A Place for Miss Snow
It’s freedom or death—or love or death—for the characters in this engrossing historical romance.
Jennifer Moore Covenant Communications Softcover $14.99 (224pp) 978-1-5244-0036-1
Jennifer Moore’s A Place for Miss Snow is a sweet and engrossing romance set against the Greek fight for independence.
The intelligent Miss Snow is comfortable in her simple life acting as a chaperon for a chipper socialite. She forges herself into the image of a perfectly proper British lady and longs to find a place where her lack of elite lineage doesn’t doom her to remain an outsider to the upper class. When Alexandros Metaxas, a scoundrel and a Greek spy, disrupts her routine, she is irritated— and oddly curious. She is soon mixed up in Alex’s dangerous mission to enlist revolutionaries in the fight to free Greece from the Turks.
Complex characters and excellent dialogue make this a believable and satisfying romance. Fearless and adaptable, Alex is in many ways Miss Snow’s exact opposite. It is entertaining to watch her distaste for the rebel turn into affection as he unearths her fiery spirit.
The humble Grecian village where most of the novel is set includes fascinating details about the unique and proud society of the Maniots. Memorable cultural depictions, like fearsome and violent pirates showing up to Sunday service, shine.
A scene where Alex attempts to convince Petrobey Mavromichalis, a real-life Maniot leader, to join the Greek revolutionaries is particularly rousing, with a well-crafted monologue advocating for “liberation for the fatherland.” All will be compelled to sympathize with shouts of “Eleftheria i thanatos”—freedom or death—by the end.
Though Miss Snow’s restrained facade becomes tiresome, her mentoring of a young Maniot girl and her excitement about learning Greek lend her compassion and warmth. Her transformation with Alex is gratifying, and her commitment to education for women, even when it is unpopular, makes her easy to root for. A Place for Miss Snow is a lively romance that offers insight into Greek history.