Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Dusk’s Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller

DUSK’S DARKEST SHORES
SERIES: Regency Wallflowers #1
GENRE: Inspirational Regency Romance
PUBLISHER: Kregel
RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021
PAGES: 305

How can a meek wallflower help a returning war hero whose dreams are plunged into darkness?

Mary Bloomfield has no illusions. Her chances for matrimony have long since passed her by. Still, her circumstances are pleasant enough, especially now that she has found purpose in assisting her father with his medical practice in England’s beautiful Lake District. Even without love, it’s a peaceful life.

That is until Adam Edgerton returns to the sleepy district. This decorated war hero did not arrive home to acclaim and rest, but to a new battle against the repercussions of an insidious disease. Mary’s caring nature cannot stand to see someone suffer–but how can she help this man see any brightness in his future when he’s plunged into melancholic darkness, his dreams laid waste by his condition?

Adam wants no charity, but he’s also no coward. If this gentle woman can work hard, how can he do less? Together they struggle to find a way forward for him. Frustration and antipathy slowly develop into friendship and esteem. Then a summer storm atop a mountain peak leads to scandal–and both Mary and Adam must search the depths of their closed hearts for answers if they hope to find any future path with happiness at its end.

Best-selling author Carolyn Miller is back with a fresh series that will not only thrill readers eager for more of her work, but bring in new fans looking for beautiful writing, fascinating research, deftly woven love stories, and real faith lived out in the Regency period.

“Our challenge is to trust Him when it does not seem to go our way.”

I picked up Carolyn Miller’s newest book, Dusk’s Darkest Shores, fully expecting to chuckle at witty banter and swoon over great romantical tension and gush over smart writing & layered characters… and I did all of those things! But I was not expecting my heart to fill with such tenderness for these characters, nor was I expecting my eyes to fill with such sweet tears at the end. But I did those things too. Miller is one of my very fave Regency romance writers, and I’ve loved every single one of her books. But this one, my friends, will long hold a special place in my heart.

I instantly loved Mary – her sweet spirit, her wry humor, her honesty, her strong faith, and her compassion for people who are struggling. She is refreshingly without guile, and she has no patience for, nor desire to cater to, all the two-faced games and gossip that can still be found in small towns the world over. Yet, despite her genuine contentment with her life, she still has a heart that can be burdened & wounded & even broken. I loved these various layers to her character – she was real and relatable and exactly like someone I’d want as a friend.

Adam is equally layered, but for different reasons. Once a lauded war hero, he’s now instead pitied & whispered about by the very people who once planned grand celebrations for his return. The illness he suffers has affected every facet of his present and every hope for his future, and for a time he is understandably consumed by grief and self-pity. Even then, however, I could see wisps of what I came to adore about him as the story progressed – his own wry humor, his inner strength, his faith, and his hero’s heart. Y’all, he and Mary are so perfectly matched that it was a true pleasure to watch them figure that out too. The banter & tender moments of their interactions, as Mary helps Adam acclimate to living a meaningful life even with his new challenges, were just perfection. Exactly the right amount of grin-inducing levity or swoons when needed, but also the right amount of time spent wrestling with authentic emotions and faith.

The theme of Dusk’s Darkest Shores particularly resonated with me. Maybe it’s because I have several friends right now who are dealing with heartbreaking situations, so I naturally have this issue of God’s faithfulness and sovereignty on my mind. But Miller conveys this message so organically to the story and with such gentle wisdom that, even if I hadn’t already been pondering these things, it would have stood out to me anyway. The quote I included above and this one – “Sometimes I wonder if trusting in God even despite a lack of seeming answers might be the faith God is really looking for.” – have stayed close to my heart today. Especially as I’ve prayed for my friends who are in situations where answers are not immediately forthcoming. And, as is just like God to do, I also came across two different quotes over the past day from two different writers I follow on social media, quotes which could have been written for Mary & Adam too. In case my friends & I aren’t the only ones who need the reminder, I’m sharing them with you below:

Bottom Line: My heart is still absorbing this gorgeous story. Dusk’s Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller is witty and smart and so very touching. Mary and Adam’s friendship took me through a range of emotions but always made me smile, even through my tears or swoons. (And those first kisses! Still fanning at the thought…) I loved that Mary is a woman of prayer, and I loved the authenticity with which the author depicts believers living out their faith, even when questions arise for which there are no easy answers. A must read for everyone, and one of my top reads of 2021!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 5 stars / fabulous book in every way

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

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Carolyn Miller is an inspirational romance author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children.

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English literature and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. She enjoys music, films, gardens, art, travel, and food.

Miller’s novels have won a number of RWA and ACFW contests. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Australasian Christian Writers.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Dusk’s Darkest Shores by Carolyn Miller?