The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry

The Silent Waters by Brittainy C. Cherry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this is my favorite of the series so far. It's the perfect combination of sweetness and turmoil.

Book 293 read in 2018

Pages: 316

"Darling Beast" by Elizabeth Hoyt

This is book seven in the Maiden Lane series and centers on Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne, who escaped a four year nightmare in Bedlam nine months ago and is now living as "Mr. Smith," a gardener at a burned out pleasure garden called Harte's Folly.  He is friends with Harte, who is actually Asa Makepeace, the brother of the main characters of previous entries in the series.  Unbeknownst to Apollo, Makepeace had hired a famous actress, Lily Stumpe, to perform plays at the garden before it burned downed.  Angry that she left his theatre, Lily's previous employer blacklisted her in the London theatre community.  So when Harte's Folly burned, she could find no work but talked Makepeace into letting her, her son, and her maid live in the two small rooms of the theatre that hadn't burned.  Apollo frightens Lily when they first meet due to his size and his inability to speak as his voice was damaged in a vicious beating in Bedlam.  But as Lily's son, Indio, becomes enamored with the silent gardener, Lily eventually realizes that he is not the hulking oaf he pretends to be.  Apollo is really searching for the killer of his friends, a crime for which he was framed and sentenced to Bedlam.  But how can he do that if he's lost his voice and must not divulge his real name and station in life?

Hoyt writes another winner that brings back other characters from the series, including Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, and her husband, the Duke of Wakefield, the two people responsible for his escape from Bedlam in book six.  Lily and Apollo make a classically great historical romance couple; both are strong, likeable, and moral.  I'm leaving out a lot because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but fans of the genre will love this entertaining addition to the series.  Oh, and there's a cute, red, Italian greyhound who steals a few scenes!  328 pages.

"Archer's Voice" by Mia Sheridan

Bree Prescott has arrived in the small town of Pelion, Maine, having fled Ohio on the spur of the moment after surviving a horrific and terrifying event.  She doesn't know how long she will stay, so she rents a small cottage by a lake with her little dog and gets a job as a waitress at a local diner.  Soon she meets Archer Hale, a scruffy young man who never speaks and is ignored by the townspeople.  But Bree feels a connection with him and discovers a damaged yet kindred spirit who has also survived enormous tragedy. 

This was a beautiful, very moving, and emotional story that I had trouble putting down.  The author has created two soulful characters who are hurting deeply and find healing through each other.  Although he is mute, Archer is not deaf like Bree's father was.  Luckily, they both know sign language, and most of the conversations are through their hands.  Archer has been out of society since the age of seven, and Bree does her best to help him reintegrate.  She is fearless when it comes to advocating for him with the townspeople and his mean-spirited cousin.  Archer is an especially well-written character, and we get to see his journey from isolated, wounded loner to confident hero, mostly thanks to Bree.  It was told mainly in her POV, but his POV was also given in several chapters, which were sometimes difficult to read because of the subject matter.  There was just the right amount of angst, misunderstanding, and ultimately bliss to make for an amazing story.  Highly recommended.  337 pages (Kindle edition).