5-Star Review of "Hearts Made Whole"

Review of Hearts Made Whole (Beacons of Hope #2)

by Jody Hedlund

After her father’s death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren’t supposed to have such roles, so it’s only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper–even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s been given the post as lighthouse keeper, and the isolation where he can drown in drink and hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s none-too-pleased to be giving up her position. They both quickly realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but Ryan’s unwilling to let anyone close, ravaged by memories and guilt. Caroline’s drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?

MY REVIEW:   I have always held a fascination for lighthouses.  My husband and I try to visit lighthouses in our travels.   This book was very appealing to me as it tells the story of a young woman who is the keeper of Windmill Point Lighthouse in Michigan in 1865.   Her father passed away and her mother has long been dead, so she continues to take care of the lighthouse.  Being a woman creates problems for her as her boss replaces her with a wounded Civil War veteran, unbeknownst to her.    Ryan Chambers is fighting his own internal battle with addiction to opium and alcohol and past demons while Caroline fights to care for her family.  Caroline has a younger sister, Sarah, who is quite ill and she fears a move would only worsen her condition.   

      Ryan and Caroline begin to fall in love but her younger sister, Tessa, sees handsome Ryan as her ticket out of the lighthouse and out of the town!  Caroline has a suitor in town who is willing to rescue her but strange mishaps begin to take place and they wonder who is trying so desperately to harm them.  Readers will enjoy reading Ryan and Caroline's story and an early fight for women's rights.   Caroline is trying to follow her dear departed father's advice to remember that God is good.....all the time.   Will she and Ryan both learn to lean on God and let Him handle the problems of life?  Will they find love?   

      I rated this book 5 stars and feel certain that readers who enjoy Christian historical fiction will agree with my rating.  This book is part of a series but I did not read book one and it did not detract from my comprehension of the story.  I would like to read the other books in this series now though.   I received a free kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  Reviews are also posted on my blog, netgalley, goodreads, amazon, barnesandnoble, christianfiction, booksmillion, shelfari and deepershopping.   

About the Author:

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances including books for adults and youth. She currently makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and their five busy children.

As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories.

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.