Because You Loved Me by Beth Moran @bethcmoran @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks #Review #FourStars

Because You Loved Me

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 Review:

Because You Loved Me started off slow and I wasn't quite sure what to think. The heroine, Marion, had low-functioning anxiety. While others go through daily tasks smoothly and effortlessly, those with this type of anxiety shut down and have difficulty performing even easy, mundane tasks. I have high-functioning anxiety but I'm still affected by some of the same things as one does with low-functioning anxiety. Some of Marion's actions baffled me (not calling the police during specific events, among other things) and I found myself becoming detached. However, the story finally sunk its claws into and captivated me at about the 20% mark. 

I loved watching Marion blossom during her days at the holiday park. Scarlett took Marion in with open, unquestioning arms. She slowly encouraged Marion to engage in social settings that would normally send her running. In fact, Marion does that quite a few times. Marion is finally able to let people into her heart and make friends. This slow transformation makes it easier for Marion to talk to people, paving the way to her real reason for landing in Sherwood Forest. She lost her dad at a young age and wants to learn more about him and his family.

The setting and world-building were cleverly written and I (eventually) found myself immersed in Marion's tale. She gained a wonderful family in the secondary characters. I enjoyed the writing style of the author. The author wrote a very realistic book with plenty of emotion, passion, and realism. The characters were complex and fully developed. I enjoyed watching Marion grow and shed her childhood trauma. The trauma will never fully go away but her new life paves the way through the pain and opens her eyes to the life she deserves. 

I was provided a copy of this book to read.

My Rating:

Purchase Link:

https://amzn.to/3CQ0iTo

Meet 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.

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