Book Review: Because You Loved Me by Beth Moran

I am so excited to be welcoming Beth Moran back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, 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.

*****

Marion has not had an easy life. She lost her father at a young age and became the focus of her mother’s need for blame.

Marion flees her hometown and goes to England looking for answers. Who was her father prior to her birth? Why did he move to Northern Ireland from England and can she, after all these years, find peace with her mother and herself? 

I am a huge fan of Beth Moran’s novels and so jumped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for Because You Loved Me. 

I love a good book cover and the one for this novel is beautiful and very dreamy. 

I have to admit, this one took me a couple of chapters to settle into but before long, I couldn’t stop reading, continuing through to the early hours, wanting to know what became of these characters. I very much became invested. 

Marion is a tortured soul. She’s not had an easy time thanks to the death of her father and her mother’s insistence that it was Marion’s fault. Her vulnerability is very clear and I wanted her to be ok. 

Enter Scarlett. Oh Scarlett, you wonderful character you. I loved her positivity and outlook on life, even when it wasn’t always kind to her. She’s the kind of person I’d love to be and someone who you hope to find when you’re in need. 

Ruben is brooding and lovely. 

Valerie was adorable and needs to be protected at all costs! 

Grace was a little harder to connect with at first but by the end, I was very much rooting for her. 

All characters were well developed and felt real and relatable. 

The plot itself unfolded nicely and the mystery surrounding Marian’s father added a great additional element to a story that felt, for me, to be about the characters and their journey.

This story is about how family doesn’t have to be blood related and how people seem to come into our lives at just the right moment as long as we let them in. 

That’s what this story was about for me – family, love, understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. 

There was humour, warmth and poignant moments where I wanted to cry. 

If you’re a fan of JoJo Moyes or just want to discover a brilliant read, this book is for you. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. 

*****

About Beth Moran:

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.

Say hello to Beth via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

Because You Loved Me was previously released as Making Marion. It was released by Boldwood Books on 11th January 2023. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.