Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall on March 4, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Crime, Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / 20th Century, Fiction / Romance / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / Historical, Fiction / Women, Social Science / Sociology / Rural
Pages: 320
Format: eBook, Hardcover
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This book was really good—quietly powerful and emotionally gripping. It took me a couple of chapters to settle into the pace, but once I did, I was completely hooked. The story unfolds slowly but purposefully, drawing you deeper into a world full of secrets, heartache, and impossible choices.
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. Everything changes when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog that’s been chasing their sheep—an act that seems small at first, but ends up changing everything. The dog belonged to Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the same man who broke her heart years ago. Now he’s back in the village with his young son, Leo, a boy who reminds Beth painfully of her own son, lost in a tragic accident.
As Gabriel’s return stirs up old memories, Beth finds herself drawn back into a past she’s tried to forget. Tensions in the village start to rise, and long-buried secrets and jealousies resurface—this time with dangerous consequences. Beth is forced to choose between the woman she used to be and the woman she has become.
Beth’s story is so haunting and tender that I wanted to cry multiple times. At first, I thought I was reading a story about a love triangle, but it quickly became clear this was something deeper. It’s about love in all its forms—romantic, parental, protective—and the ways we carry the past with us, even when we try to leave it behind.
I especially loved the dual timelines, slowly revealing the past and how it’s still shaping the present. It was done so well and kept me fully invested. And the ending—wow. I didn’t see it coming, but in hindsight, all the clues were there. I love when a book lands with that kind of emotional weight and leaves you both stunned and moved.
Broken Country is a quiet, powerful novel that digs into grief, forgiveness, and the cost of keeping secrets. It’s beautifully written and full of emotion—a book that lingers long after the last page.