Deliver Me

by Ashley Hawthorne

She's a pastor's daughter. He's a convicted killer. Forever may be out of reach when she falls in love with one of the dangerous ones. Faith is more than just a word to Mia Anderson. It's the foundation of her life as a pastor's daughter. At home in her church and at peace with her beliefs, she decides to participate in a program to send letters to inmates regardless of what sins they may have committed.
Gabriel Myers is a convicted criminal, serving life in prison for his father's murder. Facing a hopeless future and haunted by a past that has left him full of contempt for God and the church, he wants nothing to do with Mia until she proves she can understand the man everyone believes is a monster. With each letter that's exchanged, Mia becomes more aware that although Gabriel has never denied his crime, there is more to the story than the jury was allowed to hear. As reluctant friendship turns to seemingly ill-fated love, she knows she must convince him to appeal the verdict.
Dealing with the Texas justice system is a long shot, but the only chance they have to finally be together outside the walls of Gabriel's prison. Winning his freedom will give them a chance at happiness but can they finally find bliss in each other's arms or will the challenges they face and their divergent beliefs destroy their love for good?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

338 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2023

About the author

Ashley Hawthorne writes contemporary romantic suspense. A soft-hearted idealist, she writes stories that take her character to dark places, but always with an eye on what love means to us, how far we'll go to get it, and what we're willing to give up to keep it. She lives in Texas with her husband, their two teenagers, and far too many rescue pets.

Reviews

[Janni (theladysparks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia Anderson lives her life upon the foundation of her faith as a pastor’s daughter. Faith is more than just a word and when her women’s group decides to start up a program where they write letters to inmates that don’t have people to talk to on the outside, she is paired up with Gabriel Myers, a convicted killer serving life for his father’s murder.

Initially, Gabriel wants nothing to do with Mia due to his deep-seated resentment and trauma centered around God and the church. But as they correspond through their letters, a friendship blooms. Mia believes she was put in his path to help him and Gabriel is holding onto the only person who has given him any sort of a chance since being convicted.

As time passes, the sparks of friendship blossom into something more and as Gabriel’s story unfolds and it is made clear that there is more to Gabriel’s story than what was presented in the court - Mia is determined to help him appeal his conviction. Their love is not without obstacles but it’s their only chance to be together outside of the prison walls.

"Every day I spend in here is a day we can't get back."
"It's worth it, every day that I spend waiting for you is worth it."

I can't give half stars so I've rounded this one up to 5 but my actual rating would be a 4.5

This was such a sweet story that was full of hope and love and struggle but I think my favorite thing was how deeply rooted the concept of fighting for the people that matter to you was ingrained into this book. The fact that they never gave up on each other regardless of what was happening was really refreshing and not at all what I was expecting when I picked it up.

I absolutely loved the pacing in this book and how it spanned over a very large portion of their relationship and gave us glimpses into things that were important to them and their growth as characters both separately and together. Gabriel is my favorite character in the story which probably comes as no surprise to anyone that knows me. I loved the fact that we were able to see his struggle and I think Ashley Hawthorne did a really great job at telling his story in a delicate and caring sort of way considering the trauma that he's gone through. I think that the letters and the phone call scenes were probably some of my favorite parts of this story and I loved that Mia, regardless of what was being said around her, never gave up on him or their love.

I did however struggle with the religious parts of this book and the amount of times that Mia focused on God and her faith. But I'm not deducting that from the rating because that's wholeheartedly a personal preference and has nothing to do with the overall enjoyment of the book but I will just put it out there that if you're not religious or have been harmed by the Church, this might be difficult for you to read.

I will definitely be picking up Ashley Hawthorne's future releases and absolutely enjoyed her writing style and voice throughout the entirety of Deliver Me!

- dual pov
- penpal romance
- angsty
- grumpy x sunshine
- pining
- good girl x bad boy
- broken people falling in love
- they work for their hea
- us against the world

[Tristen Crone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of forgiveness and love! This book wonderfully combines traditional storytelling with letters exchanged between the two love interests. What starts as a pen-pal letter program between inmates and a church group soon grows into something far more nuanced and life-altering. Mia and Gabriel don't get off to the best start and are on seemingly opposing sides when it comes to their beliefs and upbringing, but as time passes and they open up to each other, their correspondence starts to shift.

