A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden ~ Book Review

Eloise Drake's childhood was a lonely existence.  Living in a large home sitting above the town of Duval Springs, she led a very separated, strict life living with her guardian.  She didn't have any of the usual joys of childhood such as school and friendships and being involved in community.  All these she only observed through her telescope.  So when she met Alex Duval in her late teens it was easy to fall for his charm.  But when they are caught together, both of them bear consequences that will affect their whole lives.  Now a grown woman, Eloise is an accountant working for the State of New York's water department.  New York city is literally shutting down towns from her childhood area in order to build a reservoir, flood the valley and construct aqueducts to carry water needed for the growing city of New York.  When Eloise's boss assigns her to the demolition team that will shut down her home town Eloise wants nothing to do with it.  But her mathematical genius and her knowledge of the town makes her the right person to go and estimate what each citizen's homes and businesses are worth.  Eloise goes thinking she can stand on her professionalism to get the job done but once there she is reminded that these are not just citizens of a town about to be destroyed but that they are the very people she used to long to be with as she watched them as a child.  And that includes the young man whom she gave herself to so many years ago.  Alex Duval is now the mayor of Duval Springs and is doing everything in his power to stop the project and the wiping out of his town.  Alex is stunned to learn Eloise is on the team come to shut them down and he, in typical Alex fashion, risks everything to stop them.  But his idea will need Eloise's help.  He needs to convince her to go against her team and her boss, but can he also convince her that he never stopped loving her?

This is a third installment in the Empire State series.  I didn't know that when I bought the book but when inquiring in a facebook group I'm a part of the author assured me it could be read as a stand alone.  I really enjoyed this story based on historical fact.  Duval Springs is a fictional town but was based on the collective experience of the towns that were dismantled to create the Ashokan Reservoir.  I really enjoyed this story that pitted accountant Eloise against mayor Alex even as they tried to work through their past and the hurt and betrayal that brought with it.  Both Eloise and Alex were likable though flawed characters and I was easily drawn into their stories.  Both characters overcame hardships from their pasts that made them into the adults they became but it also presented difficulty when life threw them together again.  Both had to work past the love and betrayal they had shared together.  I loved the charming small town people that played secondary roles in the novel and the author was really able to highlight the small town closeness and loyalty through them.  She wove historical facts together with the emotions of the characters so well to create a story of love, loss, a bit of mystery and second chances.  Really enjoyed my first read from this author.

I gave it a 9/10

Reading challenge goal:  a book purchased in 2019/2020