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.
Debut author Rachel Fordham invites historical romance readers to the charming town of Azure Springs, Iowa, where the people care deeply for one another and, sometimes, even fall in love.
I was excited to finally get to read, The Hope of Azure Springs. The thing I liked most about this novel is the main character Em. She is not your typical heroine found in a romance novel. Em's life has been a hard and very sad one. She is not pretty and people call her plain looking. Her body is scarred and she doesn't have an outgoing personality. What made me love this character? Em is kind, loving, honest, and just a good person. I loved the way that she treated the young girls' that she lived with. This family took her in after she was shot and her guardian was killed. I felt in these scenes Em's personality shone and her true self came out.
The romance takes the whole book to come about. It plays out more naturally than most novels. The hero in the story Caleb, the town's local Sheriff, is struggling a lot in his life too. So of course he is baffled at his feelings towards Em when he has every other beautiful, young lady in town chasing after him. He is determined to find who tried to kill Em and did kill her guardian. There is more to why the attacks happened. I liked the mystery part of this western that takes place in the 1880's. It could be frustrating to some readers that Em and Caleb don't get together sooner, but they both have a lot of healing to do in their lives before they could truly love someone else.
The pace of the story can be slow at times, but I felt it really clipped along the last half of the novel. My only thing that I didn't like in this novel is something that is revealed at the end of the novel. In fact, it frustrated me a lot. It gave me many vibes from the ending of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I wish I could explain why, but I don't want to ruin the novel for any of you.
This book would be a good read for older teens and adults that like historical romance, westerns, and pages full of courage, healing, and love.
****Come follow me & my reviews at: http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com
Like my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/WhyNotBecauseISaidSoBookReviewsAndAuthorInterviews/
