My #bookreview of Secrets of Greenoak Woods from Brenda Jane Davies

Title: Secret of Greenoak Woods

Author: Brenda Jane Davies

Genre: Historical Romance

Published: November 9, 2016

~ Blurb ~

1816 Cornwall
Benjamin is a young farm labourer, a reticent man living a solitary life. Tormented by a childhood trauma he is misunderstood and scorned by the villagers of St. Merryn, including Mary the woman he loves. His desire for Mary is tearing him apart because she loves Samuel – a man he hates.

Passionate and vital, farmers daughter Mary will never break the promise made to her dying mother, to always protect her younger sister. But a series of dreadful events leave the sisters with a dark secret that will deliver them straight to the gallows if discovered.
Benjamin finds the courage to offer Mary the protection she needs, but how far will she go to keep her secret safe? His battle with Samuel for her affections have tragic consequences and everybody’s secrets and betrayals – not just Mary’s – are laid bare.
Set against the untamed splendour of the Cornish coast and timeless rhythm of farming life is a story of love, loss and dark secrets.

Grab a copy!

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~ My Review ~

This novel was tough to dive into. It was a slow starter, and there were so many characters. How did they all connect? The formatting was wonky, and someone had a love for the overuse of commas. And the dialogue! What were they saying? Frankly, if I hadn’t committed myself to reviewing this novel, I may not have continued. I’m glad I did. At some point, I found myself quickly flipping through the pages, knowing that all the secrets were going to collide, and absolutely desperate to watch the explosion and find out the aftermath.

I liked Mary okay when the novel started, but I sincerely started to hate her when she got together with Benjamin who I’m secretly in love with. Benjamin was strange, but I don’t care, because he was loving and sweet and kind and caring. *Swoon*

Although the ‘big reveal’ was somewhat obvious, I didn’t mind because the reveal wasn’t everything. What the characters decided to do with the information? Now, that was the crux of the story.

Once I got into this story, I enjoyed it immensely. I recommend it to lovers of historical romance.

*I received a free copy of this novel in return for my honest review*

~ About the Author ~

I live in Bristol, England with my husband and I combined my love of Cornwall and its history with my love of geneology to write my first novel based on the true story of my great great grandfather James Ivey.

I didn’t want that novel to be my last. My second book is fiction but is still historical since I love imagining what it was like to live in the 1800s. I hope my writing skills and storytelling have improved.
I would love anyone who reads my books to let me know what they think since without reviews I have no idea if anyone is enjoying them or not.

Visit her blog at http://brendadavies.blogspot.co.uk