Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer's Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.

THIS IS A STAND-ALONE NOVEL. The first three books in the series need not be read to enjoy this book. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Mia Sheridan just has something about the way she writes that sucks me in.  If I sit down with one of her books, I’m not leaving my seat until it’s done.  Archer’s Voice was no exception.  It was, in a word, beautiful.  I fear I may not be able to do it justice with this review, but I will try.

Archer Hale is the town pariah.  He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t really have contact with anyone in town and he makes it pretty clear that he’s just fine with that.  Bree Prescott ends up in Archer’s small town in Maine after she suddenly leaves her home in Ohio.  She had suffered a personal tragedy several months before and decided to go back to the sleepy town in Maine that she had visited once with her parents when she was little and she was happy.  Unsure of what she’s looking for, she runs into Archer outside the drugstore one night.  She doesn’t know who he is, she doesn’t know his reputation.  All she knows is that when she sees him something in her soul recognizes his, and she has a hard time shaking that impression of him.  She finds out more about him through gossip in town.  He can’t speak, no one really knows why, they assume there is something mentally wrong with him and are happy to keep him in the background.  Bree is not happy with that.  She seeks him out, feels drawn to him, and they develop a friendship that soon moves into more.  But will Archer be able to get over his personal insecurities and a lifetime of being made to feel he’s not good enough to let himself be happy with Bree?

I just finished this book this morning, and when I was done it inspired my “that was magnificent” sigh.  I rarely get that with a book, but this book took me on such an all-encompassing, emotional journey all I could do was smile and sigh when it was over.  Every single book I have read by Mia is more beautiful and emotional than the one before it.  I have loved all of her books, but this book touched my soul. I’m going to be thinking about it for days at least, probably longer. Archer and Bree inspire and rouse something inside of the reader that makes you so invested in their journey; it’s hard to explain. It’s part fairytale, part tragedy.  It’s quite simply the best that this genre gets for me.

The strength of Mia’s writing, I think, is that the characters feel like people you could know, and maybe even share some of the same struggles as you, only on a much larger scale.  Archer had a lot taken from him at a very young age, and through his journey we watch a man blossom, not only with the help of a woman, but on his own as well.  He was such a strong, yet gentle, character.  It’s usually the woman in these stories that is broken and needs to be fixed, but in this story it was the hero who turned out to be the more broken one.  You rarely come across a hero who is this vulnerable, yet manages to maintain and even command your respect.  Archer was perfection, but not because he was perfect, but because he was special.

Bree was beautiful because she looked beyond Archer’s outer beauty (and even recognized it in the first place).  She saw him as a man, communicated with him as a man and loved him like a man should be loved.  She was selfless and determined, and I found not one thing about her that was annoying or unconvincing.  She had her own struggles, but was able with Archer’s help to put it all in perspective and move forward.  He helped to make her picture beautiful. 

Every time I read a new book my Mia, I’m reminded why Mia’s books have become the books by which I judge all others.  They are so beautifully written and executed that it is abundantly clear she has found her calling in life, to create beautiful stories that make readers remember why they love to read.  This isn’t just a romance, and it isn’t just a fictional book…it’s an experience. It may sound silly, but I honestly feel changed after reading this.  And I feel like it might be a while before I can enjoy another book this much.  Probably until the next “Sign of Love” novel comes out.   I’d give this book a million stars if I could, but on the scale to which readers have become accustomed, it’s an absolute 5 star book for me.  Thanks for sharing another beautiful story with us.  Bravo. *golf claps*

    

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