New Dreams by Ellen M. Parker

 Can a woman on her own trust the man with interesting stories?

 About the Book: America beckons with opportunity during the 1850’s.

     Louisa Mueller, a baker’s daughter, arrives in Elm Ridge, Illinois with determination to learn English and work as a baker. Since the death of her sweetheart a year ago, she pushes aside thoughts of marriage. However, she’s intrigued by a fellow passenger who tells the most interesting stories.

     Desperate for a fresh start, a young thief takes the name Hans Hoffmann when a look-alike passenger dies during the trans-Atlantic passage. Vowing to be an honest man in America, Hans discovers temptation wears many disguises. Will the pair be rewarded as they attempt their new dreams in a strange land?

 Our Review: For those readers who have heard their parents, grandparents or other relatives speak of why they left their homeland to emigrate to the United States, New Dreams will ring true right down to the unbearable loneliness and wrenching fear of failure to fulfill long-held dreams and promises. From the first page, Louisa and Hans capture the reader’s imagination and heart with their goals and dreams and hesitations. Author Parker has a talent for infusing dialects local phrasing into her spot-on dialogue. This story is inspiring and heart warming from start to finish.

Based on a scale of 1-5, New Dreams merits a 7.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews