Audible Book Review: 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, Once Upon a Dickens Christmas, Book 1, by Michelle Griep

This is a sort of haunted house Christmas Mystery/Romance which I read and enjoyed for Ladies Book Club.
12 Days at Bleakly Manor
Once Upon a Dickens Christmas, Book 1
By: Michelle Griep
Narrated by: Nan McNamara


Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-11-18
Language: English
Publisher: Oasis Audio
Genre: Christian, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Victorian
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
A mysterious invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home may bring danger...and love?
England, 1851: When Clara Chapman receives an intriguing invitation to spend Christmas at an English manor home, she is hesitant yet feels compelled to attend - for if she remains the duration of the 12 day celebration, she is promised a sum of 1,000 pounds.
But is she walking into danger? It appears so, especially when she comes face to face with one of the other guests - her former fiancé, Benjamin Lane.
Imprisoned unjustly, Ben wants revenge on whoever stole his honor. When he's given the chance to gain his freedom, he jumps at it - and is faced with the anger of the woman he stood up at the altar. Brought together under mysterious circumstances, Clara and Ben discover that what they've been striving for isn't what ultimately matters.
What matters most is what Christmas is all about...love.
Pour a cup of tea and settle in for book 1 of the Once upon a Dickens Christmas series - -a pause-resisting Victorian-era holiday tale by Michelle Griep, a listener and critic favorite.
©2017 Shiloh Run Press (P)2017 Oasis Audio

Review:
Clara and Ben were separated on the morning they were to be wed. He was sent to the jail for theft and she was left jilted at the altar believing her fiancé’ had run off with the family fortune.
Clara is struggling out a meager living caring for her elderly aunt and wondering: “Why, God? Why?” She receives a strange invitation that promises her 500 pounds if she spends 12 days at Bleakly Manor. Although a strange request, and reluctant to leave her ailing aunt, Clara welcomes this one chance to restore her circumstance.

Ben believes Clara abandoned him during the rigged trial proceedings and wonders: “Why, God? Why?” When Ben is called to the warden’s office, he suspects that his time to be deported has come. Instead, he is given an invitation that promises his freedom if he stays at Bleakly Manor for 12 days without trying to escape.

As Clara and Ben arrive at the bleak manor house, they realize they are not the only guests invited. There are a handful of others and each person has been promised something unique to their circumstances but only one of the participants can gain the promise by staying the full time. At first, the manor seems warm, if dark, but as soon as everyone has arrived, most of the staff disappears leaving the group to fend for themselves without proper food or warmth.

Tensions are high between Clara and Ben who are shocked to see each other and even more startled when they finally agree to listen to what happened to each other. Soon tensions begin to rise among all of the guests as the conditions deteriorate starting the first morning with an alleged jewel theft. The police inspector guest claims he will investigate but his procedures leave a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, Ben is certain he feels “eye” watching from the halls.

This plot was great fun, reminding me of the Agatha Christie mystery “And Then There Were None” and making me think of the movies Clue or Murder by Death. It appears that I haven’t read enough Dickens recently enough to catch all of the connections to Dickens's characters and locations (Bleak House). Still, I had great fun following the mishaps that helped to eliminate the guests and the dilemmas that Clara and Ben had to face.

I have enjoyed several books by Michelle Griep and look forward to more! I recommend this to fans of Victorian and noir mystery, and clearly to any true Dickens fans.

Audio Notes: Nan McNamara’s narration drew me into the setting and kept me following the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio presentation.

Source: December 2019 Audible Sale purchase $5.24. This qualifies for Ladies Book Club and 2019Audiobook goal.

#NetGalley Book Review: Ladies of Intrigue: 3 Tales of 19th-Century Romance with a Dash of Mystery by Michelle Griep

These are lovely - I really like this author.

Ladies of Intrigue: 3 Tales of 19th-Century Romance with a Dash of Mystery
by Michelle Griep

File Size: 1038 KB
Print Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books (February 1, 2019)
ASIN: B07HYM6HQ6
Genre: Christian Romance, Historical Romance
My Rating 4.75 of 5.0

3 Page-Turners Under One Cover from Reader Favorite Michelle Griep!
Can truth and love prevail when no one is as they appear?
The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Cornish Coast, 1815
When a prim and proper governess returns to England from abroad, she expects to comfort her dying father—not fall in love with a smuggler. Will Helen Fletcher keep Isaac Seaton’s unusual secret?
The Doctor’s Woman (A Carol Award Winner!)
Dakota Territory, 1862
Emmy Nelson, daughter of a missionary doctor, and Dr. James Clark, city doctor aspiring to teach, find themselves working side by side at Fort Snelling during the Dakota Uprising. That is when the real clash of ideals begins.
A House of Secrets
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1890
Ladies Aide Chairman, Amanda Carston resolves to clean up St. Paul’s ramshackle housing, starting with the worst of the worst: a “haunted” house that’s secretly owned by her beau—a home that’s his only means of helping brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam.

Review:
The Gentleman Smuggler’s Lady
Helen is a Pastor’s daughter who has traveled to help her ill father. As she arrives in his community she is kidnapped by a local smuggler. Inadvertently she sees the face of the man who saves her. She is soon surprised to find out his identity. She has a dilemma as she is reluctant to turn in the man who has saved her and cared for her father so caringly.

