Review of Never Forget by Jody Hedlund

I had the pleasure of previewing Jody Hedlund's latest release--Never Forget. The setting for this final installment in the Beacons of Hope series is set at Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island, in the late 1800s.

Abbie Watson’s grandfather is the acting keeper of Rose Island Lighthouse. The only problem is Gramps is senile. Flipping from present day to somewhere in his long-ago past, Gramps is unable to carry out his duties as acting keeper. Luckily, Abbie is more than capable of tending the light and caring for her grandfather. If only she could make the superintendent realize it. If only Abbie’s husband hadn’t been a drunkard. Now that he is deceased, how will she ever convince anyone that she and Gramps should remain at Rose Island? Abbie will do anything to help Gramps remain at the only place he knows and loves.

Following at severe storm, Abbie discovers a man washed ashore. He has no memory of how he got there, or even who he is! Before she can figure out what to tell Gramps, he assumes the stranger is his former assistant one moment, and Abbie’s late husband the next.

Unintentionally, the strange man is led to believe that he is in fact Abbie’s husband. Guilt plagues her, but she allows the charade to continue, hoping it allows a little time for her to figure out how to keep Gramps on Rose Island.

I love the characters in this story. Abbie is proud, strong and loyal—the perfect heroine, even though she is tripped up by many imperfections—one being her ability to avoid the truth. She is easy to like. Nathaniel is giving, kind, tender, but has a tortured soul. He desperately wants to make up for the sins of his past life.

The added detail of dealing with a loved one suffering from dementia adds a bittersweet tone to this story. It's easy to understand how those rare moments of clarity are priceless to Abbie and her sister. What wouldn't we do to have those treasured moments?

The pace is very good from start to finish. I was immediate hooked into the story. The twist and turns were surprising. Just when you think things are coming together, Hedlund throws a curveball. This might just be my favorite in the Beacons of Hope series. 

As usual for Hedlund, the writing, editing, all the details are impeccable. A really good read.

Read in order, this series follows the journey of a wooden cross as it is passed along from one person to another. The individual stories are unique, so the books work quite well as stand-alones.

Never Forget is available for pre-order at Amazon for $4.99.  I highly recommend this one!

Book Review: The Doctor's Lady

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

I reviewed Jody's first book, The Preacher's Bride, in this post from January 2011. That book made me take another look at Historical Romance. I was always a more 'contemporary' reader, until I fell in love with that book.  Thank you Jody for broadening my horizons.

Her second book, The Doctor's Lady, was published in September of 2011. It currently holds a terrific 4.24 star rating on goodreads, and I think it's well deserved.  

I first read this book without realizing that it is based on historical facts.  (I found that out after the last chapter.) The Doctor's Lady is a story about the journey of two 1800s missionaries that were the first white women to cross the continental divide.  Jody gives a fantastic description of what that rugged journey must have been like.  I wish History class would have been this fun! But it is fiction, so Jody has added lots of intriguing details.

Of course, this story is also a romance. (I almost never read romances, but this is a Christian romance -- I don't have to blush.  And, if you haven't read any Christian fiction in a while, you might be surprised by what you find. It's not Grandma's fiction anymore.) The MC feels called to be a missionary to India, but the mission board passes a ruling that only married couples can serve in the mission field.  Enter Dr. Ernest.  He, too, longs to serve, but on a different field -- Oregon country working with the natives.  Even though Priscilla and Eli almost detest each other, the two soon realize that only by 'joining forces' can they obtain their dream, and thus enter into an agreement -- a marriage in name only.  A business partnership. But what happens if one or both decide to move beyond the 'agreement'?

This adventure/love story is not to be missed.

So why am I reviewing a book that came out last year?  Well, it didn't seem right to review her first and third books without including the second.  That's right -- she has a third book coming very soon!

Unending Devotion will be released in September.  But guess what?  Yours truly will be reviewing it ahead of the release.  An advance copy of this novel will soon be in my mailbox.  I'm excited! Wanna know the best part?  The MC's name!  Yep, Lily.  That just tickles me pink.

Here's some more good news: Jody will be doing an interview right here on Becoming An Author.  Keep your eyes open for my next post.  And maybe even a future post about A Noble Groom.  Oops!  Getting a little ahead of myself there.  We'll take it one year at a time.

Please check out Jody's website and learn a bit about her. (For instance the fact that she home-schools five children! How does she find time to write?)