Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she's finally put behind her--or so she thinks. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak. Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed. Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them before it's too late.
Reviews with the most likes.
2.5 stars, rounded up
By far the neatest part of this book was the story about the incredible effort to move an entire township uphill to get it above the waterline for the new dam. Every facet of this move caught my attention and enjoyment.
Biggest flaw: the unrealistic feature of having not one but two women in the story give their favors before marriage, plus another one be referred to as having a child outside wedlock. Not only did no one notice, but a woman who held a position of trust in the community was admittedly with a man at night and there was literally zero blowback and she didn't lose that position. Totally unheard of for 1908 considering the position...and the circumstance of her suddenly desiring to have an affair with this guy was totally left field and didn't move the story along at all.
It's marketed as Christian fiction but there isn't really any sort of faith, and the heroine even prays to Mary for help during a stressful situation.
Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.
Featured Series
3 primary books4 released booksEmpire State is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by Adam Christopher and Elizabeth Camden.
