Book Review: Hope Springs by Sarah Eden

Hope Springs is a book I've been anxiously anticipating since I closed the last page on the first book in the Longing For Home series.  There is a love triangle introduced in the first book that had me leaning heavily in one direction, and at the end of that book I had reason to believe that my favorite hero would win the lady, but I wouldn't find out until the next book.  I tried to weasel any hints from the author, Sarah Eden, but she played it cagey and didn't spill even one bean.

You can imagine my mood then, when I started Hope Springs.  I wanted my favorite guy to win!  Within just a few chapters, however, I put aside my bias and lost myself in the story.  Our heroine, Katie, is embroiled in a town feud between the Irish and the non-Irish that has escalated into beatings, thieving, and burning down property.  It all brings back memories of what she suffered in Ireland before coming to America, but Katie has an iron will and won't give up on trying to make things better for the people she's come to love in this town.  She has such a tortured past and is such a great character, I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading because this story is so compelling. (And for a mother of eight, that is a huge sacrifice and one I don't make for just any book!)

Of course, in the middle of this "war" Katie is still trying to sort out her feelings for the two men and Sarah Eden is masterful at pulling the reader in to experience every emotion the heroine has inside her.  I'm not going to give away which man she chooses or how the feud ends, but the emotional depth is so well done I closed the book with a happy sigh.  

This is a historical series that you don't want to miss.  It's authentic, it's layered, and has characters that are memorable.  Five stars from me!

Here's the back copy:

All is not well in Wyoming. Katie Macauley gave up her life-long dream of returning to Ireland in order to make a home for herself in Hope Springs, but her future has never been so uncertain. The town is more divided than ever, with both the Irish and the Reds stealing property, burning buildings, and endangering lives.

Katie’s heart remains sharply divided between her love for playful Tavish and steady Joseph, a decision she feels ill-prepared to make. In the midst of the growing unrest, temperatures drop quickly, too quickly, and Irish nightmares of famine and cold resurface as the little Wyoming town struggles to beat the harsh winter.

Katie makes one sacrifice after another to keep the peace and help see her loved ones through the difficult days ahead, but will it be enough? Can the town make amends before their hatred consumes them all? And will Katie find the love she has been searching for as well as a home to call her own?