Book description from Book Bub:
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.
My Review:
This is a well-researched and somewhat unusual Christian historical fiction novel. What happens to a town when it’s slated to be flooded in order to provide a water supply for New York City? Based on research done into the small towns that were taken over by the state of New York and flooded to build the Ashokkan Reservoir, the destruction of the fictional town of Duval Springs and its rebirth as the town of Highpoint, was a compelling one that had me cheering for the town residents as they struggled to find a way to remain a virbrant community in a new location. But this is also a story that has elements of mystery and suspense. Someone is trying to stop the town’s move by acts of sabotage and no one has any idea as to why this is happening. The tension increases as time is running out, and it may cost Alex both his town and the love of his life, Eloise. Eloise seems the most unlikely person to find herself in danger: A CPA who’s main interest is in numbers and organization. There’s not only a last minute rush to preserve as much of the Duval Springs as they can, there’s also a race to save Eloise’s life.
Alex and Eloise are great as the main characters in this book. They had a failed teenaged romance and now find themselves reluctantly working together to preserve this community. Eloise’s loyalties are divided, as she’s the one the state has sent to set the value of the properties that are condemned. Eloise is a force to be reckoned with as she is determined to both do her job for the state, and to ignore her feelings for Alex. All of these story elements come together to make an entertaining and intriguing book. Although this book is part of a series, it was easy to read this one as a stand-alone story, too. I’ve enjoyed this series as the author has given us three heroines in unusual roles for this time period.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.