“Read it OVER and OVER. The pages were falling out.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of my all-time FAVORITE books!!!!!!!!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Has an extra special place in my heart.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Banished from her uncaring family home for her growing friendship with older neighbor St. John, Alexandria Thaine is unprepared for the new life she encounters with her distant cousins in England’s West Country. She blossoms under the warmth of the Falconers, and as she throws herself into the thrilling danger of the family’s smuggling trade, Alex forms an unbreakable bond with the eldest son, Rane. But just as Alex begins to imagine a future in Devon with Rane at her side, the death of her older sister forces her back home to care for her sister’s motherless twins. Still yearning for Rane, Alex grows to love the helpless babies, and as she rekindles her friendship with St. John, she finds herself caught between her heart and her home. When the opportunity comes to start anew in Maryland’s lush horse country, Alex faces the agonizing choice between the life she dreamed of and the promise of the new world. But starting over in a golden land on the brink of war brings unforeseen dangers to her door, and when Alex’s new family is threatened, can she find the strength to risk her happiness today for the wild hope of a brighter tomorrow? The sweeping, epic and emotional novel by beloved storyteller Celeste De Blasis, available in eBook for the first time. Perfect for readers who love Poldark, Outlander and Daphne du Maurier. A Wild Hope was originally published as Wild Swan. Readers love A Wild Hope: “I had a hard time putting it down and lost more than an hour or two of sleep.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “The Wild Swan series are my all-time favorite books.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “This book has an extra special place in my heart… a historical romance in the vein of Outlander (except without the time travel).” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “I loved this book!… A great love story, and a book that you just don't want to put down.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “One of my all-time favorites!… I smile, I cry, I'm sad to see them go – but am glad for two more novels to continue this saga!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “Excellent from beginning to end. I highly recommend.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “Couldn’t put it down.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “I loved this book and the others that followed. I have read them many times and rate them among my favourites.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “The whole series is delightful and very readable, and re-readable. A good novel to get lost in totally.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “A must-read trilogy! I have read and retread many times over the past 20 years!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “A week doesn't go by that this book doesn't pop into my head. A great story.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
Reviews with the most likes.
I'm happy to see the work of the late, beloved Celeste De Blasis finally available in digital format. I'm curious to know if this small publisher, Bookouture, will attract any new readers or if they'll rely on people like me, who still have our hard copies of this book from 1984, but are happy to pick up an e-version that we can read without our glasses (thank goodness for adjustable font size settings). Frankly I doubt that anyone has the time or patience these days for a 700 page historical novel that, in addition to the main narrative, devotes pages and pages to describing horse breeding, the Missouri Compromise of 1819, and the election of John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson. But if you skim through all of that detail, you will get to the heart of the story, the indomitable Alexandria Thaine Carrington Falconer. De Blasis was ahead of her time in featuring strong-willed female characters who didn't take shit from their men, and who found a way to make their mark despite the restrictions of their era. She may still seem old-fashioned to today's readers; she's younger than both of the heroes in the book, and her sexual awakening comes about at the hands (and lips) of the more experienced men. But compared to many of the more traditionally passive or flighty female characters in 1980s historical fiction, she was a breath of fresh air and an inspiration to a young woman like me. De Blasis' singular heroines were the reason why I purchased all seven of her books in hardcover and why they are still on my keeper shelves more than 35 years later. I'm not sure why the publisher had to change the name of the book from its original [b:Wild Swan 9764 Wild Swan (Wild Swan Trilogy, #1) Celeste De Blasis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389514818l/9764.SY75.jpg 12554], or why they had to add the ridiculous qualifying description. Yes this book is epic, spanning 18 years and two continents. I guess it's heartbreaking - characters die and are separated from their true loves, but by the end of the book Alex is happily married to the man you know she belongs with. There are two more books in the “Swan” series, [b:Swan's Chance 1137668 Swan's Chance (Wild Swan Trilogy, #2) Celeste De Blasis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389515126l/1137668.SY75.jpg 2667587] and [b:A Season of Swans 325659 A Season of Swans (Wild Swan Trilogy, #3) Celeste De Blasis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387741786l/325659.SY75.jpg 316308] that focus on Alex's children and grandchildren through the Civil War and several decades beyond. I hope Bookouture publishes them as well because I'd love to add them to the digital shelves. I doubt that there is much of a new audience out there for this author's books, but I could be wrong. In the coming pandemic winter of 2020-21, maybe a long, dense, sweeping historical that takes weeks to read will be just what the doctor ordered. Either way, I'm thankful for the blast from the past. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
