Eloise Drake's first love is frowned upon by her family, and she is sent to Arizona, while the young man is beaten and railroaded out of town. Years later, they meet again. In 1908, New York State is in the middle of a building and engineering boom. Alex Duval is the mayor of a town called Duval Springs in this, the third book in the Empire State series. The New York City Water Board wants to flood the town to construct a reservoir for the city downstream, and only A DESPERATE HOPE can see the community surviving.

Eloise has made her home in Manhattan, where she has a respectable gentleman caller, and she works for the Water Board, using her formidable mathematical genius. She is sent to supervise the compensation payouts for townsfolk, which are meager and won't see them established elsewhere. Many people have already left, and the town is on its last legs. The cherished community buildings like the church, school, and tavern are shared history. Workers from the nearby quarry and from the Water Board mingle uneasily, and farmers and dairy owners weep at the thought of starting afresh. Eloise has family here too, but she thinks she's made the break. Maybe the energy and community spirit of Alex Duval is what it will take to change her mind.

I stand totally in awe of the research and intricacy evident in this strong novel. Oxen and railroads, immigrant workers, exploitative bosses, an earlier generation's wars and professional women are all featured. Eloise is so busy being an assessor for the state that she doesn't have time to consider whether women should have the vote. She hardens her heart against her own past love but staunchly supports her good friends. How would you go about moving a town uphill? Apparently, this was done in some cases -- the author gives some real-life notes on the situation at the end. And how would you go about sabotaging engineering works? We get to see some choice examples. The story covers several months, through the autumn and winter, of back-breaking, spirit-crushing work, trying to salvage buildings, livelihoods, and friendships, while outside influences hover.

With fine role models and dilemmas, this historical romance A DESPERATE HOPE is a nicely judged suspense story which engages and entertains the reader. Elizabeth Camden, a research librarian who has won the RITA Award and the Christy Award, has my sincere admiration.

Book Summary

Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she's finally put behind her--or so she thinks. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak.

Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed.

Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them before it's too late.