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Summary

In The House at the End of Moor a former opera star helps an escape convict return stolen jewels and clear his name.

A Heart Deceived finds a sister of a preacher and recovering drug addict trying to untangle a murder. 

Stats

Genre: Adult historical romance (Victorian England and pre-regency England, respectively)

Series length: Each book is a standalone

Violence: The House at the End of the Moor has moderate  violence, dealing with prisons and manhunts, though often humor interspersed. A Heart Deceived is darker (with a slight gothic fiction edge, reminiscent of books like Jane Eyre), with moderately high violence dealing with abuse, murder,  and insane asylums.

Magic/Supernatural: None

Romance: Moderate but clean

Christian/spiritual element: Moderate overt threads woven throughout each, dealing with themes like redemption and justice.

Recommendation: Readers who like historical romance with some grit. 

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Opening Lines: 

Death prowled the cellblock like a dark animal seeking prey--especially the weakest. But Oliver Ward would be hanged if he'd let the beast devour the man in the cell beside him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. 

The House at the End of the Moor
by Michelle Griep

What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?
 
Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house.

​Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.

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Opening Lines: 

Sunlight slanted a direct route from heaven through the sanctuary windows. Were the dust motes riding that beam sturdy enough to carry her weight, Miri Brayden would mount up and fly out of there in a heartbeat. 

In the pulpit, her brother droned on--and on. And on. Probably something about brimstone or eternal wrath. Who knew? Her mind floated from speck to speck as she zigzagged her eyes up the glass panes. Beyond, a few small clouds roamed free. What would it feel like to drift away on one of those? A lot softer than the wicked pew that numbed her backside, to be sure.

A Heart Deceived
by Michelle Griep

​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.