On Tour with Prism Book Tours

A Desperate Hope
by Elizabeth Camden

Series: Empire State #3
Published by Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date February 5, 2019
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: New York Progressive Era – US – 1890s – 1920s
Main Character Ages: 25-34
Written for: Adults
Pages: 354
Synopsis:
Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she's finally put behind her--or so she thinks. 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 before it's too late.
I would like to thank Bethany House Publishers, Netgalley, Prism Book Tours for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: A Daring Venture
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Turning the tide of destruction on their town
Alex Duval is one of the most endearing and dynamic of heroes! Flawed, sure. No question about that. Yet his almost larger-than-life personality with his propensity to be dramatic, to dream big, to hope big, to love big, and to feel big touched my heart in a big way. He knew how to live life! He and his brother, Hercules, were both prone to weeping at touching moments due to their vast reservoir of emotions. His passion for his town and the people in it overflowed into everything he did.
Alex is the mayor who caused Nick so many problems in A Daring Venture as Nick tried to work with him to shut down the town to create a reservoir from the valley in which Duval Springs was nestled. Alex took exception to this and fought him tooth and nail to save the place that was so near and dear to his heart.
Eloise is quite interesting. She was also introduced in A Daring Venture. Her childhood story and feelings of not being valued touched my heart. Her love for rules and order arose from the events that drove both her and Alex from Duval Springs twelve years earlier. And her sense of adventure is now restricted to the calculating of figures in her head. She is strong, yet tender inside and a bit fearful of being outside of her element.
One of the things I particularly loved about Eloise was the way she hoped the best about her guardian. Despite the way he ignored her and the way the townspeople and those who worked for him viewed him, she was convinced he had something worthwhile deep within and was willing to stand up for him against the entire town.
This deeply emotional story tells of the desperate battle Alex wages to save his town. The risky plan he develops is rather amazing, even more so when you realize that it is based on actual historical events. Just don’t try to cheat and try to find what that plan was by looking up Duval Springs – the town doesn’t exist and never did so you’ll be wasting your time.
I fell in love with this town that was able to trace its history back to a visit by George Washington. (They even had a chair at the tavern reputed to have been used by him once.) And the tradition at the tavern for the young men heading off to war – wow!
As with the other books by this author, there is mystery and danger that kept my interest throughout. The deep love that Alex still had for Eloise after all these years despite what had happened to him was nothing short of spectacular, even if he did make some spectacularly stupid choices.
I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction.
Other Books in the Empire State Series
My review for A Daring Venture
Tour Schedule
Giveaway
One Grand Prize winner will receive print copies of all three books in the Empire State series:
- A Dangerous Legacy
- A Daring Venture
- A Desperate
Hope
Two additional winners will receive
- a print copy of A Desperate Hope
US only
Ends March 1, 2019

I don’t know much about where my ancestors are from. I think my dad’s side of the family was from Germany.
My mom’s family was Japanese.
Have heard good things about this book!