A Hope Remembered

I don't always choose to read World War I era books--my understanding of the history of the war is that the whole era was depressing, but for some reason this book made it to my reading list. And, it made it to the top of the queue, so yesterday, I read it, and I loved it. I didn't realize that A Hope Remembered was part of a series until I started writing this review.

I've not encountered Stacy Henrie in my reading forays yet, but I am glad I stumbled upon her writing now. She is talented in the way she puts a plot together with romance and a bit of suspense, and she develops her characters to make the reader believe they are real people.

Colin and his brother, Christian, are pilots in the Royal Flying Corps (as it was called during WWI) and often fly their missions together. In one of their conversations together, Christian makes Colin promise to go back to their home in Elmthwaite if anything happens to him, and in the next mission, Christian is shot down. Colin goes home, not because he wants to, but because of his promise.

Nora has inherited a sheep farm just down the lane from Elmthwaite and since her parents died unexpectedly in the influenza epidemic, she sells the family farm to move to England where her sheep farm is. She shows up on the doorstep of Elmthwaite to get the key to her cottage. They begin to develop a friendship that grows beyond just friendship. When the neighbor's son, Jack Tuttle, starts spending time with Nora, Colin feels the green-eyed monster grow in his heart.

In the midst of all this, Colin's father wants him to encourage Nora to sell him her place so he can build a hotel on her field--all in the name of helping the family coffers. And in the meantime, someone is vandalizing Nora's place and creating havoc for her--even to the point of stealing her puppy.

This book does follow the generally accepted romance formula (first mentioned here), but it doesn't detract from the sweetness of the plot. The setting and the time work together to make this a quiet read--and I am not sure how to explain it except to say this isn't a loud, gonging plot, but it moves along quietly with a few bumps and hiccups here and there.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a sheep to shear.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.