Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden

Longing For Home by Sarah M. Eden

"Though she was only a child during the darkest days of Ireland’s Great Famine, Katie Macauley feels responsible for the loss of her family’s land and the death of her sister. Now a woman grown, Katie has left Ireland for America and the promise of earning money enough to return home again and plead for her family’s forgiveness. She arrives in Hope Springs, Wyoming Territory, a town sharply divided between the Americans who have settled there, with their deep hatred of the Irish, and the Irish immigrants who have come searching for a place to call home. Her arrival tips the precarious balance, and the feud erupts anew. Even in the midst of hatred and violence, however, Katie finds reason to hope. Two men, as different as they are intriguing, vie for her heart, turning her thoughts for the first time toward a future away from Ireland. Katie must now make the hardest decision of her life: stay and give her heart a chance at love, or return home and give her soul the possibility of peace." (summary from DB website)

When Katie arrives to accept a job in a small Wyoming town she doesn’t expect to be found lacking because she Irish. The fact that she suddenly is responsible to take care of two small children is a deal breaker also. Stranded in a town where the residents have literally split themselves down the middle as Irish and non- Irish there really are no other job openings for someone of her nationality. With a fierce determination she manages to renegotiate the terms of being a housekeeper for Joseph Archer. He reluctantly takes her in on a temporary basis until he can find a replacement. Katie comes to get to know the Irish side of the town, including a ceaseless flirt named Tavish. He and his family help Katie to navigate the unfamiliar waters of the town and become her friends. Though, Tavish slowly comes to mean more to her over time.

One of the best parts of this book is the hilarious banter that the characters toss back and forth between one another. Eden has created a cast of real and interesting characters that are sure to make you chuckle a time or two. Though, I occasionally wondered if Katie’s lack of reserve when it came to snapping comebacks was out of character with her background as a servant who did her best to be quiet and unnoticed. There is also a love triangle that seemed lopsided to me, which left me wondering why it was included as the main conflict for one of the minor characters. I’m kind of hoping it doesn’t randomly come back in the second book and throw everything into chaos.  Otherwise, the setting, characters, and conflicts of this story drew me in and I enjoyed the read.

Sarah M. Eden's Website