The two tackle very difficult aspects of the past: religious trauma, loss, guilt and grief, all while building trust and love in the process. It was such a touching and evocative experience reading about their growth, the challenges they face, and still be met with the blazingly beautiful devotion they share.

Although Deliver Me is a heavier read than my usual fare I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me laugh, cry, and rage at some of the current injustices echoed so effectively in this story.

This is not one to be missed!

[Ashley Hawthorne]

Oh, what to do with my one wild and precious review for the very first book of my heart? I've been thinking about that question for months. I considered a lot of options, but nothing felt right or authentic. In the end, I think the most heartfelt thing I can do is to use this space to speak directly to you, the reader.

So, hi! I'm Ashley and I'm the author of this book. If you've found yourself here it's probably because you either have read the book or you're thinking about reading it. If you haven't read it yet, I hope you enjoy it if you do. If you have read it, I sincerely hope you found something you liked within its pages. I know that won't be true for all of you, and that's okay! I still want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a chance on the book and on me as an author. Your time is precious and I appreciate that you spent some of it with my story, no matter how you felt about it at the end.

This was my first book, and as such I know it wasn't perfect. I was still learning when I wrote it. Learning about writing, about myself, and about the world. I'm still doing those things, in fact, and hope each book will be better than the one that come before, but with this book being my first, it is the rawest work I will probably ever write. Mia and Gabriel are the very first couple I ever walked with from strangers to happily ever after and their story will always be special to me for that reason.

They go through a lot and have to deal with many dark things, but I hope that you find their story to be one of hope, resilience, and the power of love. If you're looking for bitter characters or a cynical world view, you won't find it here. These characters believe a better world is possible and I hope, by sharing this journey with them, that you might believe so, too.

Thank you to all of you for stopping by and I hope to see you again for more books in the future!

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was about Mia, a pastor’s daughter that wrote to Gabriel, a convicted murderer in prison as part of a pen pal program. Mia and Gabriel exchanged many letters between them. Overtime, Mia falls for him, realizing he’s more than a convicted killer, and his previous trial was a travesty for him. He appealed his verdict through the legal system with her help.
I do have to state that there were dark topics that were discussed, some were glossed over but overall Gabriel went through hell and back. I can only assume the author had to do a lot of yucky research on this.
What I enjoyed about the story was the unlikely couple and their love for each other. They knew so much of each other from the letters, phone calls, and prison visits that it was easy to read why she was so adamant for him to get a new trial. When they finally got together, it was very hot and steamy. I also liked her friends Lily and Kennedy. They were loyal and kind to Mia and her unlikely relationship. Even though they may not understand what she was doing, they supported her.
What I didn’t like was that the bad guys didn’t get the punishment I thought they deserved. After the hell Gabriel has been through, I would have liked to see his pimps/ human traffickers severely punished. I was also a bit disappointed that he killed his father. His father didn’t seem too evil.
The epilogue was adorable! Definitely loved it. Overall, it was a wonderful experience reading this book on hope, second chances in life, love and compassion. I definitely recommend this book. I was lucky and fortunate enough to email the author for a copy of her book and she replied back!! A huge thank you to Ms. Hawthorne for gifting me this book.

[Blaire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The letters you wrote,
inked in time and quiet grief,
undid all my fears.

[Khara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent debut novel by author Ashley Hawthorne.
I was hooked from the first page all the way till the very end.
This book has longing, angst, spice, character growth, to strong leads in Mia and Gabriel.
I loved the letters between Mia and Garbriel at the beginning if the novel. TW: for the mentioning of abuse/sexual abusse, conversion therapy, and trafficking during the trial.
The post trail readjustment was very well done. Gabriel had a set routine for 13 years. Now suddenly he has no skills or purpose and so many unresolved feelings to overcome.
There's no third act breakup, but theirs is hard fought HEA.

[Nichol Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn in the whole time, beginning to end. I felt like the characters were fleshed out and people had lives that extended beyond each other, which is important to me as a reader.

THIS REST OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

I know romances have "Happily Ever Afters," but I was expecting them to get the Main Male Character out of jail and have that be the end. Seeing him struggle to reintegrate back into life and repair his relationships was satisfying, healing, and brought tears to my eyes.

[bookishemma.h · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this book

The first almost half was so good. Very promising…and then started to get real weird.

For the Christinas out there this isn’t a book for you. As a Christian I was under the impression by the back of the book that this would turn out a lot differently than it it. It started to get sexually explicit and just uncomfortable.


