Glimmer of Hope by Sarah M. Eden

Stunning Miranda Harford once had the world at her feet. She was young, carefree, and desperately in love. But when her new husband left for London without her, her world fell apart. Devastated by his abandonment, Miranda fled their home, taking residence at her husband’s rarely visited countryside estate. For three years, she lived alone. But now, as the holidays draw near, an unexpected visitor arrives . . .

Carter Alexander Harford, Seventh Viscount Devereaux, is a man driven to succeed. His work is his life, and the position of Prime Minister of England is within reach. But in truth, Carter is a man haunted by lost love. Estranged from his beautiful wife, Carter is shocked to find Miranda—the woman he’d loved and who he believes has left him—in residence at his country home.

As plans for a holiday party move forward, the uneasy couple realizes that to avoid further scandal, they must keep up appearances in a charade of marital happiness. Thrust together by fate, it quickly becomes clear that they have both been living beneath a conspired cloud of misunderstanding. As family, career, and social pressures threaten to keep them apart, can love have even a glimmer of hope?

Review:
I don’t remember exactly how I came upon Ms. Eden’s books, but it was a few years ago while I was living in San Diego. I read the description on a few of her books and Through All Hopes stood out to me. I love the whole lost-love plot and this one sounded especially good. I went to Amazon and ordered a copy. I waited and waited and after a month or two Amazon emailed me and said they were unable to fulfill the request. As some of you know, Ms. Eden’s earlier books were no longer being published at that time, I believe she was working with a new publisher and had learned that she would eventually be re-releasing them. I was so disappointed; I wanted to read Through All Hopes and was sad I wouldn’t be able to. At least not for a long time. When her books started coming out again I couldn’t wait, after reading Courting Miss Lancaster (I think that was the first one re-published) I knew I was hooked. I was beyond excited when I saw on Ms. Eden’s Facebook page the other day that Glimmer of Hope was coming out and that it was the new version of Through All Hopes.

So, my expectations for this one may have been a little high. While I wasn’t by any means disappointed, I was surprised how the story unfolded. I liked our heroine Miranda, she is easy to like and relate to. The story starts three years after her husband, Carter, abandoned her. I liked that the story picks up right when Miranda and Carter meet again after being separated for three years. You have a lot of questions about what happened to cause the separations, since from each characters POV each thought the other had left. So there is a bit of a mystery about what had kept them apart. There is some great tension between the two and a lot of hurt feelings. I liked that we got to hear from Carter’s POV, I think we actually get more of him than Miranda. I liked seeing the growth and understanding he goes through. I wasn’t too surprised by the reasons for the separation, but it does break your heart to think of all they had missed out on. tupid interfering family! (hide spoiler)] On top of everything else going on with them reuniting and a sudden house party, there is also a mystery about Miranda. Something is just a little off. 

[ It turns out that Miranda has a heart condition and is not that healthy. She tires easily and is on a special diet. One where her mean mother-in-law forbids her to partake of. The seriousness of her condition I think took me by surprise. It definitely makes Carter really reconsider his life and decisions, but it’s also kind of a downer. I was left feeling a little uncertain about their future. I would have LOVED an epilogue where it’s a few years down the road and they were still happy and she was doing well. Maybe have a baby or two. Although, with her condition having a baby might not be the safest thing. I still would have liked a little more closure in regards to her health. I loved that they reconciled and it seemed genuine that they would put each other first and be sure to communicate better in the future. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I probably would end up liking it more the second time around. Ms. Eden can’t write fast enough, I love her stories and characters and I’m always sad when I finish her books. Maybe I should read slower?

Content: Squeaky Clean.