Hope Underwood’s
childhood sweetheart has returned after a long ten-year absence, bringing the men
returning home from the War of 1812 with him to Reardon’s Valley, Tennessee.
But things have
changed. Hope waited seven years for Michael Flanagan to come back for her, before she
agreed to marry Ezra Underwood. Now that Ezra’s dead, Hope still doesn’t see how
she can leave his family. His mother is ill, hardly able to get out of bed, and his father
is failing physically. Even Ezra’s brother, Joel, needs her care. And what about her
son, Timothy? She has to think about him, too.
Michael wanted to
return to Hope year s ago, but his father and the family were run out of town when Mr.
Flanagan committed one too many crimes. Even then he held out hopes of going back, until
his father was hung for his crimes, and Michael learns he’ll always be judged by his
family’s reputation. He joins the Army, hoping to make a name for himself. A chance
encounter with dying Ezra gave him a longed for chance to try again. Ezra gives him a
packet of letters and tells him to take them home to his family—and to Hope.
With Michael’s
return, the townspeople are divided, most of them openly hostile toward him. In order to
win Hope’s love, he has to withstand the community’s ridicule and somehow win
their trust again. But will even that be enough? Someone else has already asked for Hope’s
hand in marriage. Will Hope choose Michael? How can she trust him again?
Book three in The
Reardon Valley Series AN ECHO OF HOPE easily stands alone. AN ECHO OF HOPE has lessons in
forgiveness woven all through it’s pages. Ms. Crawford has written a delightful story
which readers are sure to love. It grabbed my attention from page one and kept it all the
way through this well-written story. Michael is a wonderful hero, suffering from feelings
of rejection and unworth, and Hope is a thoughtful kind heroine, causing everyone who
comes in contact with her to rely on her generosity and care.
Pick up AN ECHO OF
HOPE today! It is a fantastic book to read during the Indian Summer days when you want to
sit outside and soak up the last bit of sunshine before winter comes. Available now.
$9.99. 336 pages.
Reviewed by Laura
V. Hilton for The Road to Romance
October 13, 2003 |
