The Innkeeper's Daughter

This well written novel was quick paced with quit a few twist and turns to it. It will keep you on the end of your seat and it may not end as you expect. There is lots of adventure to this tale. It has everything you could want. You have your hero and heroine, some good guys, spies, a traitor, a man in black, a few under cover agents, and a crazy puppeteer who can't talk without his puppet, just to mention a few. You are not sure who's who until the end. There are so many strong characters in this book, not just Alexander and Johanna, the main love interest. I found several funny one liners, and colloquial sayings that I just loved. The story has a serious side too. I found myself in tears in parts. When I get into a book that I am enjoying, like this one, it is hard to put it down. I though the way Ms. Griep interweaves scripture lessons through out the book was very well done. I so enjoy when the author takes the time at the end of her story to tell you the history behind it, places and things that were true. I often get so into the novel that I feel like I am right there. Ms. Griep did exactly that for me with Innkeepers Daughter. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley, Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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.

Threads of undercover intrigue, working-class toil and strife, and sweet reluctant-romance are woven together in this high stakes adventure tempered with quirky characters, compassion, and faith! Johanna Langley is plugging away with a tooth and nail determination to save her family’s livelihood by taking on more responsibility and stress than she ought. Alexander Moore (alias Morton) is used to being surrounded by lovely ladies but he never had one like Johanna land in his life before now. Although there are connections with previously released, Brentwood’s Ward, each story also stands alone. I highly recommend both books and hope there are more stories of London’s Bow Street runners yet to be told! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.