Moonglotexas“Was it wicked to say goodbye with a smile? Wrong to feel happy about leaving one’s family behind?”
The Noble Guardian by Michelle Griep
From the back cover copy I anticipated disliking Abigail, the leading lady, at least in beginning, as she’s framed as someone who is living a privileged life. However, from the opening lines of Michelle Griep’s The Noble Guardian, I immediately felt empathy for Abigail instead. Experiencing a Cinderella-like situation at home, Abigail is excited about her marriage and starting a new life in which she hopes she will be loved. Setting off across England at the height of the highwaymen robberies, she swiftly lands herself in mortal danger and in need of a guardian for the journey to her betrothed.
Jaded and broken by the horrors he’s endured, both in war and in the fight against highwaymen, Samuel ends up being that guardian owing to circumstances outside his control. The validity of his prejudice against Abigail is tested each day he spends with her. Together they explore the meaning of family, love and the ingredients of a happy life. They wrestle with God’s role in the hurt and pain life has brought those around them and themselves.
The adventure itself is full of so many unexpected turns, danger, and humour, I read it straight through! I loved the ending, it couldn’t have been better done! It is a fantastic historical romance but it’s more than that, it’s a reminder of the hope God gives us no matter the storms we endure and the importance of loving one another.
It’s five out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale and highly recommended! Whilst the other books in the series are wonderful, it isn’t necessary to have read them so be sure to pick this one up!
From the back cover:
The must-read conclusion to Michelle Griep’s Bow Street Runners Trilogy: Life couldn’t be better for Abigail Gilbert—but it’s been a long time in coming. Having lived with a family who hated her, it’s finally her time for love. Abby sets off on a journey across England to marry one of the most prestigious gentlemen in the land—until highwaymen upset her plans and threaten her life.
Horse patrol captain Samuel Thatcher arrives just in time to save Abby. But she’s simply another victim in a job he’s come to despise. Tired of the dark side of humanity, he intends to buy land and retire.
Abby pleads with him to escort her for the rest of her journey. He refuses—until she offers him something he desperately needs to achieve his goal. . .money. Delivering her safely will give him more than enough to buy property.
So begins an impossible trek for the cynical lawman and the proper lady. Each will be indelibly changed by the time they reach her betrothed, if they don’t kill one another first—or fall in love.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
