Book Review: Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden

Publication: August 2013
Length: 432 pages
Book Description: 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.

My Review: This was a little different from Sarah Eden's other stories. First of all, it was a little more depressing than her regency ones. Secondly, it wasn't a regency story--it was a western.

Let me just say that I loved the name of the town--Hope Springs. I was surprised at how much the town was divided. I'm not sure if this was based off of any facts, but I was surprised that the hatred extended out West. I know the people spread out, from the East, but I would have thought that everyone was just trying to make a go of life out west and were generally more accepting--not as judgmental as the folks in the East.

I am a reader who doesn't mind a love triangle, as I've mentioned before. However, I am usually able to choose which guy I want her to go for, even if he's the less popular one. This time, I really struggled with it. I really liked both guys for her and could see how both could be really good for Katie. I wasn't able to choose a favorite, which bothered me a little bit.

Katie is a character that draws a lot of sympathy from the reader. She blames herself for things that happened in her past that she had no control over and struggles to support herself. She is strong and brave.

The guys, Joseph and Tavish, were both great!! Fiercely protective of those they care about, yet very kind. Different, yet the same.

Content: nothing of note--clean.

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