The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham

It was with a bit of skepticism that I began reading this book. It is this author’s first published novel and I didn’t know what to expect. I was happily surprised.  She tells a heartwarming, tender story of a young girl who despite living in dire circumstances, always has hope for the future.  The story opens with Em witnessing a murder and her being seriously injured in the same attack. Em had been separated years before, from her younger sister.  They had been placed on an orphan train after their parents’ deaths. She had never given up the hope of finding her again.

The local sheriff, Caleb, doesn’t like to leave a case unsolved and he takes a particular interest in this one. Em is in danger because she has seen the murderers and needs protection.  Caleb enlists the help of a local family to care for her.  There she finds tenderness and acceptance.  Em loves to tell fairy tales to the young daughters of the family.  This story resembles a fairy tale with the dashingly handsome     and brave Prince, Caleb, and the poor, mistreated but loving and kind heroine, Em.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Alone in a strange town, can she find healing for her new home . . . and herself?

Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone.
For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.
Welcome to the charming town of Azure Springs, Iowa, where people care deeply for one another and, sometimes, even fall in love.”

This is a refreshingly heartwarming and tender story with a touch of danger and mystery. It is a very clean, easy to read novel.  I can’t call it a Christian novel because there isn’t much mention of God or the Bible but it is full of morality, forgiveness, hope, and integrity.  

Go Here to read an excerpt.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Go Here  to learn more about the author

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and Baker
Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

With You Always by Jody Hedlund - a book review

This book is part of a series that is very near to my heart and I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in the series.  This is the first story in Jody Hedlund’s Orphan Train series.  My grandmother and great uncles were orphan train riders so this book, while fictional, was very interesting to me.  My grandmother rarely spoke of her experience, and like so many children, lost touch with her siblings. She was fortunate in later years to be reunited with them.

The main character in this story, Elise, is a German immigrant whose family falls on hard times and becomes destitute. She ends up being responsible for not only her own siblings but children of a family friend.  She and the children take refuge in a mission house that provides them with a place to sleep and a job for Elise.  When the banks fail and the mission closes it’s sewing shop, she must look for employment elsewhere.  She makes the difficult decision to travel to Illinois as part of the Children’s Aid Society skilled workers program, and must leave the children until she can make enough money to send for them.  

This is from the publisher’s website:

“Could Following the Opportunity of a Lifetime Cost Them the Love of Their Lives?

One of the many immigrants struggling to survive in 1850s New York, Elise Neumann knows she must take action to care for her younger sisters. She finds a glimmer of hope when the New York Children's Aid Society starts sending skilled workers to burgeoning towns out west. But the promise of the society's orphan trains is not all that it seems.

Born into elite New York society, Thornton Quincy possesses everything except the ability to step out from his brother's shadow. When their ailing father puts forth a unique challenge to determine who will inherit his railroad-building empire, Thornton finally sees his chance. The conditions to win? Be the first to build a sustainable community along the Illinois Central Railroad and find a suitable wife.

Thrown together against all odds, Elise and Thornton couldn't be from more different worlds. The spark that ignites between them is undeniable, but how can they let it grow when that means forfeiting everything they've been working toward?”

This is another book that I would classify as a clean, historical romance with an underlying thread of faith.  It’s a story of desperation, hard choices, integrity, suspense, ethnic prejudices, rivalry, danger and love.

You can read an excerpt HERE

The author does a great job of putting the reader in the middle of the bank failure and ensuing gang riots.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

 Learn more about the author HERE

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”