Publication Date: December 13, 2022
Revolutionary War soldier, Gavin Cullane, has desperate choices to make. He vows never to give up the fight for American freedom, but his role as colonial liaison between the Americans and the British brands him a seeming traitor to his own country. When he discovers the woman he loves is part of George Washington’s secret spy chain, his only choice is to expose his own lies so she can escape.
Tansy Carter risks her life to send messages to George Washington from the captured city of New York. When she is discovered, she must flee the city, and trusting her life to the traitor, Cullane, is the desperate chance she must take.
Will their freedom come at the cost of their love?
Desperate Hope is a compelling historical romance set in New York in 1778 during the Revolutionary War by Susan Leigh Furlong. Gavin Cullane stuck with his friend, Alden Carter, through battle, imprisonment, and Alden’s death. Gavin made a promise to do whatever it took to survive.
In that spirit, he gradually works his way into becoming a colonial liaison—a man straddling both sides and hated by both. He meets Alden’s widow, Tansy, a woman Gavin had come to love through Alden’s description of her.
Soon Gavin is trapped by political and military intrigue, and Tansy’s whole family is in grave danger. Gavin has nine days to execute a plan to save the family and possibly the war.
The writing in Desperate Hope was excellent. There were vivid descriptions of the details of battle and the effects of war on the citizens.
Gavin’s plan to save the family and get coded information to General Washington was complex and dangerous. There was a great deal of heart-pumping action with some twists and turns. Readers can learn much about the realities of the revolution from this book.
The author did considerable research, and I appreciated her attention to detail. As a work of historical fiction, it is a very strong book. However, the book was promoted as a historical romance. From my perspective, the romantic aspects lacked emotional depth, and conflicts were resolved too easily. There were sexy bits, but I felt a lack of depth there, also.
Ms. Furlong is a talented writer with the ability to bring history to life. Desperate Hope gets high marks for historical context and suspense but less for the romance.
Susan Leigh Furlong knew she had a special connection with words since she was a child. When she was 9 years old, she wrote and directed her first play for the neighborhood children.
Susan’s love for history fuels her resilience against the sneezes and coughs that old books give her as she delves into research for unique historical events to inspire her historical fiction romance novels. Susan captures her readers’ imagination with a highly enthralling style, chronological events, and smoothly flowing narratives that keep one’s eyes glued on her novels from the first page to the last.
Susan has written two non-fiction books and three novels set in sixteenth century Scotland as well as several short stories published in national magazines. Her most recent release is Desperate Hope, a novel set during the American Revolution. When Susan is not combing through history piecing together her next novel, she writes, directs, and performs with a music and drama group.
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December 29: Gina Rae Mitchell
December 29: Novels Alive
January 5: Iron Canuck Reviews & More
January 12: Maggie Blackbird
January 12: Sandra’s Book Club
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