A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden

Review: Elizabeth Camden is truly in a category of her own. Her grasp on history and her ability to make the reader feel and breath her settings in uncanny. When I read one of her books, I honestly feel like I've been transported back in time. Her series on the early 1900's water development project in New York is incredible. How does she take such a small notation in history and weave such a spectacular and gripping series?

In addition to the historical aspects on her novels being wonderfully researched and written, Elizabeth Camden's ability to invest her readers in her characters in amazing. With every one of her books I've fallen in love with her dimensional, flawed, and unique characters. The romances she weaves never feel forced but yet they are gripping. The story of Eloise and Alex is no different. Eloise is a character that we were introduced to in Nick's story, and one that I had a hard time figuring out if I liked or not. She was...is... complicated. But within the first chapter of A Desperate Hope, the reader quickly figures out why Eloise is the way she is, and I couldn't help but start cheering for her. Alex is crazy. He is Eloise's opposite. He's wild. Unpredictable....which makes their story quite entertaining to read.

And did I mention the mystery? This book would have been wonderful just as a historical romance, but Elizabeth Camden had to weave a mystery component into it...which for me brought to book from a 'very good' to an 'excellent'.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone wanting a clean, well written, historical romance/mystery. I would suggest that this book be for older highschoolers/adults as there is open suggestion to adult content - nothing explicit, but still something I wouldn't give a young reader.

Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and to Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing House, for a copy of this book.

Back Cover: Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she believes is finally behind her. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak.

Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed. 

Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them.