Review: There is always "Hope"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2012
Hope's Betrayal is a historical romance in every sense of the word. It takes you back to the first romance book you read and evokes those feelings of wonder and anticipation. I can still feel the sun baking my skin as I lay on the pier, enthralled by the story of Hope and George.I like to comment on the cover art sometimes. This cover is seductive and graceful and the woman is now firmly implanted in my mind as Hope. I love it when the cover compliments the story inside and I can visual the character.I truly enjoyed Hope's Betrayal. A sweet tale of falling in love despite their different places in society, the risks of a damaged reputation and the loss of a cherished profession.Hope is forced to join the free traders in order to feed her family. Smuggling is not her first choice, but what else can she do? To protect herself, she wears a disguise.Captain Huntley is hell-bent on furthering his career and will not stop until the smugglers are all rounded up. He manages to catch one of them alive, but the lad is injured and he is forced to take him to his estate lest the boy dies.At first the captain thinks he is going crazy. Upon cleaning up the unconscious lad, he gazes on his face and feels stirrings. He leans closer and laughs in relief when he realizes the lad is a lass. And a beautiful one at that.The physical attraction might be quick, as it can be in real life, but the emotional attraction is developed slowly. There are many obstacles to be overcome for Hope and George if they are to be together and the way will not be easy.Grace Elliot's writing is like a wave, building to a crest as it approaches shore, then crashing down. As you read, the undertow pulls you deeper into the story, tossing you about and then gently depositing you safely on land.There are a few places in the story where I felt it could have been explained in more detail, but maybe that is because I felt a desire for more.Historical romance has not been my first genre of choice since I was younger, but recently I have discovered some wonderful stories and I am left wondering, when did I wander away from reading them and what took me so long to come back?Hope's Betrayal is romance with a touch of innocence and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys falling in love, with all its angst and fervor.