The Hungry Heart
By Elise Dee Beraru 

     Desperate times call for desperate measures . . .

     Jenny Clarkson suffered much at the hands of the Civil War. In hopes of saving her family plantation, she offered her innocence to a band of Union troops in exchange for her home being spared the torch. But her great sacrifice was for nothing and she watched in horror as the flames consumed all that she had held near and dear. It was as though the life she once knew was now just a memory that had quickly gone up in a puff of smoke. When her brother arrived and discovered the devastation, he found her in a small make shift slave cabin. To help avenge all that the war had taken from them, he suggested that she join him in becoming notorious bank robbers. Her venture as a bank robber was short lived; she was captured during one of their holdups. She was heartbroken when she realized that her brother had abandoned her to face the gallows by herself. The hope to live slowly drained from her as the day of the hanging fast approached. Unexpectedly, her salvation came in the form of Micah Peterson. In Micah's eyes, she saw a man that had suffered unspeakable pain and agony. Micah offered Jenny his hand in marriage as a way to escape the hangman's noose. If she accepted his proposal, she would be indebted to him for seven years before she became a free woman again. She knew this was her only chance to live and readily accepted his proposal. What confused her most was that fact that Micah was very clear that their marriage be one in name only. She wondered what type of man would risk his good name, and the town's scorn, to help someone who had been condemned to die for a crime she had been found guilty of committing.

     Sacrificing oneself often results in reward in the end . . .

     Micah Peterson had been a prisoner of war at Andersonville. He had returned to his hometown a mere shell of a man, more dead than alive. Miraculously, his strong will to live enabled him to recover. When he was strong enough, he learned that his wife and son had died from fever. He felt all his dreams had been shattered in that one instance. It was as though his will to live was not worth fighting for any longer. He was intent on slowly surrendering to the peace that death offered. However, his interest was captured when he heard that a woman bank robber had been sentenced to die for a crime he felt she was innocent. He found himself making the offer to marry her so that she could serve as a housekeeper and cook to him and his ranch hands. He saw a spark in Jenny Clarkson that he needed to rekindle his will to live although the war had robbed him of his ability to prove that he was man enough to be worthy of his love. Would his heart be able to feed off the generosity and kindness that Jenny so readily offered? Or was he opening himself up for rejection from a woman who was rumored to have a colorful past?

     Elise Dee Beraru has penned the perfect historical romance. Through these heartfelt pages, I found a plot that contains the essential ingredients that would make any reader crave to read more. Once I started this book, I was unable to put it down until I read the concluding sentence. I hope this author explores some of the secondary characters she introduced in this book. I feel these memorable characters' stories deserve to be told. Writing as this is why I proudly declared myself as a devoted romance reader. This book comes with my highest recommendation; it is definitely a keeper!