I really enjoyed the first half of the book a little more than the second half which changed the setting from Eden and London to the Crimea and India. Although the Crimean war and the Sepoy rebellion are fascinating subjects to read about they seem out of place here. The novel is mainly about John Murrey Eden, the son of Edward Eden or the Prince of Eden as he is known for his many philanthropies, primarily establishing a network of free schools for London's homeless children. John's biological mother is the fiance and future wife of Edward's brother James and is given up at the time of his birth but fortunately is rescued by his father and brought to live with him. Suffice it to say this will cause major problems for all the parties concerned in the future. There is so much more to this epic story that I will not divulge here in order for future readers to be able to enjoy the book. It is well worth the time to read it and it is a story that will stay with me for a very long time.

This is the second installment of the Eden Series. This book is about Edward Eden's son, John Murray Eden. It was a ten-year journey, but was one roller coaster of a ride! The characters that all came together to make John's life what he made it. I look forward to reading the final book. This series has been one of the best books I have read for some time, it was not predictable, which I enjoyed.

This was an epic, it covered many years of John's life. He has important people to him, wander in and out of his life. Harriet was mistress of Eden and her husband stayed in his room and drank. It started out a little slow but once it got going, wow. It was impossible to put it down. There are so many who made a difference or he affected.
The descriptions were wonderful but also necessary to give you the feeling of space. The characters were amazing. Aggie the cook tried to help him when first came to Eden, Richard who just wanted to play marbles. Mary so tiny and young. So many and it is hard to put them all here. He comes from London to Salisbury, then again to London, he even gets to India and finally home. The plot has many twists and turns, it has a complex storyline but it is well written and moves smoothly. The author wrote a mesmerizing tale and you lived John's life with him thru the good and the bad. I felt that the tale should not have ended, I was kind of left hanging.
I received this ARC and voluntarily reviewed it.

OMG!! This is the third installment in the Eden Series by Marilyn Harris. Things went from Gothic Romance to oedipus rex real quick. Still couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read the fourth book!