Isle of Hope (By: Julie Lessman)

Isle of Hope

By: Julie Lessman

Storyline
Lacey Carmichael has returned to her hometown in Georgia, where she left a trail of broken hearts and burned bridges ten years ago in an act of rebellion. Now that she has turned a new leaf, God leads her back to make amends with her father, her best friend and Jack - the fiancée she left behind. Last Lacey knew, he was a young Godly man attending seminary to become a pastor. But upon her return, she is shocked to find Jack is now a doctor and running from God after a wild lifestyle. Additionally, both Lacey's father and best friend refuse to forgive her. How will she persevere in reconciliation when she faces so many obstacles? A rich cast of characters entertains us as we move through this good read. 

However, a few plot inconsistencies distracted us from getting as hooked into the story as much as we would have liked.

Depth

Wowza, this book does not shy away from the ugly realities of life! Broken families are at the root of the issues here and all the pain and destruction caused by a single family member's actions. We have the pleasure of knowing characters' inner thoughts and feelings, and author Julie is a master at bringing hope into even the most devastating of situations.

Faith

God is at the center of Lacey's desire to return home and make amends. And her calling isn't an easy one - many are the bridges she burned and the hurt she inflicted all those years ago, and bitterness runs rampant among some of the characters. However, even the most broken of people are restored and given new life in Christ's forgiveness and redemption.

Squeal Factor

Author Julie is one of the best at writing romance! She has an incredible ability to make us, as the readers, feel what the characters are feeling. Her romantic scenes get our hearts racing, and the love stories are genuine and deep.

Overall

Julie Lessman is one of our favorite authors, but unfortunately this newest read fell just shy of the mark for us. As mentioned above, a few plot inconsistencies distracted us from being swept away into the story. But the main reason for our less than stellar rating was simply the long length of this novel. Although the story was excellent, the conclusion felt like it was too long in coming. We will say, however, that the characters stuck with us long after we finished and we hope the remainder of the series will hit the bulls-eye!

Find it on Amazon: Isle of Hope


Note: We were given this book in exchange for our honest review