A little bit about what you'll find reviewed here

A little bit about what you'll find reviewed on this blog: I believe the best books involve characters you wish you could read more about long after the book is finished. Recently, I've been searching for hidden gems from the past. I read mostly fiction, and I'm a bit of a prude. I don't normally enjoy books with sex or excessive language.

Who I am:
I raised two wonderful girls, and I'm super proud of them. I enjoy reading (of course), sewing, cross stitching, photography and writing. I live in the high desert portion of Washington (which I didn't know existed until my husband and I decided to move here) and have really enjoyed my time out here. I am excited to see what God has next in store for my life!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Undaunted Hope (Beacons of Hope #3) - Jody Hedlund

This is the third novel in the Beacons of Hope series.  There’s a prequel novella, Out of the Storm, and then you have the first two books, Love Unexpected and Hearts Made Whole.

Tessa is in the northern wilderness of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to escape her tarnished reputation.  While she made some mistakes, she never compromised herself, but the gossip was too much.  She’s come to the mining town to be the new teacher and quickly discovers that things are different in this out of the way place.

Alex is in the right place to save Tessa from some unwanted advances and frigid water.  He is drawn to her, but unfortunately, so is his brother.  Since it’s the first sign of life he’s seen from his brother since his wife died, Alex wants to protect his brother and do what’s best for him.  The problem is, the time he spends with Tessa leads him to believe he can’t ignore his heart.  Also, she’s determined to stay away from anything related to lighthouses, so the fact that he works in one is an issue.

There’s a lot of problems in town.  The mine manager has everyone in town under his thumb and punishes those that oppose him.  The man seems to know everything that happens in town and Tessa wants to stand up to him but finds herself just as trapped as the rest of the town.  The man doesn’t come after Tessa, he goes after the ones she cares about, with disastrous results.

This book is a little darker than I expected, but with good reason.  I wondered about that until I read the author’s note at the end where it all became clear.  Tessa’s transformation and desire to see justice done was really an intriguing read.  I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days.  I didn’t mean to, but I just couldn’t put it down!

You get hints of the characters from the other books, but you can read these alone or out of order.  The wooden cross is still on its journey, and I recommend reading the novella if you haven’t already.  This has been a great series and I recommend it.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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