And yet Harwood somehow manages to saturate such a short amount of time with every nuance of the era. Every time I picked up the book to read a few chapters, I felt as though I'd stepped into a time machine and been deposited next to the characters on the English streets where they reside.Impossible Saints, which takes place during the early 1900s, is only a fraction of time in an era of suffragettes and their advocacy for women's rights. The good thing is that she knows how to take those facts and wrap them up within a wonderful tale, instead of hitting us over the head with them, as many historical authors do. I did see on the back cover that she holds a PhD in English Lit with a focus on Brit Lit, and so it would only stand to reason that the novel would be thick with interesting facts. The author, Clarissa Harwood, certainly writes like someone who has not only done years of homework, but one who writes for a living. It is hard to believe that this novel is a debut. Paul and Lilia must reach their breaking points before they can decide whether their love is worth fighting for. Lilia would rather destroy property and serve time in prison than see her spirit destroyed and imprisoned by marriage to a clergyman, while Paul wants nothing more than to settle down and keep Lilia out of harm’s way. They can’t deny their attraction, but they know they don’t belong in each other’s worlds. Lilia doesn’t believe in God, but she’s attracted to Paul’s intellect, ethics, and dazzling smile.As Paul is increasingly driven to rise in the church, Lilia finds her calling in the militant Women’s Social and Political Union. Paul, an Anglican priest, has a big ambition of his own: to become the youngest dean of St. Lilia wants to change women’s lives by advocating for the vote, free unions, and contraception. Escaping the constraints of life as a village schoolmistress, Lilia Brooke bursts into London and into Paul Harris’s orderly life, shattering his belief that women are gentle creatures who need protection.

Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood