Welcome to the blog tour for Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden!
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.
Review:
Katie Macauley has need for money, and she's taken a job out West in the United States. Things are far different from her native Ireland, but she knows she can make it. Things get even more complicated once she gets there. There is a feud going on between the Irish and everyone else around. Her perspective employer doesn't want to keep his word on her job because she's Irish. He also has kids which was not in Katie's job description. There is also the matter of one persistent and sometimes annoying (yet handsome) Irish boy. This may all prove to be more than Katie can handle as she fights her past to secure a future.
I enjoyed this book. Katie was a spunky character who was still a bit haunted by past events. She had some depth and an interesting personality. Katie is torn between two men-her employer Joseph Archer and the young Irish lad who keeps coming to her rescue Tavish O'Connor. I didn't really get why she was torn, because I know who I would have picked (and she did) early on. Choose the obvious choice Katie! In any case, that for me was really just secondary to the real story of the book, the horrible prejudice against the Irish in the area.
As we revisit the past we can see things that were awful, and this type of thing is one of them. Worried that the Irish were taking over "their land," the other local townsfolk treat them horribly. The Irish are at something of a disadvantage as in Ireland many of them were also very poor and lacked the ability to better themselves. Coming to the US they hoped for a better chance at life. The other people in town don't want to give them a chance though. Katie becomes the symbol of the feud, being employed by a non-Irish man (and getting his attention) all while being very Irish herself. This hatred really just continued to grow for a long time, and honestly doesn't quite get resolved in the end. I like that. Overall I found this book to be fun in parts and frightening in others, and I think that history buffs, romance lovers, and fans of the Irish will all enjoy this book.
Book provided for review.
I enjoyed this book. Katie was a spunky character who was still a bit haunted by past events. She had some depth and an interesting personality. Katie is torn between two men-her employer Joseph Archer and the young Irish lad who keeps coming to her rescue Tavish O'Connor. I didn't really get why she was torn, because I know who I would have picked (and she did) early on. Choose the obvious choice Katie! In any case, that for me was really just secondary to the real story of the book, the horrible prejudice against the Irish in the area.
As we revisit the past we can see things that were awful, and this type of thing is one of them. Worried that the Irish were taking over "their land," the other local townsfolk treat them horribly. The Irish are at something of a disadvantage as in Ireland many of them were also very poor and lacked the ability to better themselves. Coming to the US they hoped for a better chance at life. The other people in town don't want to give them a chance though. Katie becomes the symbol of the feud, being employed by a non-Irish man (and getting his attention) all while being very Irish herself. This hatred really just continued to grow for a long time, and honestly doesn't quite get resolved in the end. I like that. Overall I found this book to be fun in parts and frightening in others, and I think that history buffs, romance lovers, and fans of the Irish will all enjoy this book.
Book provided for review.
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