Forsaken Dreams - MaryLu Tyndall

Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall
Series: Escape to Paradise #1
Publisher: Barbour Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Source/Format: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley

[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the thoughts expressed in my review.]

After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new Utopian community. Widow Eliza Crawford seeks passage on Wallace’s ship harboring a dirty secret—and a blossoming hope for a fresh start. But will dangers from the sea and from man keep them from the peace and love they long for? (from Goodreads)

Historical fiction is always fun to read when it's done well. Though Forsaken Dreams has a few odd moments, it's a good example of the genre with its references to the Civil War and its effects on many people after the fact. I was unsure of how to feel when I started this, but by the end, I was definitely a fan.

Eliza is a feisty female character, which I enjoyed. I liked her a lot, because she was strong and steady in the face of trouble. She managed to show consistent empathy, kindness and compassion to everyone, in spite of how they treat her (which isn't always nice). It was very easy to see why Blake was drawn to her, in spite of her "dark secret" (which really is a secret that affected the entire ship). 

I also liked Blake! He's is pretty much the typical alpha male, except that he's suffering from PTSD after being a part of the Civil War. His bouts of hallucination and bad dreams make him feel weak, and it broke my heart to witness his suffering. He's a good leader, and does his best to keep everyone in good spirits. He acts very objectively, and is completely courteous to all the single women on the ship.

Speaking of single women, I was a big fan of the friendship between all three of them - Eliza, Angeline and Sarah. They were incredibly supportive of each other, and became such trustworthy companions, and I loved that. Their mutual respect and understanding was heartwarming.

Of course, there's a bit of romance in this book too, between our two main characters, and it was charming but also extremely frustrating. I was rooting for them to get together from the beginning, but they kept running into various problems and I just wanted to smack everyone and everything that got in their way! It was easy to understand Blake's hesitation at the revelation of her secret, really, but other than that, everything else that stopped them made me so, so angry because I just wanted to them to be together already.

Majority of Forsaken Dreams happens on board a ship. It was interesting to read about their adventures on the sea, both the good moments (the parties, the beautiful views) and the awful ones (seasickness, crazy storms and enemy attacks). The author certainly knew her way about a ship, as I felt the whole experience was described authentically while not being too bogged down by technical details. It was fascinating to read, but I definitely would not want to be on their ship because of all the crazy stuff that went on.

I also adored that this was set a little after the Civil War had happened, since I don't read too many books of that particular time. The reader gets to see the effects that the war has on most of the characters, and I think the author did a great job balancing fact (with information to be found in her author's note at the end) and fiction. The little nuances and each character's personal experience definitely helped me to enjoy the book more.

When I started Forsaken Dreams, I honestly wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy it. The first few chapters are a bit confusing, since the flashback method is employed. But once I had gotten past it and realized how concerned I was for these characters, I just knew that I was liking this book. Forsaken Dreams is an interesting, well-written foray into historical fiction (though more on the fiction side, than the historical side), with likable characters and a few crazy moments. I really enjoyed it, and I think that any historical fiction fan probably will too.