DNF this but if it hasn’t had that crap in it I believe this book would have been a 5 star. It had wonderful potential and I’m so sad that it turned out this way.

[Alena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book five stars, not only because of the plot but the way the book made me feel throughout reading it. As soon as I started reading it I was hooked. It had me giggling embarrassingly. The plot was amazing and had me entertained the whole time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Vanessa.Martinez46 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this book as an ARC and I am so so so grateful because this book absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. I went in expecting to like it because it contained my favorite tropes and the plot was intriguing, but this is a book that stays with you for days after you finish it.

Gabriel is a convicted murderer who is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison and Mia is a sheltered, pastor’s daughter who begins to write letters to him through a pen pal program at her church. When she is assigned to write to Gabriel, the connection is tumultuous at first but grows into something that neither of them had ever expected. As Mia learns more about the unknown details surrounding Gabriel’s original trial and the truth of what really happened the night he was arrested, she advocates for him and pushes Gabriel to try to appeal his case and start a new trial.

This book is about faith, learning how to overcome challenges that seem impossible to face, and two people who are determined to fight for their love against all odds. I was so impressed by how Ashley Hawthorne wrote their love story and how effortless she made it seem. Watching Gabriel and Mia fall in love across the seasons was incredible because I felt like I was right there with them through every single hardship they faced.

Another element of the story that Hawthorne smashed out of the park was the portrayal of the dichotomous relationship with the church that Mia and Gabriel have. Mia, having grown up in the church and being the daughter of the pastor, has a good relationship with the church and is an honest, god-fearing woman. Gabriel, on the other hand, has an extremely traumatic and complex relationship with religion and religious figures. Their opposing views cause a rift between them and I think it was so well written and realistic. I also really enjoyed how passionate Mia was about the criminal justice system and seeing her grow into the person she wanted to be rather than the person everyone else wanted from her.

This book is a HIT and Mia and Gabriel live in my mind rent free. Ashley Hawthorne’s debut novel is one to buy for sure.

[Lane Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliver Me was one of those stories so captivating that once you start reading it, you just need to know what happens next. From the very beginning when Gabriel reads Mia's first letter, your heart already breaks for him. His emotions are so real and raw on the page that you just want him to accept the letters and have anyone in his life who cares for him.

Throughout this story I loved Mia's determination to help Gabriel and how ultimately helping him lead to her finding herself after years of trying to be someone she wasn't. I also appreciated that the author didn't shy away or sugar coat the friendships Mia has in her life or how they reacted to her falling in love with somone serving a life sentence in prison.

The author also DID NOT sugar coat the U.S. Prison system and some of the serious flaws that occur in the post-conviction legal process. I will say as someone who works in the legal field, there were some really well thought out points made in this story, as well as some that you would have to suspend some belief for if you know how the process works, but that's not uncommon if you're reading a happily ever after.

Due to some of the darker themes in this story, I wouldn't necessarily refer to it as an "easy" read, but it was an easy story to lose yourself in. I love a good epistolary novel. The emotions that go into each character impatiently waiting for the mail and racing to read and re-read each letter always gets me.

Thank you so much for the ARC. Everyone should definitely be on the look out for this book when it hits the shelves in July 2023.

[Courtnee Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashley Hawthorne invites her readers into an unlikely Texas romance in Deliver Me. Mia Anderson, a young college student with a strong religious background, participates in a prisoner letter exchange program to make certain inmates feel less lonely as endless hours tick away. Her letter lands in the hands of Gabriel Myers, a convicted criminal who murdered his father. Even though he tries to push her away, Mia’s insistence on friendship wins him over, and the two of them form a platonic closeness that turns into a romantic exchange. When Mia sees a chance to get a reduced sentence for Gabriel, she encourages him to pursue the possibility.

