Historical
Eliza's Hope
By Anita
Aug 9, 2007 - 1:38:08 AM

Something bad happened to Eliza Lily before she came to live with William Bennett and his sister, Jewel. Unfortunately, she does not remember anything but a few fragmented memories and the fear she felt as she escaped Jeb Harris, her foster father. Now, years later, rumors about her past have surfaced and she finds her reputation in shreds. William, who has recently returned after years of being away, decides to move everyone to New York to get them away from the scandal. He hopes to be able to find Eliza a suitable husband.

Eliza has always been in love with William but with her uncertain past she feels unworthy of his love. She believes he still sees her as the little girl he left behind. She finds living in New York exciting and becomes involved with social reform and women's rights. Eliza and William find themselves fighting their feelings when the past resurfaces. They must now uncover the secrets hidden in Eliza's forgotten memory if they are to ever know peace.

A thought provoking and emotionally stirring romance, ELIZA'S HOPE by Vicki Gaia is filled with thrilling action and surprises. There are many wonderfully realistic scenes describing the fight for equality between the classes and women's rights that transports the readers back to an exciting time in our nation's history. This is the story of a compelling character, who suffering memory loss from a traumatic experience, tries to find her place in the world by facing her fears and discovering the truth.

Only a few pages into the story and I was in tears. This is a story for readers that enjoy becoming emotionally involved. Eliza's story dares you not to feel her pain as she tries to relive her past and find a place where she can belong. She is a young girl that finds that losing her memory limits her freedom to pursue her happiness. Her story is so powerful that you have to admire the way she works to help others as she gets involved with social reform. She is a character that I wanted to see succeed in learning the truth and hoped that the truth would be something she could live with.

The romance is complicated because it involves a man that saw a young girl, who was like a little sister, suddenly become a desirable woman. He fights his desire, feeling that it is wrong to look at her that way. He also, unfortunately, fears for his career. If Eliza's secrets get out they could ruin him. As I watched him struggle, it was hard at times to see his point of view. I was too caught up in how his actions affected Eliza, but now I understand his side more and that makes the story that much more interesting. This is an exciting story filled with surprises. ELIZA'S HOPE by Vicki Gaia is a wonderful and passionate story that I truly enjoyed and that I recommend to everyone.