Book Review: Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

Title: Archer's Voice (A Sign of Love) 

Author: Mia Sheridan
Publication Date: January 25th, 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pages: 354
Source: Bought/E-book
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance

   

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 SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY SAGITTARIUS. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Bree Prescott is running away from tragedy in her hometown in Ohio.  Alone and scared she drives to far away Maine where she had once vacationed as a child with her parents.  Needing to just gather her thoughts and feel safe, she settles in the sleepy town with the other locals on the undeveloped side of the lake away from the tourists and the busy life.  Not really knowing how long she will stay, she rents a small cottage and takes a job at a local diner.  

One day she meets a young man.  Hidden behind layers of wild hair and outdated clothes, she is surprised that she is so drawn to this man that normally would frighten her. At their first meeting when she tied to make conversation but he never uttered a word, she realized he must be deaf.  After several run-ins with Archer, Bree begins asking others about him.  She soon discovers that he can hear but just can’t speak.  Since her own father had been deaf and she knew sign language, she attempted to get to know him but soon discovered that he was very guarded.  Whoever he was and for reasons she didn’t quite understand, she knew she had to find out more about this mysterious man.  

Archer Hale has lived a life of solitude for years.  After a traumatic accident left him speechless and parentless as a young boy, he was raised by his loving but delusional uncle on their large piece of land.  The town had labeled him as a loner, a freak, simple-minded, and even frightening.  No one had taken the time to ever get to know him even though many knew of the tragedy that made him orphaned and disabled.  Even his own family members had just chose to ignore him and pretended he didn’t even exist. 

The only person who ever gave him the time of day was Bree and even though no one could figure out why a young beautiful girl would bother with this unkempt person, she found that his heart, mind and soul were beautiful and she found herself falling in love with him.  There was so much that Archer had been isolated from and Bree was a perfect teacher.  She treated him with the respect and patience that no one else had ever showed him. Together, and with their own language, both of their lives began to feel full of joy, acceptance and hope.  

Each day Archer became closer to finding the courage to being more than just her sweet silent boy.  With the trust and love that were building between them, Bree encourages Archer to take small steps to bring himself out of his shell and to become part of the community that turned their backs on him so long ago.  As Archer’s life begins to change and his past begins to unfold, Archer decides he wants more for himself and to be open to having a life with Bree and to finally find the courage to take back the life that is rightfully his.

This beautiful story will make you want to be a better listener and not judge a person by their cover.  Sometimes the most meaningful and kindest of words are those that are not spoken.  The actions from one’s heart and the sincerity in one’s eyes can speak volumes.