About
Miri Brayden teeters on a razor’s edge between placating and enraging her brother, whom she depends upon for support. Yet if his anger is unleashed, so is his madness. Miri must keep his descent into lunacy a secret, or he’ll be committed to an asylum-and she’ll be sent to the poorhouse. Ethan Goodwin has been on the run all of his life-from family, from the law … from God. After a heart-changing encounter with the gritty Reverend John Newton, Ethan would like nothing more than to become a man of integrity-an impossible feat for an opium addict charged with murder. When Ethan shows up on Miri’s doorstep, her balancing act falls to pieces. Both Ethan and Miri are caught in a web of lies and deceit-fallacies that land Ethan in prison and Miri in the asylum with her brother. Only the truth will set them free.
Review
I was so excited to pick up this book because a) I love the author and b) I love regency. I thought I had read just about every plot that could happen in a regency novel, but I was mistaken. In fact, I would say that this novel probably slipped more into gothic with creepy characters, middle-of-the-night happenings, and an interesting mystery. While reading this novel, I found that I sympathized with Miri’s character. She is so likeable. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and she handled it as best she could. Ethan was another favorite of mine. His story of redemption was powerful and moving. I will say, that this novel probably moved way faster than most gothic/regency novels that I have read and I think the pace of the book was a bit distracting. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. Overall, I found it to be a fascinating read and quite the look into how the criminal society in London worked and how they deal with mental illness back then. Spiritually, Miri has to learn to trust God even when it looks like He isn’t moving (and boy did she go through) and Ethan has to learn to stay steadfast. The novel wasn’t quite what I expected, but I found it to be entertaining.
**I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in any way.**
remaininhislove 