After the death of her parents and most of her siblings, Evangeline finds herself thrust into a teaching position in the factory town of Smeatley. In order to receive her inheritance and reunite with her remaining sister, she must lay aside the sophisticated Victorian values of her upbringing, and prove her worth and determination to her distant grandfather. Irish brick mason, Dermot, has few friends in Smeatley either, and soon finds himself forming a grudging agreement with the schoolteacher. Evangeline watches his young son while Dermot works in the evenings, and Dermot provides Evangeline with cooking lessons. Barely able to understand the Yorkshire accents of her pupils, will Evangeline manage to earn their trust and make sufficient progress with their education? Will her scheming aunt exaggerate her faults to her grandfather and keep the sister separated forever? When she begins to feel more than friendship for Dermot, will her high-class past keep her from following her heart?
Sarah M. Eden tells a lovely story-- reminiscent of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South-- in Ashes on the Moor. With fascinating descriptions of life in a factory town, and the unique struggles and accents found there, Eden's latest is full of historical detail. Evangeline's complicated family relationships, struggles to reach her students, and compassion for Smeatley's inhabitants were believable and beautifully told. Dermot, similarly, is an complex and compelling male lead. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its characters, the finale seems a bit forced. Despite pages and pages of struggle and complication, somehow everyone magically gets everything they want within the last chapter. A more believable ending would have been infinitely more satisfying.
I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.
