"Undaunted Hope" by Jody Hedlund

 


Michigan's Upper Peninsula was not a place for the faint of heart in 1871, but that makes it the perfect place for Tessa Taylor to start over. A foolish mistake has haunted this teacher everywhere, but surely this remote mining community will not ask too many questions about someone willing to embrace the isolation in order to teach their children. Tessa's plan seems to be in good order until she meets Percival Updegraff, the underhanded yet overbearing man in charge of Eagle Harbor. He's determined to make things difficult for anyone who stands up against him, and Tessa may not want to draw attention to herself, but she's not the kind of woman who will give Percival everything he wants.

Assistant lightkeeper Alex Bjorklund has never met anyone like Tessa. He and his widower brother are both smitten with the dark-haired teacher, but she seems determined to keep them at arms' length. Alex wants to pursue her but he is also happy to see hope coming back into his brother's life. While Alex is torn between following his heart or stepping aside, he's determined not to let Percival harm Tessa or any other Eagle Harbor families if he can help it.

Tessa feels much attraction to Alex but she knows the fight for Eagle Harbor is about more than herself. No matter how carefully she behaves, trouble seems to follow. When Alex and his brother are jailed on charges of arson, Tessa must decide whether to fight or give in to Percival in order to help her friends.

This book was very much in what I consider classic Hedlund style, along the lines of A Noble Groom. It's romantic, it's kind of predictable, there's an interesting location and time period in the setting. It kept me coming back. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!