I’ve always been a reader, as I have mentioned before. Always happy with a book, that is me.

Then, my husband gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas in 2011. I posted my first book review on Amazon on January 3rd, 2012. And that was the beginning of a reading compulsion. A very serious one.

But books cost money, and ebooks are not an exception. There are a lot of free books on Amazon, it’s just a question of finding them. Fortunately, there are also sites that help you find free or discounted ebooks on Amazon. It’s as simple as signing up with your e-mail, and getting notifications. I receive notifications from Bookbub, Pixel of Ink, and Inspired Reads. I’m sure there are other sites and services out there, but these three have been great at letting me discover new authors. I confess that I have too many free books on my Kindle that I haven’t read yet, but most the times I try to get to the ones that peek at my curiosity.

Such a one came to me last month:

“A Heart Deceived” by Michelle Griep. It’s an historical Christian romance, as I’ve seen it categorized on Goodreads.

From the blurb:
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.

I was intrigued by it, but held back at first. I read some reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and decided to take a risk on it. And I’m so glad I did. This is the review I wrote:
Excellent, excellent in every way. I was a bit hesitant to start reading, since it seemed so dark and Gothic, but, after reading some reviews, I surmised the ending would be satisfying, and I kept on reading, and I’m so glad I did.
Ethan and Miri are incredible protagonists, so rich and human, so incredibly attractive in their strengths and their flaws. The writing is mesmerizing, where every word is consciously called upon, and every simile appropriate to the theme. The theme itself is an old one- after the tribulations, come the blessings.
Absolutely recommend it.

The thing I liked the most about it was the language and writing style. Of course, the story, the setting, and the characters were also very well done, but the words held me captive with their simplicity and power. I read this quote today:

“I learned to write by reading the kind of books I wished I’d written.” — Barbara Kingsolver

“A Heart Deceived”  is a great example of that—not one word at random. This is one author I’d love to listen to on the topic of writing, language, and literary voice.

I haven’t read Michelle Griep’s other novels; time travel is not something that jumps at me. But I’m considering them, if only for research.