Leah is a young girl at the start of the book with hopes and aspirations, but this is the 1880s and her life isn’t her own to choose. Her strict father is a religious zealot who uses the Bible as a tool to instil obedience in the family as they struggle to make ends meet as tenant farmers on a small plot of land in Wales.
Tragedy befalls the family early in the book and sets in motion a chain of events that lead Leah further and further away from her own choices, pushing her to take on the duty that’s expected of her.
The family dynamics are excellent and there’s a full spectrum of characters from the kind and honourable David to the despicable and frightening Eli.
The tension increases as Leah grows and has to face harder decisions and deal with betrayals by some of those closest to her.

The Covenant by Thorne Moore is a historical fiction story set in the end of the 19th century and the subsequent years.I have never read Thorne Moore's work previously and the blurb for the book, along with the cover just spoke volumes to me.
It is the story of the Owen family, who have twenty four acres, one rood and eight perches of land in Pembrokeshire, Wales.Thomas, the father is a God fearing man and holds dear the holding of the covenant with God. He makes sure his family are keeping up the ethos also, this is made even harsher and violent in the aftermath of tragedy for the family. Leah,his daughter, Frank his youngest son and his grandson, John are all affected so badly it impacts on their life. This book, follows them and inparticularly Leah, who does her best to keep the covenant,keep a hold on their land and attempt to stop her brothers slide any further into a Godless life.
The first thing I noticed was the quality of the descriptive writing, it gave me a sense of being there with the Owens struggling to keep the covenant and all the other struggles they have. I am aware of the hardships the previous centuries brought to the people and this book opened my eyes even more to the terrible ways of history. Leah is, as always in families like this the major caregiver as well as attempting to keep the family together and also keep the land. We see her letting go of dreams piece by piece as the story develops.I really empathised with her from the start but this was the predestined path for females at this time.I enjoyed the mix of characters including scary Eli, we see the good and the downright horrible all having their place in the story.
We see Leah mature and the tension climbs as she has to make hard decisions in life and she as she is betrayed by those she would never expect.
I think it is a beautifully crafted story which depicts the times of hardship for families back then.Thank you to Random Things Tours and the publisher for the book today

The Covenant is a prequel to A Time for Silence which follows Sarah as she investigates her family history after discovering her Grandparents derelict farmhouse in Cwmderwen, Pembrokeshire. The Covenant follows on with the same story and begins with a letter, written to Sarah from a relative in America, giving some insight into their family in West Wales going right back to 1883. The remainder of the book tracks the Owen family’s story from this point in the late 1800’s until about 1922. Their story is one of religion, betrayal, duty and murder – all set against the agricultural backdrop of rural Wales and follows them through a period of unimaginable heartbreak, loss and hardships.

I love reading historical fiction that has a crime/thriller element to it and this book had me hooked right from the start. This had more of a domestic thriller angle but I was so involved with the lives of the characters and spent the whole of the story desperately hoping that Leah would find happiness.

As a Welsh speaker myself, I really appreciate the fact that there were references to the language throughout - a few quotes and bible verses were even written in both Welsh and English. It would be likely that a religious family living in rural West Wales at that time would speak Welsh, so for me this added another layer of authenticity to a very well researched historical novel.

The Covenant is a fantastic choice for anyone interested in Welsh history, historical fiction, or wanting to read an engrossing and surprisingly dark family history.

I really enjoyed ‘Time for Silence’ so was keen to read this one too. This is the story of the Owen family from the 1880’s - 1920’s, they farm twenty four acres, one rood and eight perches of land in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Father Thomas indoctrinates God fearing ways into his family and their ethos is to maintain their covenant with God. His chapel brand of faith after a family tragedy becomes harsh, angry and violent which has a devastating impact on the family especially daughter Leah, youngest son Frank and grandson John. We follow their story as Leah desperately tries to keep the covenant, retain the land and stop her brothers deeper descent into a godless life.

I really enjoyed this snapshot of life in a small rural welsh community which portrays a very hard life. It is set in its historical context with references to changes and events in Wales and further afield. It is well written and has a good range of interesting characters from the evil, to the gloomy, the self righteous, those on a road to ruin and some that have hearts of gold. There is a lot of drama and some characters have to make sacrifices to duty which becomes a millstone of dismal hardship and servitude. Leah is the despairing lynchpin of her family but has to bow to her father’s rage and later to the unfair strain of her brothers and nephews actions. The portrayal of the female lot at this time is depicted well as is the strict religious observance of this small community. The end is really good and is very fitting as some characters get exactly what they deserve.

Overall, this is a good piece of historical fiction which I would recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hanno Modern Fiction