The Hope of Azure Springs

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this story! It's refreshingly different from a lot of other historicals out there, and the characters are fresh and fun to get to know. It was nice to see Em unfold little by little as she got used to being cared for instead of being thrown on the mercy of the land and what living she could make off of it. The descriptions of the area were really good and I loved the humorous parts.

Being a debut, I'm able to excuse some minor inconsistencies in the details and especially in some memories of Caleb's brothers (kept checking the date because they would have had to be so much older than him that they would have been men when he was a young boy and thus the pranks and tricks would have been a bit different.)

I for one enjoyed the realistic bits about the ending, even though my emotions didn't. It was more real and believable, despite having preferred her ending to be perfect.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.