Rachel Fordham's debut novel is a must read. I loved my trip to Azure Springs even with all of the horrible hardships endured by the heroine, Em. I look forward to reading many more of Ms. Fordham's novels and know she will be a great writer in the historical fiction genre.

If I didn't know this was Fordham's debut novel, I would have never guessed it to be. Her writing style is so beautiful, poetic even. The characters are well crafted, and this book just gives you all the feels. What a stunning debut novel!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You know how you see a book by a debut author and think wow that sounds good? But then it sits on your TBR pile because there are so many books by your favorite authors. Well, that's what happened with Rachel Fordham's Hope Of Azure Springs. The other day I had some free time and I started reading The Hope Of Azure Springs...well I ended up reading the whole book in one day. It was that good. The plot was sound and moved along quickly. I was drawn to the characters and needed to know what happened to them. And the setting was described so well that I could see the town and other places in my mind. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Fordham's books in the future.

So grab a pitcher of ice tea and some snacks, cause your not gonna want to put this book down until it is done.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations. All thoughts are my own. I did purchase my own copy.

I love Em’s story she a strong brave woman. Caleb Reynolds just might need her as much as she needs him. This book has mystery, adventure and most of all love, Plus it is clean!!!! My favorite combo!

Synopsis: Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone.

For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.

Debut author Rachel Fordham invites historical romance readers to the charming town of Azure Springs, Iowa, where the people care deeply for one another and, sometimes, even fall in love.

Seven Years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone.

For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart.

I love Historical Romance and The Hope of Azure Springs has everything I love in a good novel. From the very first page I could not put this book down. It was perfect from front to back and I can't recommend it enough. You will laugh and cry. The characters are well developed and so much of the emotion were things I could relate to.

This was the first book I have read by Rachel Fordham, but I can assure you that it won't be my last. She has made me an instant fan and I am looking forward to her next release!

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham is a Christian historical romance.

After their parents died, Em and her sister were put on the orphan train and then adopted by families in different places. Now that Em is an adult (and her guardian was shot), she can begin searching for her sister, with the help of Sheriff Caleb.

This book is a sweet historical romance that tells of what happens when an orphan train child has gone up. I can’t imagine being orphaned and then shipped to some faraway town and separated from my only living relatives. I feel for Em in her desperation to find her sister. And it stinks that, while some of those kids were adopted by great families, many were not. In this book, the effects of the orphan train experience are still affecting the characters’ lives in many ways. I like that the author explored some of that.

The romance was another major part of the plot. The sheriff has some of his own challenges and issues to face, but I enjoyed watching as they came to trust and love each other. I also liked the way their relationship was at the end of the book.

This was an interesting historical romance that I would recommend to lovers of historical romance.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for sharing them.

4 1/2 Stars!! In Rachel Fordham's debut novel "The Hope of Azure Springs," she immediately draws her readers in with an authentic, powerful story of faith, love, and resilience. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction. The story takes place in Azure Springs, Iowa during 1881 in the heart of the Western wilderness. The pain Em feels recalling how she was separated from her 7 year old sister after arriving on the orphan train 7 years ago and the hardships she faced in her life afterwards pulls at the reader's heartstrings and demonstrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Em is determined to find her sister after all these years.

The heroine Em is plain and not particularly attractive. Sheriff Caleb Reynolds is a handsome, strong hero who is determined to find the people who killed her guardian and shot Em. He finds himself slowly becoming attracted to Em over time. His father helps him realize that beauty is found within and shares the following advice with his son, "Don't let anyone else decide which kind of beautiful is right for you. You find a girl who brings out the best in you. Who you can see a happy future with. That's your kind of beautiful."

Readers will experience a wide range of emotions while reading "The Hope of Azure Springs." Even through the pain and sadnesses Em faces toward the end of the story (a tear-jerker for the readers!), she becomes stronger as a person and uses her experiences to make a difference in other children's lives. A wonderful debut novel from Rachel Fordham! I can't wait for her next book!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

This is one of my most favourite books that I have read in a long while . It had everything suspense ,sadness ad happiness. I loved the characters, the setting and the happy ending.

The Hope of Azure Springs is an amazing debut title by author Rachel Fordham that I was pleasantly surprised by. Christian fiction can at times be dry as dust, but this novel surpassed all my expectations! It contained elements of romance, danger, mystery, and small-town charm.

Set in historical Iowa, our plain-Jane heroine is an orphan train sibling who shows remarkable strength and resilience. Of course, her personal experiences have left a mark on her, but she is just absolutely charming. I don’t want to elaborate too much because I don’t want to spoil the book, predictable as elements of it may be.

Our hero is the town sheriff and of course, depicted as being absolutely swoon-worthy. He has his own personal history to deal with and current obstacles that he has to overcome. He’s stoic, handsome, stubborn, and sometimes oblivious, but also good-hearted and courageous.

The depth of the story is in the lesson of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, to acknowledge that attractiveness is more than skin deep, to see beyond a charming face to the heart that lies beneath. The story also beautifully chronicled a tale of loss, self-worth, family, friendship, healing, and hope. I was moved to tears by the eloquence with which certain passages were written. This was a well-paced novel that I did not want to put down (and may have stayed up way too late reading.)

A 4.5-star rating for sure. This is a definite recommended read for anyone who enjoys squeaky clean historical romance. A delightful escape from the grey skies of February.

