Though she was only a child during the darkest days of Ireland s Great Famine, Katie Macauley feels responsible for the loss of her family s land and the death of her sister. Now a woman grown, Katie has left Ireland for America and the promise of earning money enough to return home again and plead for her family s forgiveness. She arrives in Hope Springs, Wyoming Territory, a town sharply divided between the Americans who have settled there, with their deep hatred of the Irish, and the Irish immigrants who have come searching for a place to call home. Her arrival tips the precarious balance, and the feud erupts anew. Even in the midst of hatred and violence, however, Katie finds reason to hope. Two men, as different as they are intriguing, vie for her heart, turning her thoughts for the first time toward a future away from Ireland. Katie must now make the hardest decision of her life: stay and give her heart a chance at love, or return home and give her soul the possibility of peace.
Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone (2008, Covenant Communications) and Courting Miss Lancaster (2010, Covenant Communications). Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.
https://www.facebook.com/SarahMEden
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MY REVIEW: Longing For Home (A Proper Romance)
5 STARS
Longing For Home tugs on your emotions at least mine. When we look at others in history I think how dumb feuds are. To fight over where you are previous from, your religion or what street you live on. America is supposed to be welcoming, freedom to worship, freedom to improve your lot in life. How stupid people in history are. OH you went to what college? You root for whom? Your Democrat? Republican, Your white? your black? your purple polk dots? Maybe I need to learn more from History!
Katie Macauley comes to a Wyoming Territory in 1870 to be a housekeeper for Joseph Archer. He listens to her talk and fires her right off. He does not want a Irish Housekeeper. He desperately needs a housekeeper for the past six months. His house is a mess. Katie talks her way back into a job. Then finds out he needs the housekeeper to watch his children too. Katie can not watch children! She is fired again.
The town is small. one road is called the red road and those who live on that road hate the Irish. The other fork is where all the Irish live. The town is on the brink of erupting again. Joseph Archer has wanted no part of the feud. He tries really hard to be impartial so he can keep the peace. Having a Irish housekeeper is upsetting the balance. Because that means he has two Irish workers on his place.
Katie then talks Joseph to let her be his housekeeper till he finds a replacement for her which will be in two months. He will only pay her half her wages. Katie moved from East coast because a year at his housekeeper wage she could save enough to go back home to Ireland and buy her family's farm back. Also buy her little sister a headstone. It was her fault at eight that her sister died. She has not seen her family since then they gave her to be a servant and earn her keep at 8.
Ireland was in the potato famine where a lot of people suffered and died. Another million people left Ireland to find homes and places better to live. They came in droves to America for a better chance at life. The old bitterness between English and Irish followed them here. Plus others hated them for different reasons.
The Preacher at Church tried to make Katie tell where she was from so he could send her to sit on the Irish side. She left instead of choosing sides. Everyone had chosen sides except Joseph family on the back row.
The general store had prices for the English and different higher prices for the Irish.
Katie thought what she could do for work after her job was over and she decided to open a bakery. She with the help of Joseph would bake bread and sell it. Joseph said for now she could use his kitchen to bake.
Tavish O'Connor liked teasing Katie. He would flirt with her all the time. His whole family liked her. Tavish had his own berry farm. He was engaged 5 years ago but his fiancé died of flu.
In fact the Irish community admired her for facing off with the preacher. Also she lived on the non Irish side. The Irish wanted to support her bakery. For it would be the only second business that the Irish owned in town. The first was the blacksmith shop.
It soon came to be known that they could buy their bread cheaper from Katie than they could make it. Because Joseph bought the supplies. They even bought special treats once in awhile like cake from Katie.
Joseph owned the whole Wyoming valley. He was everyone's landlord and he used his power to try and keep the peace between the two sides.
Katie could feel her falling for both Joseph and Tavish at the same time. She knew they both were honorable men.
Joseph could not flirt with Katie and wanted her out of his house before he would tell her of his feelings for her.
Katie had a hard life but she was not the only ones and for the first time she had friends that cared for her and a place she could belong too.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I hope it comes out sooner than later.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it when finished by NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing.
08/05/2013 Pub Shadow Mountain Publishing 435 pages ISBN-10: 1609074610
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