I was captivated by this compelling story from the gloomy beginning to the sunny ending! The first thing I noticed about The House at the End of the Moor is that it is written from two points of view—first person present tense for Maggie and third person past tense for Oliver. I thought this might be problematic for me since I prefer stories written in third person past tense only; however, Ms. Griep’s skillful crafting of this narrative makes it work for me! The story flows with many twists and turns and builds to a very satisfying conclusion. The characters are well-developed and engaging. To whatever Victorian England setting the adventure takes you—the infamous Dartmoor Prison, the desolate English moor, the filthy slums of Bath, the opulent Ward Manor—you will find vivid, detailed imagery that elicits the sights, sounds, and smells of the locale. As in all of Ms. Griep’s books, spiritual truths are consistently and effectively conveyed. I highly recommend this book!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley but was under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The House at the End of the Moor by Michelle Griep is a gripping journey from despair and hopelessness to redemption and forgiveness.

The author presents an exciting cast of characters with Oliver, who is an escaped convict. And Maggie, who has shut herself away from society to escape her past. Both find their lives inextricably bound together in a surprising way.

Another character who I loved to hate was Sebastian Barrows, a constable at Dartmoor Prison. Believing himself to be doing God's work and trying to atone for his own sins, he was brutal and unrelenting in his quest to unleash "God's justice" on those in his care. His journey to God, along with Oliver and Maggie's journey to forgiveness and redemption, makes this a book worth reading.

With danger, mysteries and, of course, a growing love story, the House at the End of the Moor presents forgiveness, redemption and mercy in an emotional tale that surprises at every turn of the page.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Barbour Publishing through Netgalley.

Wow, what a ride this one was!

I love Michelle Griep's writing and the imagery in the first chapter alone blew me away! And then to see that the male main character has a 3rd person/past tense POV and the female main character has 1st person/present tense—double wow!

The setting is decidedly Gothic, what with the moors, the theme, and the villains. Oliver's situation in the opening chapter is heart wrenching, and Maggie is hiding a secret, and is in fear of being discovered. When their lives collide, we know something spectacular will result from it.

Oliver has been wrongly accused and incarcerated in the worst conditions. His gaoler is a cruel religious fanatic who delights in inflicting pain. When the opportunity presents itself for Ryan to escape, he takes it and ends up wounded in the moors.

When Maggie's maid finds him, Maggie decides to nurse him back to health, even at the peril of being discovered. Despite knowing he's an escaped convict, she doesn't feel threatened and eventually, Maggie and Oliver make a plan to travel to Bath to clear his name and return the jewels.

All the while, the constable is after Oliver and Maggie's former manager wants her back, and these are not good men.

The historical, social, and geographical setting are so well depicted, but didn't feel intrusive on the main plot.

It's Maggie and Oliver and the way their relationship develops that make the story shine. And how it shines! Highly recommend!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I thought this would be a book of historical suspense, Instead, it seemed to be a rather pompous and preachy story. It had a lot of self-righteous justifications from villains. and characters offering effusive and improbable forgiveness. The settings are done well and create a gothic atmosphere. I just whish it all didn't seem so overdone.. It is written with different characters narrating sections, all in the present tense. That style prevented me from investing much in the protaganists and made the story seem choppy..

IN Michelle Griep's The House at the End of the Moor, readers join main characters Margaret and Oliver on a suspenseful adventure for truth. "Maggie" has something to hide, but things with Oliver are not what they seem, either. Thrown together in a race against time to prove their innocence and return some jewels to the rightful owner, Maggie and Oliver face varied antagonists and challenges along the way. A period novel, The House at the End of the Moor is delightful and enjoyable even while it shows the sinister side of culture and money--and at the same time gives a true historical picture of Dartmoor Prison, parliament, life for slum-dwellers, and high society.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

The House at the End of the Moore is another enjoyable read by Griep. She is a talented author who masters the era with historic detail. The story had action, mystery and romance with characters you love. And some not as much. I enjoyed the story and as always will be looking forward to the author's next novel.

In this cleverly written novel, Maggie Lee, stage name Daisy Lee, who briefly hides using the moniker Mrs. Margaret Dosett, joins forces with wrongly convicted Oliver Wade to clear his name and bring to justice the true criminal.

Told in two points of view, one third person, the other first person present, this tale features complex characters and has a distinct gothic undertone.

I found Sebastian Barrow particularly fascinating. His twisted interpretation of Scripture and skewed sense of justice is downright creepy. His fate near the end completely surprised me.

