It’s a pleasure today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review of the latest book from Beth Moran, Because You Loved Me. Just in case you might have read it before, I must mention that this book was actually Beth’s first book published, Making Marion: but it’s been given an extra polish by Boldwood Books, republished on 11th January, and is now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance e-copy (provided via netgalley).
I first discovered Beth’s lovely writing through Take a Chance on Me (you’ll find my review here) – and, as she so quickly became a personal favourite, I’m still not quite sure how I managed to miss her two earlier books with Boldwood. I so enjoyed that one that I then read We Belong Together – and thought it was every bit as wonderful (you can read my full review here). I think my favourite of hers (so far!) was Just The Way You Are, wonderfully life-affirming, filled with exceptional warmth, and quite beautifully written (you’ll find my review of that one here). And then, of course, came Let It Snow – and I’m certainly not the only reader who loved that one (you’ll find my review here).
And hot on its heels, we now have another – and I really do like the way Boldwood are picking up some of their authors’ back list books and introducing them to a whole new audience. Let’s take a closer look…
Marion Miller needs a fresh start.
Her childhood in Northern Ireland wasn’t easy, with a father who passed away when she was young and a mother who got lost in grief. Now grown-up and with family relations as tense as ever, Marion heads to England, to find out the truth about her father’s mysterious past – and hopefully an extended family who will love her as much as he did.
Scarlett Obermann runs a holiday park in Sherwood Forest with her daughter Grace, but what’s she’s best at is making people feel like they belong. With her merry band of waifs and strays, Scarlett welcomes Marion with open arms, and it isn’t long before Marion finally understands what it means to find a home.
As she tries to uncover her father’s story, Marion slowly blossoms, even daring to indulge in her crush on Reuben, the son of the Lord of the Manor, but she hasn’t quite out-run her past. And as Scarlett faces her own tragedy, it’s Marion’s turn to take care of everyone.
Because you can’t choose your family, but you can make your friends the family you choose.
Having read and really enjoyed several of the author’s books, I’ll admit that this one had rather darker edges than I was expecting. No, I’m really not saying I didn’t enjoy it – the warmth builds along with the story – but I found it quite difficult to engage with Marion at the story’s start. It’s plain she’s suffering from anxiety, to a level that makes her find it almost impossible to interact with others – and, through a series of flashbacks threaded through the story, we find out about the childhood trauma she suffered (the death of her father, her mother’s withdrawal of love, her years of mutism, the bullying by her cousin…) and come to understand her rather better.
She’s left her home in Northern Ireland – walking away from her toxic relationship with her mother and the fiancé who’d changed from a source of support into someone rather different – in search of more information about her late father. The only clue she has is a photograph, taken at an event in a recognisable location – Sherwood Forest. And when she drives into the Peace and Pigs holiday park to ask for directions, she accidentally finds a group of individuals (some might call them misfits) that she becomes able to call family, and a home where she might be able to find some happiness.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, one element being Marion’s personal journey – and it’s one it was good to share – towards finding that she has far more inner strength than she ever imagined. And there was a great deal I really liked about the subsidiary characterisation – especially the characters of Scarlett and Valerie, who made me rather like the idea of being part of their family too. There are other well drawn supporting characters too – I particularly liked the story of Scarlett’s daughter Grace, at first desperately dislikable but undergoing a transformative journey of her own. Another thing I really enjoyed was the Sherwood Forest setting, vividly described – and with plenty of opportunities to tie in the story of Robin Hood, particularly appropriate when the main character’s name is Marion.
There is a lot of sadness in this book – major issues are particularly sensitively handled (and very realistically) but, at times, there’s really not very much to smile about. But there is a fair balance of lightness too – an unlikely developing romance that became entirely convincing, and a number of moments, really well written, that became unexpectedly laugh-out-loud. It’s a book you really respond to at an emotional level – and that’s something I always rather enjoy. And running throughout is Marion’s continuing search for information about her father – intriguing and well developed, with plenty of twists and turns and a wholly unexpected outcome.
I must be honest, and say that this book wasn’t entirely a personal favourite – just wrong time, wrong book I think (it happens…), but I’m as impressed as I’ve always been by the author’s writing and storytelling, and her fine touch with the emotional content. It’s still one I’d happily recommend to others – I think your enjoyment might depend on your expectations, and mine were perhaps rather higher than they should have been. But still one of my favourite authors – and I will, as always, be looking forward to her next book…
About the author
Beth Moran is the author of romantic novels including Christmas Every Day and Just The Way You Are. She regularly features on BBC Radio Nottingham and is a trustee of the national women’s network Free Range Chicks. She lives on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest.
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