17: although clean and faith-based, there is a caveat regarding violence during fight scenes, and descriptions of the brutality of man against man. It was not explicitly described, but there were scenes that [although brief], may be a bit hard for some to read. Interspersed in the drama and intrigue were scenes of comedic relief that tempered the angst and lightened the tense moments. Plus, we had a budding romance that blossomed by the end of the story. It was delightful. I loved this story. There were many surprises as the author did not reveal all the agents working for the Crown. What a surprise and that big reveal at the end was so worth it. I did not see that coming.

Alexander has a mission to accomplish and it doesn't involve helping an attractive independent woman save her families inn. However, once he meets Johanna all plans change. I found this to be an overall enjoyable read. There are a few twists to the storyline that had me repeatedly changing my mind about who was guilty and who needed saving. The story did drag for me slightly towards the beginning but recovered nicely. It's a pleasant romance with a "clean" storyline and enough intrigue to keep you guessing.

Excerpt: Now that her worst fear had come to pass, surprisingly she wasn’t as crushed as she’d imagined. The sun still shone, the wind still blew, and God yet reigned in the heavens.

The story begins in Dover, England in the year 1808. The book is filled with adventure, espionage, and romance. What a delicious combination of elements for a Regency novel! 

Meet Alexander Moore, alias Alexander Morton, a Bow Street runner on a secret assignment and Miss Johanna Langley, co-proprietor of the Blue Hedge Inn. These two strong-willed characters both have their own missions to accomplish. On the surface Alex appears to be a distinguished gentlemen working for his father by day and gambling in high stakes games at night. Johanna is exactly what she appears to be, a hard working innkeeper struggling to keep her family out of the poor house.

How do two such mismatched people fall in love? Read this intriguing novel to find out if and how Alex and Johanna’s romance survives the turmoil of treason, smuggling, and the poor house. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it.  This book is an engaging read for lovers of historical fiction, Regency fiction, and Christian fiction. 

This ARC copy was received from Netgalley.com and Barbour Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Michelle has the ability to weave an intricate tale filled out by a bounty of rich and intriguing characters. The heroes aside, you'll be left guessing about who's who, their true loyalty and the parts that they play until the very end. There are so many figures in this book falling under both law breaker and law enforcer, you'd be forgiven for getting a little lost, but no. It's written in a way that is clear and recalling all of the minor characters is not difficult. There's plenty of shady no good personalities within, and most definitely who you wouldn't want to run into in a dark and lonely alley! Most chapters end on exciting cliff hangers, meaning of course, that you will have to read 'just one more chapter'! 

I like Alex. He's caught very much in a complex situation. Sent to Dover under strict orders to root out a dangerous traitor to the crown, his instructions seem to lead from one complication to another. From his early remarks in sarcasm towards his colleague Nicholas Brentwood- it's inevitable he's going to end up traveling the same path to romantic bliss. 

Johanna Langley is desperately trying to hold together her family's decrepit Inn. With the misfit group of boarders staying at the Blue Hedge, she's not certain she's going to be able to keep her mother, younger brother and herself out of the Workhouse. She'll do anything for them, all the while reminding herself of her self made promise, never to get mixed up with anyone just like her Father. 

Rich and detailed this story is set on the south coast of England during a time of smuggling and danger from invasion from France. As Johanna herself puts it, everyone turns a blind eye to the shady dealings going on in her town. She has one thing on her mind and that is keep a roof over their heads. Surely Alex is too good to be true. Will her heart be broken by the dashing Bow Street Runner, who just wants to complete his assignment and win the women he loves? 

Hoping that Michelle has another one in store for us from either Thatcher or Flannery! 

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC, this is my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book-it kept me up late at night finishing it. All the characters are well-developed and  interesting, even the scoundrels. The mystery was good but not completely a surprise at the end.  I would read more with these characters and will look for more by this author.

After reading some very positive comments about The Innkeeper's Daughter, I was excited to receive a free copy from Barbour. People were saying it was an excellent book.

But I don't agree. I love the cover and the story idea. But I didn't enjoy reading it.
It took me three tries to get through it. I found it very slow. I just couldn't get into the story and the characters.

Maybe the next book by Michelle Griep will be better.

Michelle Griep’s “The Innkeeper’s Daughter” is a Christian historical fiction novel set in the early 1800s in Dover, England. The story follows the lives of Johanna Langley, innkeeper’s daughter, and Alexander Moore, a Bow Street Runner working undercover to discover a traitor. Though their two lives are entirely different, their shared faith in God and their respect for one another allow them to develop a strong bond that quickly becomes one of love. “The Innkeeper’s Daughter” shows the reader that even when circumstances seem hopeless, anything becomes possible when one places his faith in God.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel. While I do not typically read Christian fiction, I do enjoy historical fiction, so I felt drawn to read this book. I adored the characters, and I could relate to Johanna’s need for control and stability. I thought that the slow-budding relationship between Johanna and Alex was sweet and refreshing, since most novels show romantic interests instantly engaging in a sexual relationship. I liked that their feelings for one another were innocent and genuine. They cared for each other not because of mere attraction, but because they saw a kindness in one another. 

Alex’s investigation added a lot of entertaining drama to the story, but it soon became a bit much for me. I felt that the traitor plot got too complicated, and some choices the author made seemed outlandish. The novel’s climax felt like a bit of a mess with too many characters doing too many things. 

