Review: A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie
Series: Of Love and War, #3
on 2015-03-31
Length: 384 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:

AS THE WAR ENDS, LOVE BEGINS

Nora Lewis just wants an escape after losing her fiance in the Great War. When she inherits property in England, she boldly packs up and leaves America for a fresh start. But, if not for her dashing new neighbor, Colin Ashby, she'd be lost. Even as their friendship deepens, Nora knows a British aristocrat would never be free to love an American orphan, no matter how much the war has changed the world ...

After his brother's death in the war and his own experiences as a pilot at the front, Colin returns home broken, only to discover his family's estate is also in ruin. The pressure is now on him to save his home and the Ashbys' place in society with a well-bred match to a wealthy heiress. Too bad he finds more of a kindred spirit in Nora, the beautiful American next door. She, too, has faced the rigors of war and survived. Now the ex-soldier will have one more battle to fight--this time for love.

A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie is such a sweet story of friendship, love, and the ability to overcome even our darkest hour. Nora Lewis is starting over after the war took her fiancé and the Spanish flu took her parents. She has inherited a distant relative’s sheep farm in the Lake District of England. So selling her small farm in Iowa, she sets off on a new journey, both excited at its possibilities and grieving the loss of the familiar. Colin Ashby is back at his parents’ estate Elmthwaite Hall after losing his older brother in the war. Colin feels the life he had before the war is unattainable as he now stands to inherit the title meant for his brother, but it isn’t what he thought. Elmthwaite is facing bankruptcy and to save his childhood home may mean sacrificing a new life with the pretty American girl who just took over the sheep farm down the way.

I LOVE these characters and their story! In fact, this one may be my favorite of the entire series. Nora is such a treasure. She has faith that God is in direction of her life, moving halfway across the world to take over a sheep farm and start over. I can’t say I blame her. If I had lost everyone I love as she has, I would want a new start too. Except for Nora she has closed off her heart and is unwilling to open it back to love and the potential of loss. It’s sad and such a heartrending story as she slowly opens herself to new possibilities throughout the book. I loved reading her journey as she realized loving is a part of life and blood doesn’t necessarily equal family.

And Colin 😀 I adored him! He is such a lost character at the beginning of the story. He had big plans and dreams for when the war ended. He wanted to travel and see the world. But with the death of his brother, those dreams have to be put on hold. He now stands to inherit his father’s title of baronet, a title he doesn’t want, but a promise to his brother to never turn his back on Elmthwaite keeps him from leaving. What I love about Colin is that he is a good man at heart. He loves his family, his friends, and he has big dreams, dreams he’s willing to give up for his family.

Nora and Colin’s relationship is complicated to say the least. Nora finds a friend in Colin, but ignores her attraction to him as she feels it would be a betrayal to her fiancé. Colin is also attracted to Nora, in fact he finds himself falling for her, but to save Elmthwaite he needs to talk her into selling the sheep farm to his family. I loved reading as their relationship grew and ultimately they developed a friendship that is a strong foundation for any love story 😀

Overall I love this series and was happy with the conclusion the author gave to the characters. Nora and Colin are wonderful and I loved reading their story! Nora is quick-witted and her faith in God leads Colin back to his own roots. Colin is wonderful as he learns to stand up for what he believes is right and follow his own heart. If you enjoy historical fiction, a clean romance then I highly recommend you check out Stacy’s Of Love and War series. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Final Conclusion: 

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