Title: Eden Lost
Author: Richard Taylor
Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1647538637
Pages: 278
Genre: Fiction
Reviewed by: Christina Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
When it comes to matters of the heart, love can be a truly mysterious thing. More times than not, love can sneak up on us, stirring emotions within us we had no plans on digging up and bringing down our defenses to let someone new and unknown into our lives. The ability to find or stumble into love is a rare and beautiful thing in this world, and yet, far more often than not, takes work and sacrifice to nurture and grow that love, especially when faced with differing worlds and cultures and finding the right balance between each other’s histories.
In author Richard Taylor’s Eden Lost, this concept is explored in full set against the backdrop of the Spanish-American War. When an engineer and businessman finds himself suddenly on one of the ships heading towards battle in the Philippines, he makes the mistake of heading towards the port to explore new business opportunities on his own, despite the dangers to newcomers in the area. When a beautiful woman known for her abilities as a seductress and spy comes to his aid, their journey truly begins. As they fight for survival, the two find themselves drawn closer and closer together, and must discover whether they can true happiness together within a lost Eden.
The harmonious way the author meshed together the history and military atmosphere of the narrative’s setting with the passion and adventure which comes from historical fiction romances really is so inviting and invokes a real sense of exhilaration within the reader. As the story progressed, it was so fascinating to see the author utilize news headlines found during this era of history to feature at the beginning of each chapter, highlighting the struggles and mindsets of the world at that time as the characters lived through their personal issues and the overall danger that the war brought upon the people of these lands.
This is absolutely the perfect read for those who enjoy historical fiction and romance reads, especially when delving into little-explored moments of history within the genre such as the Spanish-American War from the perspective of these characters. Not only was it so fascinating to see the differing points of view of the protagonists (between Isabella’s fight for a revolution and Josh’s inherit belief in Manifest Destiny), but to see the military mindset and maneuvers being performed throughout the narrative while exploring this romance really made this story stand out.
A heartfelt, emotional, and thought-provoking read, author Richard Taylor’s Eden Lost is a must-read historical fiction romance that readers will not want to miss. The journey these two characters go on together to find the balance between their beliefs and their feelings and the amazing amount of detail that went into the history of this narrative really brought this story to life, and the emotional final chapters will really keep readers hanging off the author’s every word.