Book Review: Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden

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Longing for Home, by Sarah M. Eden
2013, 432p, Clean Romance
My Rating=4.5 stars
Source: Provided copy by publisher for an honest review

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. (Amazon)

Katie Macauley is a 26-year-old woman who heads to Wyoming so she can save enough money to go home to Ireland. She's going to be the housekeeper for Joseph Archer. She was delayed in her journey and ends up hitching a ride into town with Tavish and Ian O'Connor. Ian is married but Tavish is very single and very handsome. She meets Joseph Archer and he's also young and handsome, but is also a widower with two children. Katie feels she can't be trusted with children because of something that happened years ago so they need to figure out a different arrangement. The town is sharply divided between the Americans and the Irish. Joseph is an American who lives in the middle of town and keeps out of the feud the best he can but with Katie around, tensions are going to heat up.

I loved this book! Katie has a lot of baggage which makes it hard for her to open up to people. Her childhood was sad and she carries burdens from her past that she feels responsible for (even though she isn't). She's looking to head back to Ireland as soon as she has enough money to make amends with her family. I enjoyed seeing her growth as she works to become independent, forms friendships and eventually realizes what a difference she makes to the people of Hope Springs. 

There's also a love triangle as Tavish and Joseph are both hunky, available bachelors. I had my favorite and she chose him so I won't give anymore away. I did really like both of them and would have been okay if she wound up choosing the other one. 

I enjoyed getting to know the people of Hope Springs and am glad this is a series that will continue on. I loved the ending because it wasn't a cliffhanger so I felt satisfied that the story ended and yet I know there's still more to come. We get a sneak peek into book 2 at the end and there's lots more tension and drama to come! This is a long book but I didn't feel that it was slow. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!  

About the Author

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.


There's currently special pricing for all of "A Proper Romance" brand on Kindle. You can get Longing for Home for $7.99 through the end of August. In September, Edenbrooke will be $1.99 (awesome book) and Blackmoore will be $7.99 (new title). I'll remind you of the other offers in September. You can also win a copy of Longing for Home by going HERE. (This giveaway is being offered to just the readers of my blog so your chances to win are high!)