Mia and Gabriel don’t form a socially acceptable attachment, but their love story is realistic and raw, leaving the reader fulfilled through their roller-coaster romance. Some degree of research went into the book as institutionalized behavior is conveyed thoroughly and the challenges an inmate faces in the judicial system in Texas are well-defined. Ashley Hawthorne’s characters have depth and feel as relaxed as your favorite comfort food, even through conflict. The entanglement between Mia and Gabriel isn’t the only taboo subject addressed as the book brings to light militant Christianity, forced abortion, homophobia, and the need for a more evolved justice system. Hawthorne pulls each topic into her story naturally as she binds them seamlessly through the pages. The author adds just enough steam to her novel without over-clarification, placing the reader in each scene. Deliver Me is a book I’ll recommend over and over to romance readers who enjoy realistic stories with Southern roots.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Honestly it’s more like 4.5 stars)
I thoroughly enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I only bought this book because the author was at my local Barnes & Noble doing a signing, and I wish I had gotten more of her information because she did write something beautiful as her first book. I am religious myself. I am Catholic but I would say I’m a very liberal Catholic. I do believe that we need to focus on how God wants us to love one another no matter what because we are all made how he wanted us to be. When you would read the description you may think this is going to be a Christian novel, but it is not they talk about how a lot of people use the word of God to spread hate and I think like Mia very much in the way that we are all just supposed to spread happiness. It wasn’t a Bible thumping book like I thought it would be. I can see people not liking this for the religious aspect of it (even though it’s not heavy on religion it just states that the main character likes to go to church), but the love story was amazing. I only gave it four stars because I really didn’t like how big of an issue Mia made at Gabriel not wanting to go to church. He has been traumatized in the past from religion and she should’ve been more understanding but in the end he was apologizing and I don’t think that’s okay. As I said, I’m a very liberal Catholic and while yes, if any of my friends ever told me that they would want to attend church with me, I would love that, but I would not force it upon them. Overall I’m very happy to have spontaneously bought this book. ALSO THE PACING IF THIS BOOK WAS PERFECT!!

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia is a preacher's daughter. She is adopted but has a loving father and wonderful supportive friends. Mia is pursuing a teaching degree, just like her mum. However, when she participates in a bible group activity writing to incarcerated criminals, she finds herself corresponding with Gabriel. Mia hears about the injustices within the judicial system, the horror of gaol, and how this has affected Gabriel.  

Gabriel has been in gaol since he was 16, after he murdered his father. Gabriel has seen and been part of it all. Abuse, drugs, guns, money and murder. However, how at fault can a man be after suffering so much? When Gabriel starts writing to Mia, it quickly becomes the best part of his week. Letters arrive, even after he tries to scare her away. 

What will Mia learn about this dark part of the world? What lengths will she go to, to help Gabriel? And how does their relationship develop over letters, phone calls and visits?

More than anything this was a very interesting peek into a world that I know nothing about. Learning about how damaged a human can be and what the results can be. The angst, despair and love despite it all was wonderful. This was lovely. It made me cry and also hope for a better world. Mia is so pure and to read her discover this dark world was fulfilling. Gabriel is mistreated and when his damaged soul starts to see the light, just wonderful. 

Big thanks to Ashley for a copy of this book.

[Hannah Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone with my own brand of religious trauma the premise of this book both excited and terrified me. I was once a version of Mia--dating and falling for someone outside of my faith's range of "acceptable," so reading about this so up close and personal was a ride.
From the very first page I knew it was going to be a solid read, and I wasn't wrong. I finished it in one day. Ashley's ability to weave the hypocrisy often found in organized religion with the stereotypes and challenges facing anyone dealing with the judiciary system, was nothing short of engaging. THe pacing was spot on and the letters added a special touch to an already unique romantic premise.
As far as the characters:
Mia's faith wasn't an easy thing for me to read through, but I loved how we saw her steadfastness balanced with her ability to call out the issues cropping up in her church life.
Gabriel was love at first red flag for me, I knew I would love this book because of his character.
I loved the clever twists on the third act drama, and how the characters really worked together to carve out their space in the world. One of my favorite parts of romance is discovering characters who both challenge and comfort each other and this was done SO WELL in this book.
The characters were heartfelt and well rounded with a relationship that felt grounded and relatable.
Overall this was a solid read and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

[Ana (NerdyAnaReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had so much heart. I really struggled to put it down. It centers around Mia a twenty year old student and pastors daughter who is heavily involved in her church and Gabriel a prisoner who was given a life sentence as a teen for the murder of his father.

These two characters get acquainted with each other by through a letter campaign program started in Mia's Bible Study group. Initially, Gabriel bristled at the idea of anyone writing to him. He saw himself as irredeemable and described himself as "One of the Dangerous Ones". However Mia would not be swayed and continued writing.

This book is written with alternating points of view between Gabriel and Anastasia. We are privy to their correspondence and the effect that their words have on each other. This book is emotional, it explored the broken US justice system and how it affects convicts, their families, and society as a whole. It also explored broken family dynamics, sexual abuse, homophobia and racism. It is not a light read, but we do get a happy ending which got me a little misty eyed.

I am so glad that this was my first ARC! It was an absolute pleasure to read, it was enlightening and emotional. I highly recommend it and can't wait to see what else Ashley Hawthorne has in store.

[Romane | Bookylicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

❝ ―I know what it feels to be alone and Gabriel... you're not alone.
▪
Another highly anticipated book that I can check on my list!

I'm a sucker for epiatolary romance and I needed to try this one.. and for other reasons too, iykyk🦋

From the beginning, I was completely on with the writing and the narration. No time to beat around the bushes here, we are on the subject from the 1st chapter. 

I loved Mia and Gabriel, the evolution of their relationship and the grown of their feeling, especially during the letter exchange part. My heart broke so many times for him 💔

I really liked  the realism behind the couple too. Their problems are not solved magically and they have to work hard to succeed.  With themself,  each other, against everyone. They had to fight to earn their happy ending

On the down side,  I would said that the numerous time jumps were a bit unexpected and it was used as a facility sometimes but ,at least, we can't say that it's not fast paced.
.
.

For you if you like :

💌Double pov
💌Penpal romance
💌 Angst
💌Grumpy x sunshine
💌 Broken people falling in love
💌 They work HARD for their HEA
💌Double pinning
💌Redemption Arc
💌 It's us against the world, sweetheart

[Liana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gritty, poignant debut from Ashley Hawthorne was refreshingly different. The story revolves around the budding romance between a convicted murderer (yes, I know! But give him a chance) and the fresh-faced college co-ed who strikes up a penpal relationship with him. Hawthorne presents a nuanced view of the criminal justice system yet doesn't lose sight of the romance at the center of the story. Watching Mia and Gabriel fall in love and then fight for a future together, especially in the aftermath of his release, felt utterly realistic and had me turning the pages to see how they achieved their HEA. And let's talk about the sizzling chemistry between them, a tension made that much more delicious considering the actual physical barriers between them. When they were finally able to come together, it was HOT!

DELIVER ME was an engrossing, romantic read, and I'm excited to see what Ashley Hawthorne writes next!

[Brenda Almaraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this book is was a very easy read. I finished in 2 days and I loved it. I ate that up so fast no crumbs left lol. I love the character development as the relationship changes to enemies, friendship, to lovers. I just love what a interesting plot and different perspective of each character. Mia and Gabriel are extremely cute. The character around them are also fun.

But… there are a few things I didn’t like for example but it just my opinion. I didn’t like how there was time skips a lot of time but saying that it does make sense because the plot get better. I also didn’t enjoy the mention of religion. It’s very personal to me because I’m not as religious and have religious trauma so some topics was difficult to hear in this book for me. You could totally have a different experience.

Being said I love the ending and the spicy scenes 🌶️. You should read this book if you like reylo btw because there’s a lot of starqars Easter eggs ;).

[Myranda | bookswithmyranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It covered some hard topics but in a way that captivated me. For real, I sped through this in 2 days.

Mia is a small town pastor’s daughter who enrolls in a prison pen pal program via her church. Gabriel is a convict serving a life sentence for the murder of his father. What starts as exchanging letters becomes something serious with more than just hearts on the line.

Cue God Love Her by Toby Keith.

This book managed to highlight the flaws in the prison system. As someone who had a family member in the system, I 100% related to a lot of the topics that were brought up. It’s heartbreaking, but we are left rooting for the MCs. The ending tied everything up nicely and it was oh so satisfying.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me an ARC. Add this one to your calendar folks!

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliver Me is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful book. Mia and Gabriel’s story was wonderful, and through their letters they built a mutual respect, understand, and ultimately love that wasn’t rushed at all. Throughout the book, their relationship took work and effort, but yet they loved easily.

There are themes of religious trauma, sexual trauma, and a harsh critique of the prison industrial complex. It’s by no means an easy read. That said, I couldn’t put it down. There was no hand waving for a HEA, everyone wasn’t just magically healed from trauma. Instead the author shows exactly how hard it is, the work that goes in to healing and even then, it’s still a work in progress for a long time.

Highly recommend Deliver Me to anyone who wants to get their heart ripped out by beautiful storytelling, but wants to end with hope.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ruth Bookish Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story of love found in the unlikeliest of places. Of heartache, self-discovery and hope.

