It is marvellous to be able to welcome Beth Moran's Because You Loved Me to the blog today. Originally published as Making Marion, it has been published by Boldwood Books on January 11th 2023.
Marion Miller needs a fresh start.
Her childhood in Northern Ireland wasn’t easy, with a father
who passed away when she was young and a mother who got lost in grief. Now
grown-up and with family relations as tense as ever, Marion heads to England,
to find out the truth about her father’s mysterious past – and hopefully an
extended family who will love her as much as he did.
Scarlett Obermann runs a holiday park in Sherwood Forest
with her daughter Grace, but what’s she’s best at is making people feel like
they belong. With her merry band of waifs and strays, Scarlett welcomes Marion
with open arms, and it isn’t long before Marion finally understands what it
means to find a home.
As she tries to uncover her father’s story, Marion slowly
blossoms, even daring to indulge in her crush on Reuben, the son of the Lord of
the Manor, but she hasn’t quite out-run her past. And as Scarlett faces her own
tragedy, it’s Marion’s turn to take care of everyone.
Because you can’t choose your family, but you can make your
friends the family you choose.
This novel was first published as Making Marion.
My Thoughts
Marion turns out to be quite a complicated character with a childhood experience which has affected how she views herself as an adult. The grief of her mother has been so overwhelming that as a young girl, she was neglected and mentally abused. Turning this treatment onto herself she has internalised her mother's words and actions and a self-destructive way. In many ways, you see the healing effects of the friends she meets in Sherwood Forest as she tries to invent her life without reference to the past.
I found that the group of characters added life to the story and moments of humour as well as sadness. Scarlett is a wonderful character, the complete opposite in many ways of Marion's mother. She is warm, accepting and empathetic- just what Marion needs. This is a gentle romance which makes for a warm and uplifting story and is well worth its re-issue.
In short: a heart-warming story of love and loss.
About the Author
Beth Moran is the bestselling author of romantic novels
including Christmas Every Day and Just The Way You Are. She regularly features
on BBC Radio Nottingham and is a trustee of the national women’s network Free
Range Chicks. She lives on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest.
You can read my review of Christmas Every Day here and How not to be a Loser here and Take a Chance on Me here and We Belong Together here and Let it Snow here .
Thanks to Beth Moran and Boldwood Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
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