Review: Longing for Home

Longing for Home ARC
(A Proper Romance)
by Sarah M. Eden
Historical Romance
August 6th 2013 by Shadow Mountain


Goodreads summary:
Twenty-six-year-old Katie Macauley has placed all her hope in Hope Springs, a small town in the 1870 Wyoming Territory. But if she wants to return home to Ireland to make amends with her estranged family, she'll need to convince the influential Joseph Archer to hold true to his word and keep her on his payroll as his housekeeper despite her Irish roots. The town is caught in an ongoing feud between the Irish and the "Reds" the frontiersmen who would rather see all the Irish run out of town and the Irish immigrants who are fighting to make a home for themselves in the New World. When Joseph agrees to keep Katie on as his housekeeper, the feud erupts anew, and Katie becomes the reluctant figurehead for the Irish townsfolk. As the violence escalates throughout the town, Katie must choose between the two men who have been vying for her love though only one might be able to restore hope to her heart.

What I thought:
If you follow my blog at all you probably know that I love Sarah M. Eden. She is one of my favorite historical romance writers. I wrote a post awhile back about her that you can read, if you're interested. You may also be aware that I have been very excited about this new line of books from Shadow Mountain called A Proper Romance. Edenbrooke, which was one of my favorite books from last year, was the first book in this line. I was very excited to see Longing for Home pop up on NetGalley and for the opportunity to read it early.

I've read a couple other historical fiction novels that have characters with accents, or in this case, brogues. It takes a little getting used to sometimes, but Sarah did a good job of not making it overwhelming. It was interesting to read a story about an Irish versus a non-Irish community and, unfortunately, very realistic.

The plot was steady, although a little slow in places. I wasn't quite sure what the climax would involve and how much violence would be enacted, but I could definitely feel it build. Then I was rather surprised by the ending and hadn't realized, up to that point, that this will be a series. I think I was so surprised because Sarah hasn't ever written a book yet where the main character doesn't get her happily-ever-after at the end, so I will actually have to wait to see what Katie will do and what will happen. (Did you have to do that, Sarah? Couldn't you have had the second book just be about Joseph's daughter and maybe Ian's youngest brother? Sorry, just my wishful thinking. I hate waiting a year or more to find out how these things end.)

I really liked the characters. All three main characters slowly develop and the reader gets to know them better as the story progresses. Katie has a lot of spunk, but she is also so very vulnerable and sweet. Joshua is a little standoffish, but very much a gentleman. Tavish is really a rogue, but one who hides his heart. This is also the first book of Sarah's where there is a definite love triangle. I'm still not sure about it. I guess I'll have to see how things end up working out. I really like both men, but for different reasons. Tavish comes from a similar background to Katie, won't cause as many issues in the community, and his conversations with Katie had lots of teasing and sparks. Joshua has these adorable daughters who love Katie and whom Katie loves. He is sweet, comfortable, supportive, and likes to have long daily talks with Katie. Both men would be good providers and love her and she is also loves them both.

Overall, I enjoyed this new book from Sarah. It isn't one of my favorites, but is definitely one I would recommend if you enjoy historical romance/fiction.

Content: Clean
Source: ARC from NetGalley


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In case you didn't see my Facebook/Twitter post the other day, one of Sarah's books: Courting Miss Lancaster is free for Kindle right now. Go pick up a copy! Have you read Longing for Home or are planning too?









Disclosure: This review is of a book I was given for free by an author, tour host, or publisher, or through NetGalley or Edelweiss. This in no way influences the opinions shared in my review. You may see my complete policy on the sidebar and on my policies page. This post also contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase of any type using these links, I receive a small kickback.

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