BLOG TOUR / REVIEW FOR - ASHES ON THE MOOR - BY - SARAH M. EDEN

WELCOME TO MY STOP FOR THIS TOUR!

 

pic and description taken from shadowmountain.com

DESCRIPTION:

When Evangeline is sent to live in a small mill town in Northern England as a schoolteacher in 1871, she finds herself struggling to fit in with an unfamiliar culture. Raised with the high-class Victorian values and ideals of a sophisticated upbringing, she is unprepared for the poverty she finds in the gritty factory town of Smeatley, where the locals speak with a hard-to-understand Yorkshire accent and struggle to thrive with few resources or opportunities.

Though she has no training as a teacher, she must prove herself successful before her grandfather will release her substantial inheritance to her and allow her to be reunited with her younger sister, the last remaining member of her family after a fever claimed the lives of her parents and brothers.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Well, we all know how I feel about Proper Romance Books, but this is Proper Romance plus Sarah Eden.  Yes, Please!!!!  I love this author.  I like all of the authors, but I don’t know if I just enjoy her so much because I have actually met and talked with her a few times.  She is such a delightful person.  Her writing always brings a smile to my face.

Evangeline, is forced to be an independent woman after being brought up in high society when an accident takes all of her family away except one sister.  Lucy.  Instead of being able to mourn their family their Aunt Barton came and ripped them from their home and took them to Smeatley. 

Evangeline, promised Lucy they would always be together, but her Aunt Barton had other plans.  Not only did she rip Lucy away from her, she forced her into a teaching position, and into a home all alone.  Then she was told she wasn’t allowed to reveal their family relations or she would be fired.

This sounds like such a great family.  Aunt Barton told Evangeline that she would be checking on her progress and if she didn’t show that she could take care of her self then she would never be able to take care of Lucy either. 

Forced into a life she didn’t want Evangeline takes the high road and decides she going to do the best she can with the circumstances she has been put in.

She meets a neighbor man by the name of Dermont, who ends up helping her more than any one has in her whole life.  Evangeline doesn’t seem to mind that he is Irish like most of the town did when he arrived.  Dermont is a hard working man taking care of his son Ronan and building houses and fences.  He is a master at masonry.

This is such a sweet story of love, hope, endurance, and hard work.  The setting is so beautiful.  I love the town of Smeatley.  I was right there with the town people and Evangeline as she navigates through her new life.  It didn’t hurt anything that she had a yummy man living right down the street from her (Dermont) that helped her so much and made her feel welcome.

Evangeline is an amazing character.  She is kind, loving, compassionate, and fiery!  I love the fire she has.  She is a lady but is learning that she doesn’t have to take all the grieve her aunt and uncle are giving her anymore.  She finds joy in life, in the town and in the children, she is teaching.  She genuinely loves them, and it shows through this whole book.

I felt for the people in this small town, and all the hardships they faced, and how they all pulled together no matter what.  It is just such a wonderful, uplifting story.  It gave me chills, made me angry, and made me cry.  All good things a book can do for me 😊.  I loved every minute of this book.  I hope you take a chance to pick it up and read it.  It’s just a beautiful story.

Source:  I was given this book as part of a blog tour in return for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pic and bio taken from shadowmountain.com

SARAH M. EDEN read her first Jane Austen novel in elementary school and has been an Austen addict ever since. Fascinated by the English Regency era, Eden became a regular in that section of the reference department at her local library, where she painstakingly researched this extraordinary chapter in history. Eden is an award-winning author of short stories and was a Whitney Award finalist for her novels Seeking Persephone and Courting Miss Lancaster.

www.sarahmeden.com

A SPECIAL THANKS TO: