Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
About the book:
All she’s ever wanted was a home. But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn’t be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can’t even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others’ problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.
But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife’s death, and it seems as though Emma’s answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous.
My Review:
The sweetness of this love story found me wanting to go back again to this book. Emma believed she was flawed, by simply being unmarried at an older age. Patrick felt he was flawed from sins of his past. When the life circumstances of the two throw them together into a marriage of convenience, the traditional story somewhat occurs. Pirates, lighthouses and a mysterious woman complicate matters. Emma seeks to know the truth, yet longs for friendship and happiness.
I found that the story bordered a couple of times on a little too much detail in the romance department. It felt like I wanted to turn my head away a couple of times, as it was just too private or sacred of a moment. That is a sign of a skilled writer, which Jody Hedlund is. However, if you are sensitive to those types of scenes or wish to avoid them, just a heads up. They are not throughout, and you would be able to skim over them if they make you uncomfortable. The story of developing love, courting your wife after you are married, and taking care of an orphaned child was very skillfully told, even though the story is as old as time. I enjoyed the history of the lighthouses, the mystery of the pirates, and working to solve the mystery of Patrick’s background.
This book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher for review. The thoughts contained herein are my own.