Love Remains
Sarah M. Eden’s Love Remains is a charming historical romance in the Hope Springs series. It brings together a blind teacher and an Irish berry farmer in Wyoming Territory, in 1871.
Tavish O’Connor and Cecily Attwater aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. Their bickering is “worse than a couple of Kilkenny cats.” She’s English, which is anathema to Tavish, with his Irish roots; his grandmother still remembers being evicted from the family farm by the English.
Cecily arrives on Tavish’s farm to help his seventeen-year-old brother, Finbarr, learn to live with his blindness. Finbarr’s future has vanished; he has become reclusive. But Cecily, who is blind as well, is living proof that it’s possible to be sight impaired and still live a full, empowered life. As Finbarr and Cecily’s student-teacher relationship grows, she and Tavish learn to “see” one another as well.
Love Remains is an unexpectedly moving story. Cecily is a strong heroine who’s confident in herself. Her nonsightedness isn’t a handicap. Tavish’s changing perception of disability is meaningful and touching, as is Cecily’s eventual acceptance of his character flaws. Research and historical details add weight to this page-turner, and quick, clear writing keeps the story skimming along.
Love Remains shows that love is about more than just seeing the other—it reveals us to ourselves as well. Tavish and Cecily are a delightful couple and a wonderful addition to the Hope Springs series.
Reviewed by
Claire Foster
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
