Angel's Den

Today is a terrible pain day, one of the worst I've had in a month or more, so I'm just going to dive right into the review.

Angel's Den by Jamie Carie is a historical romance set at the dawn of the 19th century. Emma believes she's marrying the man of her dreams in Eric Montclaire, but her illusions are quickly shattered when she discovers that his face of an angel hides a soul black as night. She withdraws from society and her family in order to hide the all too frequent bruising left from his angry tantrums, and she comes to fear for her very life when she discovers his history of murder and violence. Luke Bowen worked on the Lewis & Clark company until his father died unexpectedly, forcing him to give up his place as cartographer. Montclaire hires him for a new expedition out west, but Luke struggles with his feelings for the beautiful Emma, especially after witnessing her suffering. Carie is top notch at historicals, getting all the right details and language. Each era she tackles, she brings to brilliant life. The focus here is on Luke and Emma's growing but forbidden feelings for each other while they try to keep true to their Christian faith. The attempt to rouse sympathy for Montclaire falls a bit flat, and the epilogue is a tad too jolly for the mood of the rest of the book and it disregards both characters desire to see more of the world. I also wish that more time had been spent on the actual journey with Luke recording more detail about the birds and animals he saw. Those small flaws aside, it's a powerfully moving novel of a woman facing spousal abuse in an era that didn't recognize it as a crime. Emma's depression, anger, and fear makes the novel a must read.

Thank you to B&H Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book for review!