The House at the End of the Moor

Hey! I liked this! I'll search out more by this author.
I've been taking a chance on this genre of Christian romance, and I'm dubious, but Griep will be a re-read. Despite being a person to whom faith is central, I don't read Christian fiction, especially romance. I'm grumpy about badly-written “Christian” fiction that uses employs unearned, unrealistic formulaic prayers or fake faith as a plot device to shift people from sad to happy-ever-after. (Yeah, not at all judgy about the genre, am I?)
I read a lot of romance, and have finally steeled myself to find some Christian romance authors that surpass my fears and tell the truth about what it's like to actually live with faith. This first book by Griep won't be my last by her; I felt like the characters interacted with the conflict in their lives from a believable standpoint of faith that both felt contextually appropriate for the historical period and congruent with my own experience.
I'm an historian as well as a Christian; this well-researched tale didn't get up my nose.
Since the romance was also believable and the plot drama engaging, I'll be coming back for more.
(A few quibbles: no one can thrive in a strong faith isolated from others in a worshiping community; how did the heroine evolve such a strong theology of suffering if there were absolutely no good role models in her life? That was hard to swallow–how could she arrive at the truth without having a chance to develop it in community with a few mentors? It felt as if she were embodying the Victorian idolatry of the perfect, angelic woman who guided the troubled men in her life. I wanted to know how she came by those convictions and didn't quite find justification in her backstory filled with manipulation, abandonment, poverty, and the theatre.)
In a book where the Christian characters trust God for guidance, if there's a huuuuuge coincidence in the plot, am I to suppose that the author's taking liberties with plotting or that it was GOD saving the day? I mean, out of all the tea storage closets in all the towns in all the world, he happens to walk into THAT one?? I wished there were some plot reason that they were both drawn to Dartmoor. (I mean, he was drawn there by the police, but why was she there so her tea storage closet could be at just the right place?)
I also liked that the ripples of redemption extended beyond the hero and heroine. Cool, that.

4.5 stars

I was expecting a Victorian drama, but I wasn't expecting the level of misty Gothic-inspired suspense I found. There was so much atmosphere in this novel that it was addictive and the book was almost impossible to put down. To be honest, I stayed up until 2 am to finish it!

Pretty quickly we discover that the hero has been wrongfully imprisoned, but the heroine may be a criminal too, we discover...what a mess. I found it a bit unlikely that the two would end up in the same spot when he escapes, but of course that's necessary for the plot. Other than that I found the story entertaining and interesting.

There's a bit of violence, plus one character that's super warped, so it may not be for everyone if you don't like extra creepy villains.

Favorite moments: When Oliver's father shows up near the end and what all that entails. And the epilogue...

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.