Forsaken Dreams is an amazing adventure full of trials, love, friendships, and storms. I was swept right into the story when we find the ship, New Hope, in the middle of a storm. We soon learn that this ship is full of Southerners who are on their way to Brazil to begin a new life after the Civil War ended. All of these Southerners are dreaming of a better life and hope to escape the pain of their pasts.
Blake was an officer for the South. He lost everything after the war so he put together a group of people to begin a new colony in Brazil where he hopes to build a new life.
Eliza is a war widow. She worked as a nurse during the war and she is trying to escape her past. Elizas deceased husband was a general for the North and she is rejected by both the North and the South, causing her to keep her past a secret from the rest of the passengers.
Most of the passengers are excited to embark on their journey and begin anew. However, they encounter many trials and hardships on the way, causing them to question whether this is what they really want to do. Different enemies try to keep them from their destination, whether those enemies be storms, Yankees, thieves or other kinds of weather.
With different secrets swirling around the ship, its hard to keep things hidden. When different passengers find their lives connected through the past, its even harder to keep the past in the past. Bitterness will rise as people become prejudiced against each other, and especially Eliza. If their colony is going to thrive, everyone must learn to overcome their bitterness and learn how to forgive.

I have read several of MaryLu Tyndalls books and have greatly enjoyed each one. Forsaken Dreams was no exception. Each chapter left you with questions that you wanted answers to, so you kept reading, unwilling to put the book down! Just when you think you know what is going to happen or you think everything is going to be resolved, another twist enters the story, sending you on a new surprising path. I really enjoyed the historical part of the book and learning about Confederate soldiers who relocated to Brazil. I never knew about that until I heard about this book and it definitely makes for an interesting story! I thought MaryLu did a great job at capturing the bitterness of the South. I was shocked at how bitter and angry the Southerners could be in this book, but we can see that their lives have been turned upside-down and they are very upset about it. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book. I was sad when it ended but I am happy to know that it is a part of a series and I have the next book to look forward to. I thought the book ended satisfying enough as it leads us into the next book but doesnt leave us with a huge cliffhanger. As I said before, I loved this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an adventuresome romance that will sweep them away!

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Entertaining to a degree & had a beautiful cover, however I did not like part of the ending. It had a little twist but there was a part that frustrated me. Just when you think it's all good & they've covered this "situation" it goes back to it again & they have to have another "tete-a-tete". The reader feels like, yes we've been over this already ....move on

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I enjoyed the adventure of traveling the seas to the new land of Brazil in the first book of the Escape to Paradise Series. This fast-paced story held my attention from beginning to end. The crew of characters came alive and seemed to boldly walk off the pages and into my mind as the individuals sought new lives far from the tragedy and the secrets of the Civil War.

I much admired Eliza Crawford, the heroine, for her compassion and forgiving nature. She was a dear character, though learning to follow Gods leading was not her strong point and seemed to have cost her much heartache.

The hero, Colonel Blake Wallace, though often gallant, was not a man always to be admired, as his burning hatred of all things Northern tainted his mind and actions.

The secondary characters added much richness and depth to the story. Im looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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Forsaken Dreams is an intriguing blend of romance and adventure but it is very character driven. Eliza and Blake are very easy to like, and I loved the historical atmosphere of how they were all struggling with the aftermath of the Civil War. It's written very realistically and the voyage was both literal and spiritual. Although Brazil is mentioned as the ultimate utopia - and readers may think 'Brazil? I am not interested in Brazil' this is not a novel about Brazil. It is about survival on the seas, and survival from the effects of a war which stripped faith from those on this journey (and perhaps utopia could mean wherever God is..).

Blake's entire family was wiped out by Union soldiers, and just like many other Southerners after the Civil War, he seeks some peace of mind and peace of soul. The only way he can do that is to travel far away from the country who wronged him. Several travelers join in on his journey to Brazil, including Eliza, and former slaves. Eliza was a Southerner through and through - until she married a man from Pennsylvania. Even though that was before the war, no one can forgive Eliza, even after her Yankee husband is dead. No one wants to be around Eliza, and she attempts to keep her true identity a secret as she seeks new life in Brazil.

The fellow passengers on the ship New Hope have secrets as well, and they unravel slowly during the voyage. Each character lends to a bit of a truth to the atrocities of the war, and puts a face to those who suffered, even the former slaves. Tyndall boldly portrays the story as historically accurate as possible with regards to how the Southerners relate to having the former slaves sharing their space with them, and I felt it was told with as much truth as possible. Slavery was a way of life that was an integral element to the Southern plantations, and after the war there was little hope of carrying on with those plantations without help.

It is these former slaves and southerners - with pasts littered with transgressions such as thievery, alcoholism and prostitution - that make up this hopeful voyage as they yearn for a new beginning. The struggle with faith is a leading factor of this story as Eliza and Blake desperately try to make their peace with each other and with what God has thrown at them. Deftly portrayed, we can feel empathy even for the worst voyagers on the ship, though we really would like to know their secrets. There are some creepy and frightening moments aboard New Hope, and I can only imagine what is going to happen in Brazil. The minor complaint with this novel was the time shifts in the very beginning, but soon enough things evened out and I was able to invest myself fully in the story.

Forsaken Dreams is the perfect novel for those who are interested in seeing if romance can survive very extreme circumstances - and for those ready for a voyage with some intriguing characters! This is book one in a series, so there will be some things left unsaid which will make you want to read book two, just as I am eager to. I enjoyed this story for not being a predictable 'boy meets girl and sees the light' type of christian historical, as the author offers a plausible, well written drama that kept me intrigued throughout the novel. Even as we are left longing for book two, my fellow readers will come away with knowledge of the hopeful message of faith that satisfies any Christian reader.

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