This book was challenging to stay with because of the unrelenting grief and misery the heroine is beset by as the story begins. I am dealing with some grief, and it colored my ability to attend to the story's tragic opening.
As with all of Sara M. Eden's books that I've read thus far, the hero and heroine are salt-of-the-earth types that dig in and face their difficulties with determination and poise. Evangeline Blake is separated from her last remaining family member (Lucy) upon the death of their family members. A distant grandfather has decided that she will leave her remaining sister and go to Smedley to teach.
Although a niece of the leading family of the town, Evangeline is forbidden to tell of the family relationship. No one is happy to see her, and there is no one to guide her through the process of learning to teach. The only person willing to help her at all is a grumpy Irish bricklayer. The beauty of this story lies in how the characters transform due to their circumstances. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
As with all of Sara M. Eden's books that I've read thus far, the hero and heroine are salt-of-the-earth types that dig in and face their difficulties with determination and poise. Evangeline Blake is separated from her last remaining family member (Lucy) upon the death of their family members. A distant grandfather has decided that she will leave her remaining sister and go to Smedley to teach.
Although a niece of the leading family of the town, Evangeline is forbidden to tell of the family relationship. No one is happy to see her, and there is no one to guide her through the process of learning to teach. The only person willing to help her at all is a grumpy Irish bricklayer. The beauty of this story lies in how the characters transform due to their circumstances. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
