“The life of an impoverished schoolteacher is not one Evangeline Blake would have chosen for herself. Torn from her home and her beloved sister and sent to work in the gritty factory town of Smeatley, Evangeline must prove herself to her grandfather, a man who values self-reliance above all else, before he will grant her access to her inheritance. Raised to be a lady of refinement, she hasn’t any of the skills necessary to manage on her own nor does she have the first idea how to be a teacher. But failure means never being with her sister again.

Alone and overwhelmed, she turns to the one person in town who seems to know how she feels—Dermot McCormick, and Irish brick mason who is as far from home and as out of place as she is. Despite the difference in their classes and backgrounds, Evangeline and Dermot’s tentative friendship deepens and grows.  Her determination and compassion slowly earn her the faith and confidence of the skeptical residents of Smeatley, who become like the family she has lost.

But when a secret from her past comes to light, Evangeline faces an impossible choice: seize the opportunity to reclaim her former life and rejoin her sister or fight for the new life she has struggled to build for herself—a life that included Dermot.”

If I could choose somewhere to travel back in time to, it would be Victorian England. I would love to see the homes with their beautiful gardens and the landscape with the moors. The dresses the women wore would also be at the top of my list. Of course, I’m sure in everyday reality it wasn’t as romantic as a Jane Austen or Emily Bronté book.  However, I would love to stay a week and try it out. Taking this into account, you may imagine my happiness when finding out that Ashes on the Moor by Sarah M. Eden takes place in Victorian England.

As soon as I saw the beautiful cover I couldn’t wait to read this book. Evangeline is not the easiest person to like at the beginning of the book. Neither is Dermot, actually. Or Aunt Barton. The beginning of the book is a bit depressing, and there are a bunch of grumpy characters. Evangeline’s mood is understandable, though. She finds herself dropped into some very difficult circumstances. I did enjoy seeing her transformation over the course of the book.

Dermot also comes across as grumpy and rash. At least he usually acts as a gentleman. I thought Ms. Eden did a great job with his Irish accent and personality. Ronan is my favorite character. What a sweetheart! I also loved the school children. Now, I may be biased because my passion (besides blogging, of course) is teaching kids to read. I loved all of that in the book. Evangeline may have used some unconventional methods, but doing what is best for the children is always the right move. The children’s accents and dialect were written so well; you can tell that Ms. Eden did her homework.

I have read all of Sarah M. Eden’s books, and Ashes on the Moor is my favorite! The moment when the title came into play was such a tender scene, and I loved how it fit. The story is predictable and there is lots of cheese, but isn’t that what makes a proper romance so good? I thought that it was well written, well researched, and well….a fun, entertaining read. Will it change the world? Nope, but it is perfect for a snowy afternoon or a warm beach.