Review of “Driftwood Bay” by Irene Hannon

Description

“After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room–until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn’t worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.

Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it’s least expected?

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invites readers back to the charming seaside town of Hope Harbor, where they are sure to find peace, healing, and a second chance at happiness.”

My Review:

I love reading a book that’s full of tears that turn to laughter; loss that turns to gain; and despair that turns to hope.  This book has all of this and more.  And wow—what a great story this is!  The storyline is absorbing and the community of Hope Harbor made me wish we could move there today.  But it’s the characters that spoke directly to my heart and made this a book that keep me reading every moment I could find.  

There’s quite a bit of loss in this story. Three different families have lost loved ones in separate tragic circumstances.  This book tells their story as to how they’ve unsuccessfully tried to keep themselves from feeling loss again.  Although I felt deeply for the adults and their struggle, it’s the two little girls, Molly and Elisa, that captured my heart.  Molly has lost her parents and beloved grandmother, and now finds herself living with her uncle Mark, who is struggling to figure how to raise a five year old girl and make her feel secure.  Elisa lost her mother and several family members in a church bombing in Syria. She  knows her grandmother loves her, yet she feels rejected by her father who is grieving deeply over the past.  Both Molly and Elisa have found new homes in Hope Harbor, and even though there’s a language barrier between them, their little hearts begin to heal through their friendship.  As Mark and Jeanette decide if they have the courage to pursue a relationship, it takes a crisis with the two little girls to help everyone find the faith that’s needed to bring hope and healing to hurting hearts.

If you love the Mitford books by Jan Karon, you’ll love this Hope Harbor series.  It’s a series that I’ll want to read over again.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.