The Hope of Azure Springs

by

RACHEL FORDHAM

Genre: Inspirational Historical Romance

Date of Publication: July 3, 2018

Publisher: Revell

Number of Pages: 336

Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won’t be able to do it alone.

For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He’s determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn’t expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.

Welcome to the charming town of Azure Springs, Iowa, where people care deeply for one another and, sometimes, even fall in love.

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Praise

“In her promising first novel, Fordham assembles an endearing cast of characters in the rugged Midwest plains for a tale about surviving and thriving. . . .Fordham depicts heartbreaking emotional and physical suffering, while beautifully illustrating the power in simple acts of kindness to foster healing, hope, and happiness.”—Booklist

 “A deftly crafted and compellingly entertaining historical romance that is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Rachel Fordham’s debut as a novelist, “Hope of Azure Springs” is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections.”—Midwest Book Reviews

“With unusual charm and warmth, Rachel Fordham opens the door to Azure Springs, a place as memorable as the people who inhabit it.”—Laura Frantz, author of The Lacemaker

“This delightful book about the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love will keep you turning pages until the very end.”—Jennifer Beckstrand, author of A Courtship on Huckleberry Hill

“A tender story about loss, life, and the beauty that lies within each of us.”—Stacy Henrie, USA Today bestselling author and RITA award finalist

True love always wins, but sometimes you have to search for love because it can be elusive.

Life seems somewhat simpler back in the 1800’s, but then I think I would miss some of the conveniences like air conditioning! There would still be the different personalities of people that you would see today – those that are self absorbed, those that are obsessed with money and wealth, those that are kind and help everyone, and those that just want to be happy.

Em and Caleb both fall into the last two categories – they are kind and help those around them and just want to be happy. They may not know what it will take to make them happy but they keep searching. My heart went out to Em after hearing about the orphan train and losing her sister Lucy at a previous town. And then to learn what Em went through by the person that took her at the last town, she lived in squalor and food was scarce, it was heart breaking but not unexpected all things considered.

Caleb had his own share of sadness by losing his brothers to war. That was just as hard on him as it was his parents and you wonder if it affected them equally or if it hit one person harder than the other. There are some wonderful scenes when Caleb visits his parents with Em. I think once the visit was complete everyone had a better understand of what the other felt and that no one person’s grief was greater than another.

The story is sweetly woven and the interactions between Em and the various characters showed her grit and graciousness. The romance that evolves from Em and Caleb started in friendship which is the best place to start. There is even a lesson taught to Eliza by Caleb which is a lesson many could stand to learn in this world about being humble.

There are wonderful supporting characters such as Milly and Mae, twins that can’t get enough of princess stories. Margaret is unique but much loved by the people in the town despite her eccentricities.

The epilogue will have you a bit misty too.

We give it 4 paws up.

PROLOGUE

Iowa, 1881

She dead?”

Em heard a man’s voice from somewhere above her. A strange thumping pulsed through her with each word he spoke. Her throat burned, screaming for water, but she could not cry out.

“There’s life in her. Not much of it though,” a second, raspier voice answered. She felt a hand press against her throat and then move over her body, gently probing. “She’s bleeding pretty bad.”

“Gunshot?” the first voice asked.

If only her eyes would open, and she could see them. Straining, she struggled to pull her heavy eyelids open. Finally, bits of light darted in front of her eyes, but she could not focus. The faces above her were fuzzy and indiscernible.

Fear swept through her, suddenly waking her battered body. Afraid the men from before had returned, she opened her eyes wide, finding strength that only moments before she had lacked. With thrashing arms, she flailed at the men. Her arms flopped about but offered little defense—she was too weak from blood loss. And then they moved no longer, subdued by large, strong hands.

“Easy, girl. We aren’t going to hurt you. We just want to help. Take you into town, that’s all. There’s a good doctor there.” The man’s deep voice sounded gentle, but still she did not trust him. Voices could be deceiving. Arms could hurt as well as help. She knew these things well.

Soon she felt her body being raised above the ground, and moments later the hard planks of a wagon became the resting place for her injured frame. Too weak to move, she lay looking at the sky, wishing there were a way to end the agony, but knowing that for Lucy she would fight on.

Once the wagon lurched forward, she lost track of everything again. The wheels bouncing over ruts made her pain so intense that everything closed around her and then faded to black.

Click here to read Chapter One of The Hope of Azure Springs

Rachel Fordham started writing when her children began begging her for stories at night. She’d pull a book from the shelf, but they’d insist she make one up. She hasn’t stopped since. She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.

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