Isaac has bent his own rules in the name of revenge. The staunch faith of Helen makes him question his motives and look for alternatives. Will he be able to make Helen see him as a reliable person rather than a scoundrel?

I fully loved both of these characters and how the story plays out. There is risk with a lascivious authority not only stalking the smuggler but also inappropriately pursuing Helen and/or Isaac’s single sister. The plot keeps it moving quickly while I was rooting for this couple to get together. I especially loved Helen’s reliance on God and willingness to look for the best in others. She also wasn’t afraid to speak her mind to rebuke inappropriate behavior. My rating 4.75.

The Doctor’s Woman
Emmy is the daughter of a missionary doctor who has recently died. She is preparing to leave the wilderness to return to her society Aunt when she is asked to help at the Fort Snelling while they await the new doctor. Emmy is about to tend a man with a seriously crushed leg when Dr. James Clark arrives. Dr. Clark is a city doctor seeking a coveted position at Harvard. To gain his recommendation he has been directed to show he is able to survive a tour of service in the wilds of the West.

Dr. Clark and Emmy meet with sparks flying. He asks her to stay to help him and the commander makes him responsible for her welfare in the rough environment. He is still set on strict old fashion doctoring techniques while Emmy tries to encourage using some natural remedies learned from the Indians – even those Indians who killed her fiancé. The doctor gains respect for Emmy’s dedication although her independence frustrates him. But when it comes time for him to return to the East will he be willing to part from Emmy?

These are two more engaging characters and another story with plenty of conflict and moments of danger. The description of the western hardships is well done. Their struggles through the circumstances and the decisions they face provide inspiring encouragement. My rating 5.0.

A House of Secrets
Young Amanda has secured the chairmanship of the Ladies Aide Society which she hopes will impress her standoff father. Amanda wants to obtain the title to a dilapidated house to turn it into a safe place for educating street children. A haughty Society member puts Amanda on a deadline to get the title or lose on her first project.

Amanda seeks the help of her fiancé, the city Attorney to find the owner of the land. He claims he is too busy with other issues to help right now but really he is hiding his involvement with the property. He has been using the house to help brothel girls escape from the hands of the city’s most infamous madam. He doesn’t want to let Amanda know his connection to the house, nor certain family secrets.

A powerful business man is thwarting Joseph’s efforts to close down the local brothel. The corrupt man is quick to comfort Amanda when she is devastated to learn of Joseph’s betrayal. Just as matters come to a head a life-threatening accident pushes Joseph to face his fears and Amanda to address her impulsive rejection.

I liked the interesting brothel and society history in this story. The story felt a little rushed and didn’t pull me in as much as the first two. Still, it was entertaining, and I appreciated the messages regarding the harm of secrets in a personal relationship. My rating 4.5.

I enjoyed a previous historical romance by this author, The Captive Heart. I highly recommend this author and this story to readers who like Christian and historical romance with real life danger and conflict.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019TBR, 2019NetGalley and 2019 Alphabet goals.

Book Review: The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep

This is a 'captivating' American Revolution romance with wonderfully strong characters.

The Captive Heart
by Michelle Griep

File Size: 1318 KB
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Shiloh Run Press (October 1, 2016)
ASIN: B01DQ93D32
Genre: Historical, Christian
My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0

Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute of an employer. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.

Review:
Eleanor is a proper English woman who had a difficult life with her father. She became a governess who had to reject the advances of her employers. Shevwas helped by her lecherous employer’s wife to escape to America. Unfortunately, the ship’s captain is corrupt and puts Eleanor with other women to be sold when they reach America. Along the way someone steals the money and reference letter that Eleanor was relying on for a new start. Instead Eleanor and two shipmate friends are carried off to a remote community in South Carolina where they each are placed in an 'indentured' situation. Before she can catch her breath, Eleanor is ushered into a marriage of convenience with a rustic man who needs a mother for his young daughter.

Samuel Heath is a multi-personality man. He is a frontiersman, trapper, tracker, friend of nearby Native Americans, a father of a toddler and once a proud British gentleman. Now he looks like a savage living in the wilderness and his loyalties no longer lie with Britain -- but that is a well-guarded secret. Samuel is haunted by memories of his first wife but now he needs a wife for his daughter, Grace. Even though a lovely young Native widow wants to be his mate, Samuel wants a woman who can raise Grace with proper ‘English ways’.

Eleanor and Samuel are an unlikely pair. She has no idea how to live a woodman’s rustic life. But Eleanor adores Grace, she is brave and willing to learn if only Samuel would stay home long enough to teach her. She soon discovers that he is the target of a bitter rival and he has secrets that he holds tight. But she also sees his warm love for his daughter and his steady provision and respect.

I was immediately pulled into this warm story first in England and then in the 1770 American frontier. Ms. Griep gives a vibrant portrayal of frontier living and pre-Revolution tensions. The characters are strong and well developed with a lovely passion that grows between strangers who show respect and care for each other. I enjoyed the faith foundations of both characters which is shown through their struggles and strengths.

This is a clean, American revolution historical romance, not to be confused with the sensual Regency romance genre. I highly recommend this captivating and delightful story. I will definitely look to read more by Ms. Griep.

I received this through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.