WARNING: Start this book when you have don’t have anything important to do, such as blog posts and book reviews. Make sure you have time to enjoy every page. Or just throw caution to the wind and start it today. Because I really like this book, “Longing for Home” by Sarah M. Eden. I have to admit that I haven’t finished it yet. I had to pry it from my hands and force myself to write this review, because honestly? I’d rather be reading!
Okay, back it up, back it up. I’ve gotten ahead of myself. In my review formats, I’m supposed to tell you the story and tell you about the author and THEN give my opinion. Oops, too late.
About the Story
The first line of the book is “Eighteen years had passed since Katie Macauley had killed her sister.” Yikes. That grabs your attention, doesn’t it? I thought, wait a minute, this is supposed to be a romance. I used to try to alternate romance and murder mysteries just so I wouldn’t get mired in the muck of crime or get my head stuck in the clouds of romance. Now, I tend to go for more romance and less murder. Some days the news is enough of a crime story.
Katie Macauley is the main character of “Longing for Home” and she is a complex, interesting heroine. That is one of the many things I like about “Longing for Home” – the characters aren’t one dimensional. There’s more to Katie than a pretty face, much more. She has very real scars both physically and emotionally. Author, Sarah M. Eden, very skillfully reveals to the reader more and more layers of Katie as the book progresses.
When the book begins, Katie is traveling to Hope Springs, Wyoming. Oh, it’s in the 1800’s. Another thing I like to read about – early settlements. Okay, back to Katie. She has accepted a job offer to be a housekeeper for Mr. Archer, a prominent citizen of this small town, Hope Springs. Mr. Archer is a single, older gentleman in need of someone to care for his home. Or so Katie thinks. She soon finds that her inability to read and reliance on someone else to read his telegrams was an mistake. Everything she thought about this job turns out to be false. And everything Mr. Archer thought about Katie (he was thinking grandmother type) turns out to be false as well! After being fired twice, the two work out a temporary (ha!) solution.
There is a interesting and suspenseful subplot with the town divided between the Irish and those that want them out of Hope Springs. Trouble is brewing just below the surface and about to explode at any time. Because I haven’t finished the book yet, I can’t give you a spoiler, even if I wanted to, but I will say, I can’t wait to read what happens and I’m worried about my favorite characters!
Speaking of favorite characters, the romance part comes in to play for Katie as she finds herself drawn to her employer and to an Irish scamp (sorry, best word I can think of) who is trying to steal her heart. The two are, of course, handsome and have endearing qualities. Who will win Katie’s heart? Ugh, I wish I knew, I need to go finish the book…
About the Author
Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster (2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.
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“Longing for Home” is included in the brand category, A Proper Romance, by Shadow Mountain Publishers. I like Shadow Mountain very much, there “About” includes this: “We believe in the power of stories. Stories that enrich, inspire and ennoble. Stories that bring out the best in us. Stories that when told, read, and shared have the power to strengthen individuals, families and communities. As a publisher we are committed to providing books that build and uplift.” I’m looking forward to bringing you more books from Shadow Mountain and I hope you will enjoy them.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was sent a copy of the book for review.
That is how I feel when I read nothing else is going on the right way so I begin to read and it seems to make it all better especially if the book is interesting. Thank you , Jerri Davis