Set Me Free by
London Setterby
Publication date: 8 July 2016
Genres: Gothic, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Miranda Lewis is
desperate to get away from her controlling ex–so desperate she leaves him in
the middle of the night. She ends up on a remote island off the Maine coast,
where she befriends a bubbly shopkeeper, Claire, and becomes fascinated with
Claire’s son, big, brooding Owen Larsen, a woodworker who keeps to himself.
Even the friendliest locals here are secretive–and Owen is at the center of
their secrets.
Still, Miranda loves
the salt air, the craggy coastline, and, most of all, the work of the island’s
beloved local painter, Suzanna White. Miranda wants to stay–to claim a life of
her own, to paint again. But the longer she stays, the more her fascination
with Owen increases. Why is there a painting of his stern, handsome face in the
art gallery by the beach? And why is everyone so afraid of him?
Book
Review by Nadaness In Motion
“If you’re not
an English major, what are you?” Owen asked.
“I’m…” Before
Rhys, I was a bartender and a painter. But since then? “I’m nothing.”
Absolutely nothing.
Set Me Free by London Setterby is an interesting emotional read. The
story opens with main character, Miranda, named after Shakespeare’s Miranda in The
Tempest, running away from her abusive and domineering boyfriend Rhys. She has
no idea where she’s going except that she needs to get as far away from him as
possible.
I liked how the
title Set Me Free, not only involved the protagonist Miranda but also Owen.
The whole town of Falls Island needs to be set free from a tragedy that
happened seven years before.
Everyone has a
secret in the novel; Miranda’s is the fact that her ex was abusive and that she
ran away from him. She is constantly terrified that he would find her – and for
good reason – which constantly keeps her on edge, thinking that any sound might
be him. He, too, is relentless in his search.
“Anything that
made me think of Rhys – Scott grabbing my arm, a hand raised in the darkness –
terrified me, until my bones shook and my lungs felt crushed.”
I particularly liked
how Setterby portrayed Miranda, the abuse victim’s emotions throughout the novel.
Even when Miranda stands up for herself, she begins to have a change of heart
about her actions. This happens several times in the novel.
“I should have
been proud of myself. But instead fear and adrenaline gave way to numb shock. Over?
Truly over? How would I live without him? How long could I sleep in my car and
live off leftover French fries?”
As soon as Miranda
sets foot on Falls Island, she discovers artwork by a painter called Suzanne
White, whom she learns died seven years before. She later learns that Suzanne
was believed to have been murdered by her boyfriend.
Miranda is enamoured
by Suzanne’s work and later by the woman herself when she sees a self-portrait
of her. As she begins to get to know Owen, she starts to compare herself to
Suzanne, who as “Beloved of All” in the town.
I loved Miranda’s
attempts to solve the mystery behind Suzanne’s death and the bit of amateur sleuthing
involved. The way she made the discovery at the end and exposed the hidden
killer was brilliant; it was very creative on Setterby’s part.
“I knew enough about grief to know that it
never truly went away, even after seven years. Sometimes it was just a stone
you carried around with you, hardly remembering it was there, and other times
it hit you with its full shrieking malevolent force – always at the strangest
moments, like when you were driving or at the bank.”
One of the fun
things about the dark tale of Set Me Free was the references to literature.
Miranda’s father is professor who teaches the works of Shakespeare, hence her
name, while Owen’s mother, Claire, names her dogs after famous British writers
and poets.
I also liked
Setterby’s hints as the possible paranormal aspect of the novel, leaving the
reading wondering whether things happen for a reason or there is some other
force at work guiding the characters and events.
“The hair on
the back of my neck prickled. I couldn’t help imagining the island plucking
Owen and I from our beds and setting us down on the granite hilltop – chess pieces
on a board only the island could see.”
Although I did not
feel the gothic aspect much, which for me felt like a lot of mist. I also felt
that sometimes I was unsure if the weather was cold or warm in the novel, like the
grass being icy but Miranda is wearing just a dress and jacket. Felt odd.
Still I liked the
novel, which had a lot of romantic and mushy lines and quotes, another aspect
that the author is lauded for.
“Owen was
already temptation personified, no matter what skeletons he had in his closet.”
There is major
character development for both Owen and Miranda, along with the whole town,
which has become used to believing things that aren’t true but because they are
the norm or what everyone is doing. The development part for me is important and
Setterby has done a splendid job for the two main characters.
“Being brave
once was not enough, or even a dozen times; I had to keep being brave, no
matter how hard it was.”
Add the book to your Goodreads’
to-be-read list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29973030-set-me-free
Keep up with the tour schedule here.
Giveaway
As part of the tour, there is a Giveaway
open to US & Canada for 2 signed copies of Set Me Free. Enter here.
Note:
I received a free copy of Set Me Free by London Setterby via Xpresso
Book Tours in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour for the
book.
About the Author:
Hello! I’m London, a writer, lawyer, and
life-long New Englander. I write all flavors of romance, from surreal fantasy
romances to raw gritty contemporaries. I also write across the gender and
sexuality spectrums. Everything I write is a little bit funny, a little bit
sad, and probably kind of strange.
You might know me from Wattpad–my
Wattpad Featured Read, Set Me Free, a Gothic romance, will be released as an
ebook and in print in summer 2016.
My gritty erotic romance, Breathe, is
currently being serialized on Radish, a free app. It will be released in
ebook/print as well sometime after Set Me Free.
Author links:
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