Noela Nancarrow reviews LOVE UNEXPECTED by Jody Hedlund

Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope, Book One)

by Jody Hedlund

Bethany House Publishers (November 25, 2014)

Reviewed by Noela Nancarrow

5 Stars *****

 ‘Love Unexpected’ is an enchanting historical romance that unfolds on Presque Isle, Michigan in 1859, shining a light upon the rich history of the Presque Isle Lighthouse and the woman who became a Keeper there. It’s also a captivating tale of pirates and shipwrecks, the community of a small fishing village, and finding unexpected love and hope amidst tragedy and hopelessness.

When Emma Chambers and her brother are stranded on Presque Isle, Emma finds herself penniless and homeless. A traveling preacher who has just helped the local light-keeper Patrick to bury his wife, brings the two together as the solution to the now-widowed father of a small boy, and the destitute Emma. Inexperienced Emma is suddenly mother to a strong-willed child given to tantrums, as well as a wife with no domestic skills to an imposing albeit kind man. All she had ever really wanted was to have a home and family of her own, but as Emma begins to listen to gossip and dire warnings, along with her own suspicions mounting, it seems like her life might once again become capsized.  

I was extremely impressed at how deftly the author was able to express the frustrations and other emotions of the characters. Their fears, doubts, and longing for love and acceptance squeezed and tugged at my heart. Sublimely written, the very soul of the relationship between Emma and Patrick was tender yet intense, and dripping with romantic tension. And incorporated in ‘Love Unexpected’ was possibly the finest illustration and enlightenment on the pitfalls of gossip that I’ve ever read, illuminating a snare that has damaged or sunk many a relationship. ‘Love Unexpected’ is a beautiful and intriguing story that captures the reader right from the exciting onset!

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Available for purchase at these stores and others: Amazon; CBD; Barnes & Noble; BAM, and Book Depository

GIVEAWAY: Author Jody Hedlund is generously giving away a copy of Love Unexpected to one blessed commenter!!

Diana Flowers Reviews Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund

Love Unexpected

Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund

Bethany House Publishers, 2014

Reviewed by Diana Flowers

(No Spoilers!)

Intrigue and Romance!

In Love Unexpected, author Jody Hedlund sweeps us away to Presque Isle, Michigan -- a remote fishing village where a lighthouse is strategically placed along the craggy shoreline to warn fishermen of imminent danger, the smell of pine trees and salty fish assault the readers' senses, and dangerous pirates lurk in the cold, murky, turbulent waters of Lake Huron!
 

When Emma and her brother, Ryan, are left for dead in their fishing boat by vicious pirates, Patrick Garrity comes to their rescue. Patrick is the widowed father of a toddler and the lighthouse keeper in a remote fishing village. Ryan is taken in by a family who does not want Emma, so she accepts the most practical solution available. Patrick needs a mother for Josiah, and Emma who longs to finally have a home of her own, enters into a marriage of convenience with this seemingly God-fearing man. It is not long, however, before she begins to have dreadful misgivings. Although Emma dearly loves Josiah he is given to terrible temper tantrums, she has no domestic skills, and to make matters worse Patrick carries deep secrets involving his past. Soon Emma begins to wonder if this man she is falling for is all that he appears to be. As the gossip swirls around her as thick and dark as the turbid waters of Lake Huron, will she sink once again -- this time with no beacon of hope to light her way?
 

Jody Hedlund has written a wonderfully descriptive, fiction-based-on-fact story about lighthouses, breathtaking romance, and.....pirates? Yes, indeed! Pirates on Lake Huron is something I was not aware of and totally intensified my interest in this book...as did my love of towering, majestic lighthouses. I really enjoyed the main characters (thumb sucking Josiah was adorable in spite of his temper), but poor Emma was so naïve I wanted to shake her and give her a big hug at the same time. The angst and romantic tension is so palatable it'll leave your heart racing erratically...ahhh, such exquisite torture. Along with plenty of descriptive imagery, a strong message of hope and forgiveness, and a few gnarly pirates thrown in the mix!...this novel makes for a very satisfying read!
 

This book may be purchased through Amazon, CBD, and your local bookstore.
 

Thank you to Net Galley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.


GIVEAWAY: Author Jody Hedlund is generously giving away a paperback copy of Love Unexpected to one blessed commenter!