Review of Reapers of Justice

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Theresa Moffitt
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Review of Reapers of Justice

Post by Theresa Moffitt »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Reapers of Justice" by Anne Frehill.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Reapers of Justice by Anne Frehill is a gripping work of historical fiction. The story begins in 1919 when Ireland is in a period of political change and violence. The British Black and Tans have frequent clashes with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Sarah Murphy is at the center of the story. She is a strong and intelligent woman. She teaches school in a small town and is a valued member of the rural community. However, Sarah has a secret life that she hides from her community. She is secretly married to Sean, an Irish man, who is wanted by the British government for his involvement with the IRA. They communicate through coded letters and intermediaries. They meet in secret when they can.

The story focuses on Sarah and the delicate balance of her life. She can trust very few people with her secrets and doesn’t want to risk getting caught. Her husband is a wanted man and her life would also be in jeopardy. The story includes a mystery regarding the death of Sarah’s mother and the connection to a local magistrate. The magistrate knows more about Sarah’s family than he is willing to admit.

I enjoyed reading this book and the strong female character of Sarah. She is resourceful and independent. It is a very suspenseful story because Sarah is keeping so many secrets from the people in her town. She needs to be careful who she speaks to and what she tells people about her personal life. This creates anxiety for the reader and adds to the suspense in the story. I was engrossed in Sarah and her complicated life from the very beginning of the book.

My favorite part of the book was the historical aspect. There are repeated references to the IRA and their activities to further Irish independence. The Black and Tans were also repeatedly discussed. Sarah had an interesting meeting with Michael Collins. Michael Collins was a significant Irish figure during this time and her meeting with him added to the story. However, there were more than ten errors in the book, which was the only thing I disliked about it. For that reason, I am unable to give the book a perfect score.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and romance novels. Also, readers who enjoy strong female characters would appreciate the character of Sarah. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars due to the amount of errors. However, with additional editing, this book is deserving of a perfect score.

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Reapers of Justice
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Tarie07
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Post by Tarie07 »

I enjoy romance novels but I'm not really a fan of historical fiction. However, having the two genres combined sounds interesting. I might check the book out. Thanks for the review.
markodim721
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Post by markodim721 »

I think it's great that the author placed the fictional plot in a historical framework. Thanks for the reading recommendation.
Precious DA
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Post by Precious DA »

As much as I am not a lover of history or anything related, I like that the author manages to bring romance, a genre I enjoy into this book. The plot of the story seems very interesting. Thanks for the review!
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Mbenma Esther 080
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Post by Mbenma Esther 080 »

I love the fact that women are being assigned a prominent role in stories. Thanks for the review.
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