Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Broken Country My Rating: 4.9

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Much to my surprise, I truly loved all of the characters — even when I disagreed with their choices or questioned their decisions. That, to me, takes a gifted author: someone who can draw you so deeply into a character’s humanity that you care about them anyway.

If you enjoy character-driven stories that stay with you long after you finish, I HIGHLY recommend Broken Country. It’s the kind of book that makes you think, feel, and keep turning the pages late into the night.SO GOOD! Thank you to @shoegaljeanna for this great recommendation.