This is the second book in the series. There’s a novella, Out of the Storm, and then
the first full-length book, Love Unexpected.
The series is brought together with the common thread of a wooden
cross. The characters in the novella
tell the original story of the cross, and the first book is the next set of
people to get it.
Ryan is the brother of Emma, the heroine in Love
Unexpected. He’s been through the Civil
War and has come out wounded both emotionally and physically. He’s been drowning his pain and sorrows in
whiskey and opium. He gets the job at
the lighthouse hoping to save enough money to pay for some of his past
mistakes. When he falls asleep in what
he thinks is an abandoned house, he awakens to a fluffy beating.
Caroline has been caring for her family for a long
time. First her mother died, and now
she’s had to watch her father drown in front of her eyes. The man who oversees the lighthouse workers
is determined to get her out of the lighthouse, but Caroline’s got her
siblings, one of whom is very ill, that she has to care for. When she finds the new lighthouse keeper in
her bed, she wants to resent him, but knows that it’s not really his
fault. She can also see his deep hurt
and wants him to heal.
Strange things begin to happen around the lighthouse, some
of them dangerous and others just disturbing.
It seems like someone wants Caroline out of the lighthouse, but
why? She’s had an offer of marriage from
one of the single men in town, but she doesn’t think she can love him. But if that’s the only way she can save her
family, will she consider it? Her heart
is leading her to Ryan, but he has a lot of healing to do.
This was a great story of looking past the surface to the
person underneath. I appreciate the author
making the characters, especially Ryan, realistic. He struggles with his addictions and doesn’t
just have them cured overnight. He
stumbles and gets back up. He sees that
he needs to heal in the right way and get himself in order. There’s some sadness in there, starting at
the very beginning, and some animal cruelty that made me sad.
The other characters are mentioned in passing and the cross
that ties the stories together is passed on.
Even though the other characters are mentioned, you could read this one
by itself if you want to. I do recommend
you read the novella first, just so you know the significance of the wooden
cross. The novella is free, so you’re
not risking anything. I look forward to
more from this author. Good Book!
*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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