I was provided with a copy of this publication via NetGalley with thanks to the publisher and/or author. All opinions are my own.

Originally reviewed on my blog:
https://lifelovelaughterlinds.home.blog/2019/02/19/book-review-the-hope-of-azure-springs-by-rachel-fordham/

A good weekend novel to try this year. Compassion and hope, the deep narrative is unique


#TheHopeOfAzureSprings #NetGalley

The Hope of Azure Springs
by Rachel Fordham
Revell

Christian

Pub Date 03 Jul 2018

I am reviewing a copy of The Hope of Azure Springs through Revell and Netgalley:


Emma and I arrived at a new home after having traveled on the Orphan train seven years prior. Secrets from her past haunt her. Her new life in the Western Wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is killed Em, who is now nineteen has the chance to search for the sister she hasn’t seen in years but
It’s not something she can do alone.


Assure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds securing justice for Em who has been hurt is only a part of the job. The Sheriff is determined to solve every case put before him so he will impress his parents. Caleb is determined and expects to succeed, what he doesn’t expect is to develop the feelings for Em he developed.



I give The Hope of Azzure Springs five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This story would be a nice introduction to historical fiction for younger readers or fans of women's fiction as it shares common elements and themes of those genres. I would also recommend this story to fans of Kim Vogel Sawyer or Janette Oke.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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.

I downloaded THE HOPE OF AZURE SPRINGS to review as part of a Blog Tour for the book by Lone Star Literary Book Blog Tours. This sweet story was a change-of-pace for me, because I rarely read historical fiction or historical romance! But I do want to be able to recommend these genres to my customers in the library, so I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to download it. It has a lot of things that I love about many of my favorite books: small town setting, well-developed characters, some humor, light romance and emotionally complex issues to overcome. I will look forward to reading more by this author!

Excellent story with relatable characters. Good descriptive narrative. Looking forward to the next book by this author!

This book was hauntingly beautiful; seriously impressive writing from a debut author. Em and Caleb were so raw and human, fleshed out wonderfully and deeply complex. The plot was rich and moved quickly. I was easily able to immerse myself into the world that Rachel Fordham had created. And perhaps most importantly, the lesson in the story was much needed. Hardships can be overcome, struggles pass, circumstances change; all of them work together to make us stronger, weaving together to form our story.

A heroine full of secrets. A hero your not quite sure he’ll stand up to such a title in the beginning. This book had me wrapped around its fingers (or pages) from the start as I, alongside the characters, urgently wanted to find out what was going on.
Better yet, I wanted to see Em shine beyond her hurts, traumas and sorrows. And what a scene!
An author to keep an eye out for sure!

I was absolutely enthralled with this book, I felt like the characters and message was refreshing and not run of the mill. I cannot say enough how much I appreciated a character who was not utterly breathtaking and who had beauty that came from within. Em was an charming and endearing character who you cannot help but grow to love and cheer on as she wins the whole town of Azure Springs over through her kindness and inner beauty. While Em doesn't get all of the happy endings one hopes for I felt like her story was more realistic to how life turns out sometimes and that made it all the better albeit sad.
Memorable characters, a wonderful heroine and a compassionate hero, the romance was charming and slow to build up which is exactly what I prefer.
I thought this was an outstanding book by a debut author, I will certainly be on the look out for more of her books in the future!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Where will Em decide her best future lies, in The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham?

Fordham brings to life the story of a “prince” and “princesses,” beauty and ugliness, and the ugly reality of lonely children who travel the orphan train west to very uncertain futures.

I loved Abigail and Abraham Howell and the generosity and love they show to Em in her hour of need. I also appreciate the fact that one of their children is NOT walking in their ways. How true to life that can really be.

I also loved that the heroine is not beautiful by most people’s description of beautiful. Beauty comes from the inside out. This is one discussion my husband and I have repeatedly with our young, single twenty-somethings. Can Caleb, the sheriff, ever start seeing with eyes of the soul?

Sometimes we think the little things we do for others don’t matter. Not so. Em discovers this when Abigail lends her a clean nightgown. “...it was not just a nightdress, it was kindness.”

A few other quotables:

“Where does a caged animal go when it is freed?”

“How will you ever truly live if you are too afraid to be where you need to be?”

Definitely, a book to read to experience the varied lives of orphan train children. I gratefully received a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinions. I was not required to leave a positive review.

This is a very enjoyable coming of age story that I really enjoyed because of the sweet and comical interactions between all of the main characters in the story. Em is a dirty, frail and seriously injured young woman at the beginning of the book but she’s also a young woman to be admired because she was orphaned at an early age and her life has also had many hardships, yet she still has a gentle and loving spirit that shines through her pain. Her heart is not filled with self pity as many of ours might be and although she’s seen the worst that man can do she always sees the good in people and is grateful for the loving family that welcomes her into their home while she recovers from a gunshot wound. The Howell family’s twin daughters take an instant liking to Em because she happily spends time with them while she tells them stories that make them believe in romance and a happily ever after. Meanwhile, Azure Springs, Iowa’s town sheriff and all around nice guy, Caleb, does everything he can to find the man who shot Em while he becomes her protector and friend. Soon they have much in common, including mourning the loss of younger siblings, finding joy in the little things, and well as a fierce thirst for competition that made me laugh out loud. All in all this is a very heartwarming and very entertaining book.