As always, Griep's prose is crisp and evocative. While I have frequently come across the subject matter of poverty in Victorian London, here it's depicted in gritty reality in Bath.

If you're looking for rainbows and unicorns, you will not find them here. Forgiveness is an important theme.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this wonderful novel.

The beginning of this book grabbed my attention immediately. At first I wondered if this was going to be more of a thriller than a cozy mystery! The authors descriptions of the area and events had me guessing!
There was not only a great story unfolding before me, but I learned about the geography and history as well. The House at the End of the Moor contained all the good stuff you want in a book.

I may sound presumptuous in saying this, but this might just be my favourite book of 2020. Yes, this is only my second book of the year so far. But it is that good. Mystery, intrigue, suspense, romance, faith, history. This book has it all. From the very first chapter, I didn’t want to put this book down. The characters are so well thought out. The plot maintains your interest throughout, and comes to a satisfying ending. I can’t recommend this book enough. Will be reading more from Michelle Griep.

This book has a great storyline with memorable characters! It pulls you in from the beginning and has a little bit of everything, action, mystery, and romance.

The House at the End of the Moor is a lovely little story about a girl, Maggie, who had been an opera star, but had to go into hiding. A rough looking man is found on her property, Oliver, who has escaped from prison. She takes cf him until one day, while hiding from the warden, he discovers the very necklace he was sentenced for stealing. They decide to journey together to Bath, and the story get more intriguing. This book kept me turning pages until the end. Very enjoyable story!

Michelle Griep has given us another fascinating English tale! Never one to shy away from the good, ugly, or bad, Michelle will have you feeling immediate sympathy for Oliver, enduring a hellish existence in a gaol.
Meet Maggie, hiding out from her past. Living in a house at the end of the Moor, she takes in a man near death.
Hounded by the past and injustice of the courts, Oliver and Maggie take great risks to see that justice is done.
The story carries a strong gospel message. Forgiveness is a theme throughout the story, but I'm thankful that it is noted that forgiveness does not demand forgetting or denying what has happened in ones past.
The story is well written with plenty of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages!

A very intriguing read. Many twist and turns that keep you turning pages late in the night. Very suspenseful yet a deeply moving tale of love and forgiveness.

'God, You have rescued me before. Will You do so again?'

Michelle Griep is an author I will read just on the strength of her name alone. So when I saw this one, I knew it was going on my list! She specializes at this genre, although she is equally good at all genres, switching effortlessly back and forth between theme.

Maggie Lee, opera star, has run away from the stage and taken a house on the lonely moors in southern England. One day, her maid discovers a half dead man, beaten brutally, nearby. Together they haul him to her house and try to tend him. Little does Maggie know that Oliver Ward is an escapee from Dartmoor Prison and that the constable there has done this horrific beating. Said constable is on the warpath to find Oliver and soon shows up at Maggie's door. Oliver hides in a closet and finds the very expensive jewels that he was arrested for! What an amazing turn of events. However, both Maggie and Oliver are both innocent of this deed and now join forces to set out and prove they are both innocent, even though they are sure to encounter much danger on the way to doing just that.

Join Griep as she builds the excitement and tension in yet another wonderful novel from her very talented pen. I found myself gasping quite often. And hating a certain nasty individual. She takes us on quite a ride and I now look forward to her next offering.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE MOOR by MICHELLE GRIEP is a romantic historical novel with an exciting story, some memorable characters and a really good Christian message of redemption, truth and justice.
The story starts with Oliver Ward, a member of the House of Commons, escaping from Dartmoor prison and being nursed back to health by Maggie Lee, a famous opera singer, who is also hiding from the law. Both Maggie and Oliver have been falsely accused, and things get really exciting when they go back to Bath to try and clear their names.
The author shows how people very often have their own ideas of what true justice is. Some are like Barrow who changes the words of Scripture to justify his actions, and who is trying to gain God's favour by catching criminals, despising them and treating them cruelly. Oliver is unaware of his father's love, and sees him falling short in his defense of the downtrodden. He has such a strong desire to help the poor that he is often blinded to the truth. Maggie, who has lived in both worlds, sums it up by saying that not all the wealthy are bad, just as the poor are not all good! I like to see the soul searching that takes place as the author draws us into their struggles.
I am not going to tell you any more as I do not want to spoil things for you, except to say that it is a most enjoyable read and one I can highly recommend.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing.
The opinions in this review are completely my own.