If you love reading a historical novel that is well researched and brings to light obscure incidents from the past then make sure you read this. I have never read anything about the sinking of the Sultana in 1865 and all the men that perished. This story makes you feel like you are watching as it is brought to life so realistically. When you weave into the facts fictional characters that grab your attention because it is done so flawlessly then you have an engaging story that you won’t want to put down. Lily pulled on my heartstrings from the beginning and her selfless caring of others is commendable. Cade is learning to listen to God’s voice as he struggles to recover. Grab a tissue and sit back and enjoy as their lives intertwine. I’m really enjoying these novels in the A Day To Remember series. Each one is a standalone but shed light on a historical event.
I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required. ( )

Just when one war ends another begins, and this war is more personal than either Cade or Lily could possibly imagine. A steamboat explosion sends thousands of newly released Union POWs into the Mississippi River just as the country is trying to pick up the pieces from the devastation of the Civil War, mixing Union soldiers with Confederates and their sympathizers, no one knowing who to trust or where loyalties lie.

Told in vivid detail, it’s clear this text was a labor of love, and I am so grateful that the author was finally able to tell her Civil War-era story. The story is so beautifully told and gave light to an otherwise unknown moment in history while also telling a story of a prodigal son’s return to his Father and a girl finding her home. I loved all of the tender moments when Cade and Lily were getting to know one another, and Lily was tending Cade’s wounds while God was bringing him to the end of himself was such a beautiful picture of grace. This a very character-driven novel with soul-touching individuals like Lily and Cade, and others that truly made me skin crawl and my blood boil, which is a testament to the author’s talent.

While I was reading, I found myself pondering how all of this could’ve occurred and wondering why I’ve never once heard about this sad tragedy. Granted, it happened at an incredibly tumultuous time in our country’s history, especially with so many lives lost in such a short amount of time, but that doesn’t make it any less tragic. This is truly an unimaginable event and it’s a moment in time that deserves to be remembered.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own. ( )

When Hope Sank: April 27, 1865 (A Day to Remember Book 3) by Denise Weimer is a Christian historical romance based on real events. The Civil War took everything from Lily Livingston, including her parents and twin brother and their home. She and her younger brother live and work at her uncle’s inn. She tries to keep her head down and to stay out of trouble. Engaged, she waits for her twin brother to return to marry her.

Damaged in body but resilient in spirit, Lieutenant Cade Palmer finds himself crowded onto the Sultana with other paroled Andersonville and Cahaba POWs for the journey north, including his best friend. But a fiery explosion on April 27, 1865, rends the steamer and empties two thousand men into the frigid Mississippi River. He finds himself rescued by Lily and her brother.

The author builds a moving story that chronicles Cade’s recovery from the explosion and the development of a relationship with Lily. I found myself unable to put this book down until I finished reading. Like the other books in this series, I loved reading the event’s history while getting to know the characters. With the indication of sabotage, traitors in the midst, danger, intrigue, and more, this book packs a lot into its pages.

So, if you enjoy works of historical fiction centered around real events, check out When Hope Sank: April 27, 1865 (A Day to Remember Book 3) by Denise Weimer. I definitely recommend it, along with the other books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own. ( )

“Who said anything about love?” She stepped around him, passing close as she reached for the door. “It’s not something I’ve dared to even hope for … until now.”

Barbour has come out with some of the best series! This one, A Day to Remember, involves six different obscure American tragedies. Each can be read without reading the others, but if you read one, you’ll want to read the rest!

Book three, When Hope Sank, is NOT about the Titanic! Rather, Denise Weimer recounts the disastrous 1865 journey of the steamboat the Sultana. The Sultana is carrying pardoned Union POW soldiers from Southern prisons up the Mississippi River. Cade Palmer, a doctor, and his close friend, James Caldwell, are two men on that ill-fated, massively overloaded boat, made to carry 500, but carrying over 2,000. A sudden explosion sends many men straight into eternity. Others are lost in the flaming boat and river debris as they try to escape.

Lily Livingston, living with her strongly Southern sympathizing aunt, cousin, and more moderate uncle, finds herself helping to rescue Cade and James from the river. As she cares for Cade’s injuries, she begins to care for the man himself.

Personal growth comes for both Cade and Lily, but painfully, slowly. Cade comes to realize evil is not just in those whose hatred causes untold death and destruction, but even in his own choices he makes that are self-serving. “…God allowed people a choice, and many in every generation chose evil. Because serving oneself was, in reality, serving evil instead of God.”

“He always thought his optimism and good works would get him into heaven. He never seemed to realize there are no good people, just as my father used to say, only bad people who can either choose justice or grace.” I found this quote from Cade describing someone else ironic. Yes, Cade has already chosen God’s grace of salvation. But… the crux of the novel is… will he choose to extend God’s grace or try to visit His wrath on others he deems unworthy?

Conflict and great personal angst threaten as Lily and James deal with things they failed to do in the past. Their failures affect the people around them and guilt bears down. Will their faith rise to the occasion or will they sink under the enormity of all they’ve lost? Can God really use such a horrendous tragedy for good?

I highly recommend this novel! I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own ecopy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Pain is pain. It just hurts.” … “But it hurts a little less if you share it.”

“It’s hardly a crime to want others to think well of you.” He dropped her hand and lowered his gaze. “Not until you want it so much you put that above what God thinks.”

“By her own admission, she shared his ideals, and more importantly, his faith. Both of them clung to their spiritual heritage despite all they’d been through, and somehow, they strengthened each other in it. Believed for each other where they no longer could do so for themselves.”

“Better to be alone than to keep company with the wrong people.” ( )

5 stars, Heartbreaking Sinking

WHEN HOPE SANK (A Day to Remember Book 3)
by Denise Weimer

This is the dramatic story of a traumatic event at the end of the Civil War. Steamship Sultana was carrying two thousand men who had been released from prisons and were trying to make their way home at the end of the war, the Sultana exploded and the men's hope sank.

Lily Livingston works at her uncle's boarding house, a victim of the Civil War, it has taken everything she's ever loved, except for her younger brother. They are at the mercy of their uncle and desperate to have something better.

Lieutenant Cade Palmer was onboard the Sultana when everything exploded. He doesn't know how he'll survive, nor does he know how he'll be able to return home.

I was at first drawn to this book, because of visiting the #SteamboatArabia, another Steamer that floundered in the mighty Mississippi River. The sinking of the Sultana pulled more at the heartstrings because of the poor veterans of the Civil War who were trying to make their way home.

Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of #WhenHopeSank from #BarbourFiction #BarbourBooks I was not obligated to post a review.

#SultanaSteamship #ADayToRememberSeries #ChristianFiction #historicalfiction #womensfiction #mississippiriver #civilwar #americanhistory #InspyFic #Inspirational #AndersonvillePrison #1886 ( )