Aside from Alex’s investigation, I also need to mention that the character of Mr. Nutbrown was strange. He served a purpose, of course, but I did not see why his character had to be a strange puppeteer with such an unhealthy reliance on his puppet, Nixie. Though I did find his character endearing, especially as time passed, it was difficult for me to shake my curiosity as to why the author created the character in the first place.

Overall, I thought this was a great novel for anyone who believes in God, enjoys charming romance stories, and prefers historical settings. Though the book has its flaws, I can overlook them because of the sweet nature of the writing. I loved the innocence and purity that ran through the book, and I loved seeing the characters learn how to put their trust in God. “The Innkeeper’s Daughter” made me happy, and it encouraged me to live my life walking in the freedom of God’s grace. For that alone, I think Griep has done something wonderful here.

I really enjoyed The Inkeeper's Daughter!  The intrigue in this novel was very well written and kept me guessing throughout the entire story, the romance between the two main characters was interesting and had me smiling, and the faith elements made my heart happy!  The theme of putting your full trust in God ran from beginning to end, and I loved it!

This is one of the better-written historical fiction books I have picked up lately. The premise of a run-down inn being run by women and saved by a handsome stranger is hardly original, but the twists and turns to this story kept it interesting til the end.

Fans of Julie Klassen and Jane Austen will like this book, but the added intrigue makes it appealing to fans of mystery and spy novels as well.  Certain parts of the story were a bit slow for me, and some of the characters were flat, but overall I was completely sucked into the story.

I enjoyed this book a great deal more than I expected to. Given how interesting the premise sounded, that really is saying something. I expected an interesting historical romance, and I got that but also a whole lot more. There was a great deal of plotting and intrigue packed into this story and while I'd begun to guess some of it a number of twists still caught me off guard. 
I liked both of the main characters a great deal. Johanna is worn down with her trials and the ways it shows in her behavior are very believable. Alex was a wonderful hero and the romance between them felt very real and understandable. I greatly enjoyed the amount of time we spent in Alex's viewpoint, getting a real look at the things he was investigating. I loved that while the romance felt real and believable it was not the only thing the characters had to think or talk about.
I could say a fair bit here about some of the rest of the cast as well, there was a delightful and dastardly cast to fill in the rest of the story and I found most of them very well-fleshed out and extremely interesting to read. I was left wondering a bit about what some of them might go on to do after the story as well. 
I've never read any of Michele Griep's work before. Her writing was beautiful and polished. I was pulled into the setting and the story quite thoroughly and enjoyed it enough that I'm quite likely to hunt up more of her work.
In short if you want to read a historical mystery/romance that doesn't pull too many punches this is a book I would happily recommend.

I greatly enjoyed this novel! Though I think the story moved a bit slowly at first, the development of the chemistry between Alex and Johanna was delightful and well worth it. I loved reading about their interactions. The second half was plenty action packed to make up for the quieter start. Who the traitor was and how that worked out I wouldn't have and didn't guess, which I like. Though I would have liked to see Mrs. Langley's reaction to her visitor at the end.... but overall, a really great read!

This is more of an historic mystery than a romance. There are certainly romantic undertones and a romantic relationship between the main characters but they serve to give depth to the story rather than be the pupose of it. Alexander has been sent to the English coast to root out a traitor. He's a law officer with several years experience and this is a particularly dangerous case. Evidence points to starting at the local tavern. It is managed by Johanna Langley, together with her mother and young brother. They live a hand to mouth existence which might give rise to temptation to make money in less that savory ways. Johanna is a strong, hard working young woman who is the backbone of her family. The descriptions of her life and what it must have been like to run a poor coastal tavern in early 18th century England feel spot on. The sense of period is excellent and there are several unique secondary characters who are very well-rounded.. I admit to a soft spot for a puppeteer with the moniker Lucius Nutbrown, who has a hand puppet do much of his talking for him. There are several similarly .nice touches to give depth to the story. Recommend..

Johanna and her mother are Innkeepers in Dover, England, during the Napoleonic Era.  The two of them are fighting tooth and nail to keep their inn and keep it open.  It is the source of their living.

Alex Moore is dispatched to Dover, to Johanna's Inn, specifically, to root out a traitor to the King. Because Alex has a history in Dover, though he hasn't been there in several years, he is using a different identity than that of his own. 

Michelle Griep has an interesting cast of characters populating her book.  Alex and Johanna are pretty interesting in their own right, one cannot overlook Mr Nutbrown--who only speaks through puppets, Mr Spurge--who owns the inn Johanna runs and is threatening to throw her into debtors prison, and one cannot forget Johanna's younger brother, Thomas who is by turn creating havoc or drumming up business for the inn. 

The following opinions are fully the opinions of the owner of this blog and have not been influenced in any way by anyone else. 

I got to a point where I lost interest in the story and I jumped ahead to the end of the book to see how all the loose ends get tied up.  Michelle has done a great job in bringing the story together, but it just wasn't the kind of story I could get lost in.  I give it three stars.

My thanks to Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read and review this book.

Alexander Moore is undercover in Dover. His boss has given him directions on where to stay and how to conduct himself in this 1808 story. Johanna is doing her best to keep the family inn going with her mother and 10 year old brother since her father died. Alex is attracted to her when they meet. He tries to help and still stay true to his assignment. He is to become engaged to Viscount Coburn's daughter to see who the traitor is and become close to the Viscount. There are some smugglers around town he has dealt with before so trying to stay away from them and still find out what is going on is a trick he seems good at but when the whole thing comes to a head who is the real traitor?