by: Clare Leslie Hall
Goodreads description:
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.
As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓
This begins as a predictable love story. It goes back and forth from the past to the present. Beth seems to have settled with boring Frank, but rich and exciting Gabriel reappears in town and it is soon revealed that he was the one that got away. I pride myself in not being a sappy person, but I must admit that this book really pulled on my heartstrings! It was an enthralling read even though I thought I had probably figured it all out (meaning the plot/ mystery). This was addictive and I read it very quickly. It had cinematic appeal and would make an excellent movie! It was easy to visualize.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓3/4
Believable? No. Entertaining and easy reading? For sure! A real love triangle…and if some people would have just commmunicated clearly in this story, a lot of pain, suffering and heartbreak could have been avoided, but I guess then we would not have this novel. Those types of story lines are always a little frustrating to me, but the story really is very entertaining, and the character development is great. Oh, and Gabriel’s mother is worse than Cruella DeVille, what a snake. I agree that this would also be a good movie – with a very beautiful countryside setting.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 