This has all the feels. And, is so much more than just a romance.

Our protagonists find a connection in each other and let none folter the path they find themselves on.
It is a truly beautiful narrative the author has written for us.
Any Reylo would be proud of this heartwarming tale of love, loss and above all things hope.

A must read for all romance lovers.

I absolutely adored this timeless tale and became totally immersed within the narrative and quite attached to the wonderful characters that Ashley has created, rooting for them throughout the book.

I received an advanced readers copy of #DeliverMe by Ashley Hawthorne in return for an honest review.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this in my reveal book box this month. I had not heard of Ashley, nor this book before. Immediately after opening the package, my interest was piqued by the cover and the synopsis sounded right up my alley! This novel focuses on Mia a preachers daughter who begins writing letters to a prisoner as part of a mission. She gets lined with Gabriel who is serving life for murder. This novel focuses on advocacy, looking at the bigger picture rather than just the crime committed, second chances, loving who you choose, and so much more. I absolutely adored this book and definitely could see myself rereading!

[Danielle Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet, satisfying read! I like that it was told in two major parts so that we actually got time after the climax of the story to see how the dust settled for Mia and Gabriel.

Full disclosure, I’m a massive Reylo girly so it was a given that I would like this, but I can also tell you that not all fic to novel adaptations are good. This was well thought out, well written, and honestly well researched. I enjoyed the story as it was written but I also enjoyed being able to guess who was who in relation to the universe these characters hail from.

All in all, a lovely read. Low stakes with plenty of feeling. Great plot, well developed characters.

[Rachoe Willswallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit! 4.9/5⭐️And to think I randomly pulled this book off the shelf at b&n and said “what the hell🤷‍♀️”. This book was really good and the booktok girlies need to get on to it right now, because I just know they would eat it up. Like pastor’s daughter x murderer sentenced to life is wildddddd. I had to take 0.1 star off though because the best friend Lilly was so real for hating on her bff for dating a man in prison. If I was Mia’s friend I would have laughed in her fucking face, because bffr Ik he got out luckily but girl could have been getting played…I’ve seen those documentaries. However, clapping tremendously 👏👏👏because the author is from my hometown and the copy of the book I found was signed too. And even more claps because this is the first book where the MMC actually goes to FUCKING therapy as all men should(especially this one)!!!! Anyways, loved book and hope that more people get a chance to read it because it’s seriously underrated!

[Lightbringer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had a promising start and the characters had an interesting contrast that really gripped me. Innocent, virginal pastors daughter and the criminal lifer behind bars forge a tentative but electrifying friendship that starts to verge into something more.

However after the introduction of some spice to their relationship at around the 1/3rd mark, I struggled to get through the dull, dragging legal processes and vague church drama that makes up the rest of the book.

I think there was a lot of potential here and I wonder if the author will get more practised at structuring a story to keep the reader interested until the end.

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

More like a 3.5

Deliver Me is about love and forgiveness. It explores the harshness of the justice system in the United States and how a failure in it can haunt us forever. The realities, indignities, and injustice. At the same time, it's a romance story about strength and our own voice. For Mia to realize she has a voice and can speak up about what she wants. And for Gabriel to reclaim his voice, one that was silenced by the abuse and what the system has done to him.

[Kristie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I was very disappointed in Deliver Me. My hopes were high, it started out great and had amazing potential. I loved the premise and the early correspondence between Mia and Gabriel. Then it got vulgar, sexually graphic, and very base. The story thinned out and lost all of its depth. I stopped caring about characters I started out liking a lot at the beginning. Too bad. It could’ve been a winner. 😢

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read from start to finish! Engaging from the first page and I enjoyed Mia and Gabriel's story thoroughly. The epistolary elements and the phone calls made this story so much more intimate as well. The author did not shy away from tackling some of the tougher subjects and it makes this book much more well-rounded. The spicy scenes were also well-written, which is not always the case in romance novels if I'm honest. Overall a great debut and I can't wait for the author's next book!

[Gina Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. So much in this story.
I love how the beautiful characters captured my heart and I was unable to put it down.
It’s a unique plot with engaging and realistic characters. There was family, friendship, intrigue, heartbreak and adversity, and so much more. It all lead to a poignant and entertaining page turner.
Wonderful connection between the characters through even just their words. I loved it.