Sweet Romance Book Review: "Mari" by Leah Atwood

Well, my promised indie author interview for the winter has fallen through. This is the last month when I really thought things would work out but life seems to get more hectic instead of easing up. So instead, I'll feature my indie author friend's books this month. I have five reviews or so to share with you. I hope you'll see one that sparks your interest and support another indie author who's just doing her thing.

Book Review: Mari by Leah Atwood

Mari by Leah Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being from Louisiana, and knowing how most people view us, it's always refreshing to see a book set in my state that has a positive message.
This contemporary romance is well done tackling some real-life struggles all while keeping it clean and clear. The characters are fleshed out beautifully and well enough that they could be my neighbors down the street. (No, they are not my neighbors, just to be clear. Just saying they come through that clear. Well done, Leah Atwood!)
Mari...the title caught my attention for two reasons. First, it's an unusual name. Not only that, it's unusual to see a contemporary romance novel with a name for a title.
I'm glad I gave this book a try. The heroine deals with some pretty tough baggage and comes across very strong. It made me so happy to see how she responded to the things she was learning in her newfound faith. Hypocrisy is a problem most often referenced by those seeking to avoid gathering with other believers. I've used it myself in the past. Mari steps out in faith and new doors of possibility open.
Life isn't easy. We all know things don't work as smoothly in real life as in books or film. But a story like this is encouraging to me. I felt lighter after I read it, if that makes sense. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet, clean romances, and a cozy evening of reading by the fire.

View all my reviews

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I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw how long my review was. It's been so many months, with so many books and reviews in between that I couldn't remember if this was going to be a long review or not. (If this is your first time checking out my book reviews, then trust me. This review is long where I'm concerned.)
Leah Atwood is an indie author whose books are exclusively available in ebook format. I hope that doesn't keep you from checking out her work. She does a good job of being up front about her romances being clean and her hope that each reader will finish her books with a smile on their faces. Another thing I liked about her books in general is that while they are short, they do include all the necessary elements which make a story very readable for me. There's conflict and resolution, worries grow into peace, difficulties are handled in a way that some may see as idealistic and I prefer to view as hopeful.
One thing I have yet to understand is why romance novels seem to be going down a dark path more and more every day. Yes. There are struggles in any relationship that seeks to be loving. Yes. There are going to possibly be some very dark things that need to be dealt with.
Where Leah excels is in tackling these things with a light touch, with the knowledge that faith will overcome all obstacles in the end. In my experience, that's been proven true. I went through a very dark time in my life, which I referenced in part while writing my review of this book. I found Mari's story relatable in several ways.
I hope I've given you enough bread crumbs to entice you to try reading some of Leah's work. She writes both historical and contemporary romance books from a Christian perspective. Most are affordable and all are available in most places ebooks are sold. Please do check her out!

I have a request, too. Please be kind about this article. I'm rushing to get it out to you today because things have been so hectic in my life right now. The Tale of Outh'n Durr & the edits on Surge have kept me pretty busy over the last couple of weeks. I'm working hard to give my newsletter subscribers early access to my completed short story in ebook format. I hope you'll forgive the typos you're sure to find in this blog post. If anything is unclear, please feel free to leave comments below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you so much for understanding!