Review: Hope's Betrayal, A Review for the Blog Tea and Book
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2012
Each book has a story to tell, profound thought isn't it. But I meant more than the actual story. I really meant the author's style, her/his signature for lack of description. There are some books that are powerful and compelling like a thunderstorm, sizzling and electrifying. Those are fun.. There are some books full of promise.. that storm waiting to break that never quite happens.. those are not quite so fun, they always leave the reader at best wanting more. Author Grace Elliot offers us another option in Hope's Betrayal, she gives us a gentle rain. One of those moments when you dream of sitting by the fire and relaxing, enjoying the moment. Hope's Betrayal is just that a gentle rain and I completely enjoyed it.So often we get caught up in the dynamics of the over the top stories and we forget just how wonderful life can be. Hope's Betrayal was about a man and a woman who meet in less than perfect circumstances and fall in love.. Their story makes me believe in real romance way more than my favorite paranormal stories or a good romantic suspense.. I felt like I knew these people and for all their refusal to accept that they were meant for eachother I liked them. One of the biggest complaints about "pure" romance stories is that one of the characters, usually the heroin refuses to accept that they were meant for eachother. But isn't that what we do in real life.. we through obstacles in our own paths.. sometimes literal sometimes real ones but we let our issues, our fears and day to day living get in our way. And more often than not we lose what is most precious to us.George Huntley, Navy Man, Revenuer, sent home to clean up the smugglers on his cost while waiting for repairs on his ship. He is what I would think today's navy man would be like. He is a son, a brother, a friend and dedicated to his duty. Not rigid or harsh, just commited. One late night while doing his duty.. he falls upon a smuggler who got left behind. Tracking him over the rocky shores until the smuggler literally falls to exhaustion, injury and probably starvation. Poor guy is instantly attracted.. sadly he was still unaware that he was a she.. I always giggle over this storyline, we are so used to women in men's clothing we don't understand what an excellent concealer a pair of pants and an oversized shirt can be.Hope Tyler, was a smuggler for one reason only.. her family was starving! A desperate situation demanded a desperate solution. Loyal to her family she would do just about anything to help them and smuggling was the best option available to them. Once captured by Huntley she is brought into a world where people aren't starving, friends aren't desperate and yet above all she remains loyal.. never betraying those who she works with. Through the weeks of her incarceration she remains true and yet she is slowly falling for the man who captured her.Hope and Huntley have to breach a gap that they believe is a chasm they are on opposite sides of the law and have no idea how to deal with their growing attraction. Throughout the book we watch them wade in waters they are unsure of and gently find their way to each other. All the while the world of smuggling is going on around them.I like how Ms Elliott pointed out the obvious, smuggling was a HUGE part of the English culture and helped its citizens survive hard times. And NO ONE was immune to it. Even the Navy man's home fell to the pervasive and intrusive results of smuggling in the English economy at that time. An excellent portrayal of history.I enjoyed this book but I would recommend that you read Eulogy's Secret first as this is the second book in Ms Elliott's Huntley Trilogy BUT it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.Shauni