Winter 2018
It's 1907, and Canon Thomas Cross—if Cross is even his real name—has some heavy crosses to bear, many of his own making. Outwardly a principled reformer, he secretly has a lover and fights in an illegal club. When he's beaten to near death and dumped in the countryside, he's cared for by Simon Thorne and his sister Miranda, a skilled but reclusive painter who harbors plenty of her own secrets and sorrows. Through a complex series of circumstances, Tom and Miranda struggle to understand each other—and to reveal themselves. Tom comes to love Miranda, but he's afraid to express it when he feels burdened with past lust, blood guilt, and memories of a drunken father. Harwood's novel successfully explores human culpability, despite one aspect of Tom's transgressions never being fully addressed. Readers may recognize Tom's character from the author's debut novel, Impossible Saints , but this new work can stand alone. VERDICT Historical fiction fans with a penchant for complexity in their romances will appreciate this story of two ardent people overcoming the pasts they can no longer escape.—Sara Scoggan, Fishkill, NY
11/26/2018Impossible Saints ) loses momentum. Early one morning in October 1907, clergyman Tom Cross wakes up in a London hotel room next to his mistress, Julia Carrington, and decides to end their scandalous relationship. Tom makes his excuses to Julia before heading off to visit the sick at London Hospital in Whitechapel. After leaving the hospital late that night, he gets into a cab and falls asleep. When he awakes, he’s on a remote country road, where he’s soon set upon by three men and left unconscious. He’s rescued by siblings Miranda and Simon Thorne, who take him into their Surrey cottage and nurse him back to health. Tom conceals his true identity from them, even as he finds himself increasingly attracted to Miranda, an aspiring artist. He feels even more conflicted when he learns that she has had an aversion to men of the cloth since having a mysterious and unpleasant experience with one when she was younger. Harwood gradually pulls back the curtain on Tom’s own past, which may hold the answer to the mystery of why he was assaulted. Routine plotting and character development make it hard for readers to care much about the goings-on. (Jan.)
"An impressively and deftly crafted novel that will engage the readers complete attention as the author presents more unanticipated plot line twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster."
"Readers who enjoy a tender love story will want to keep turning pages to learn these characters' secrets and find out whether and how they come together."
"Harwood has taken the villain from her last novel and turned him into a sympathetic, if flawed, protagonist. Both historical-fiction and historical-romance fans will relish this novel, in which characterization is strong and realistically informed by backstories and in which two damaged people come to truly know themselves and find their missing pieces in each other."
"An intriguing study of a flawed man. All the characters in this novel, even the minor ones, are complex and surprising, and Harwood deftly blends social realism with fairytale lyricism in a way that is moving without being sentimental."
Historical Novels Review (Editor’s Choice)
"An intriguing study of a flawed man. All the characters in this novel, even the minor ones, are complex and surprising, and Harwood deftly blends social realism with fairytale lyricism in a way that is moving without being sentimental."
Historical Novels Review (Editors Choice)
"An intriguing study of a flawed man. All the characters in this novel, even the minor ones, are complex and surprising, and Harwood deftly blends social realism with fairytale lyricism in a way that is moving without being sentimental."
Historical Novels Review (Editor’s Choice)
Harwood has taken the villain from her last novel and turned him into a sympathetic, if flawed, protagonist. Both historical-fiction and historical-romance fans will relish this novel, in which characterization is strong and realistically informed by backstories and in which two damaged people come to truly know themselves and find their missing pieces in each other.
Anyone pining for a passionate yet principled historical romance will fall hard for this impossibly readable story. It’s the perfect thing for a long weekend. But months later, readers will still recall the harrowing descriptions of imprisoned, abused women. Lilia’s pointed, challenging questions will linger even longer.
British Heritage Travel [praise for 'Impossible Saints']
This frustrating but tender romance, teetering between hope and despair, doubtless represents many relationships challenged by change. The story is best for readers interested in women’s rights and the British suffrage movement.
Historical Novels Review [praise for 'Impossible Saints']
A simply riveting read from cover to cover, Impossible Saints is an original and consistently entertaining, narrative driven novel by a writer with a genuine flair for both originality and deftly crafted characters.”
Midwest Book Review [praise for 'Impossible Saints']
The perspective is refreshing in that the church is not the villain, nor are all the suffragettes cardboard cutouts. One interesting aspect is the novel’s exploration of the contrast in ideologies between the more conservative, peaceful suffrage groups and the militant, property-destroying Women’s Social and Political Union. This parallels the spectrum in today’s protest-heavy atmosphere, lending the novel contemporary social relevance in addition to its romantic plotline.
Booklist [praise for 'Impossible Saints']
2018-10-02
A British clergyman struggles with his habit of falling for unavailable women in this Edwardian-era love story.
When the novel opens, Canon Thomas Cross is in the midst of an extramarital love affair with Julia Carrington, a wealthy parishioner. His guilt over their ongoing tryst has reached a crescendo, and he insists they put an end to their meetings. Several hours later, after Tom has conducted church meetings and visited sick patients at a hospital, his conscience is eased by having performed these good deeds. Unfortunately, as he heads home, he is kidnapped and driven far outside the city, where he is beaten and left for dead. As he languishes in the woods, he is discovered by Miranda Thorne, a local artist, who brings him back to the remote cottage where she lives with her brother, Simon. As Miranda and Simon nurse Tom back to health, the three form a bond, with Tom and Miranda taking extra-special notice of each other. As Tom regains his strength, he must return to London and attempt to find stability in his life. He hopes to discover the identity of his attackers and to live a more moral life. Unfortunately, he is unable to forget Miranda nor the pull he felt toward her. When Miranda's brother marries and the Thorne family moves to London, Tom and Miranda rekindle their connection. As Tom and Miranda grow more deeply attached, unexpected obstacles to their relationship continue to crop up. Told at a slow and steady pace, this is a tale not meant for rushing. Details about the story's setting are conspicuously absent, as the author focuses instead on the characters' thoughts and actions. Even so, the descriptions of characters' interior emotional lives are sufficiently engaging to keep readers turning pages. The novel also contains many interesting details about the art circles of the era as well as the political inner workings of the English church. Written as a sequel to Harwood's Author of Impossible Saints (2018), the book can also stand on its own.
A smart and highly civilized tale about love, temptation, and second chances.
