Making Marion

I love it when you find a great novel that is written from an English author, because there are terms that are used that are quite different from the same words we would use here in the US. I've been delighted to partake of Beth Moran's latest novel, Making Marion: Where's Robin Hood When You Need Him? While it does utilize the elements from the story of Robin Hood, it is simply a whole lot more. There is simply something tucked away beneath the covers of this novel for everyone.

While I would classify this one as a contemporary romance, it adds some comedy to keep things a bit lively. Our main character, Marion Miller is searching for more information about her father, who has recently passed away. But more than that, it's about discovering who Marion really is in the process since dealing with some horrible things as a child, the first of which is losing her father, which she adored. Her mother, unable to deal with such a heavy loss, places all the blame on a young Marion at the time, for disturbing her father, instead of letting him rest. Her words are so harsh to Marion, telling her that she literally talked her father to death, that Marion refuses to speak another word in fear of killing her mother as well. It makes the reader really think about the things we may say to our own children and family members while caught up in deep emotion, and how that may impact them for the rest of their lives.

Marion's mother abandons her in a sense spending her days, locked away in her room, leaving a young child to essentially raise herself. Something that Marion will  have to work out by the conclusion of the novel. Meanwhile now that Marion is grown, she sets out to discover more about her father, since her mother refuses to speak with her. So she heads to the location of the annual Sherwood Festival, which takes place at the Peace and Pigs campsite. All Marion has to go off of is a picture of her father,dressed like Robin Hood and believes this is just the place to learn more about him. But like all family secrets, it will take a miracle to uncover the back story on her father. Along the way, she will be befriended by the owner of the Peaces and Pigs, Scarlett who immediately becomes a bit of a mentor and mother figure to Marion. She is one you truly LOVE by the end.

I received Making Marion by Beth Moran compliments of Kregel Publications and Lion Hudon Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. This is a wonderful story of how something tragic like Marion's childhood is able to be restored by the love of others who simply let her mature under their watchful eyes and help her to heal all those scars from their past. It is a reminder as well that the things that have devastated us from the past, don't have to hold us back from the futures that lie in front of us and the harm that can come from the unwillingness to let go of the bitterness and anger taking root inside. I absolutely LOVED how it all turned out in the end, not all tied up with a pretty bow, but with some great reflection, a love for those mentors and angels who come along when we need them the most, and for restoration of our hearts. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Making Marion, Beth Moran or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Making Marion: Where's Robin Hood When You Need Him by Beth Moran

You can find Beth Moran on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Making Marion, please visit Kregel Publication's website.