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Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: January 4, 2017
Never Forget by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island
June 1880
Will she betray his trust to stay on the island she loves?
Abbie Wilson is content to spend her days clamming, crabbing, and tending Rose Island Lighthouse. Her grandpa is the head light keeper, but his senility may lead to their eviction. Since leaving the island would kill her beloved Gramps, Abbie will do anything to keep him in the one place he knows and loves.
Wealthy Nathaniel Winthrop III’s wild living has gained him a reputation as the ‘bad boy’ among the elite social circles of Newport. After a blow to the head in a yachting accident washes him up on Rose Island, Nathaniel has no memories of his past.
Abbie tends the wounded stranger in her home only to realize he assumes they’re married. Although she knows she needs to correct Nathaniel’s mistake, his presence calms Gramps and provides a way to prevent eviction from the lighthouse.
The longer the charade continues, the harder it gets for Abbie to tell Nathaniel the truth, more so as she begins to fall in love. Everyone she’s ever loved has abandoned her. Will Nathaniel leave her too, once he discovers he’s not really her husband?
I really enjoyed this newest book by Jody Hedlund in her Beacons of Hope series. This book can be read as a stand alone. I have not read any of the other books in this series and did not have any problems following the story line.
I felt for poor Abbie in her struggle to keep her life from falling apart. In dealing with her Grandfather, she has to keep up a pretense that she never feels fully comfortable with. She's fending off a man who's trying to get her and her grandfather kicked off the island. And she's running herself ragged trying to keep up with the duties of the lighthouse. Then, to top it all off, she rescues a man from the water and her Grandfather mistakes him for her missing husband. Now she has another pretense to add to the list. Abbie has a lot of strength and character and although she makes some mistakes, she also changes and grows throughout the book and I really liked her.
Nathaniel is a swoon worthy hero! :) Although he starts out as a rich "bad boy", his amnesia brings forth a change of character and he sets out right away to be a man worthy of Abbie's love. He is so patient and tender with Abbie that she can't help but fall in love. The romance between these two is sweet and sparky. :) And he's so good with her Grandfather. When the truth comes out, he struggles with falling back into his old despondency and has to make the choice to turn to God for the strength to be the man he needs to be.
All in all, I believe you'll enjoy this sweet romance with some twists that will surprise you.
*Thanks to Celebrate Lit for a complimentary copy of this book. I was not paid or required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*
View all my reviews on Goodreads.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats. Although Jody prefers to experience daring and dangerous adventures through her characters rather than in real life, she’s learned that a calm existence is simply not meant to be (at least in this phase of her life!).
When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.
Guest Post from Jody Hedlund
Which Do You Prefer: Series or Standalones?
By Jody Hedlund
Readers usually have strong opinions about whether they like series or standalones.
Some readers refuse to read books that are inter-related. Others can’t get enough books about their favorite characters.
I see the pros and cons of both.
For series, I don’t like feeling lost as I try to wade through previous characters along with their backstory. I recently started a series by a well-known author and was disappointed to realize the first book was connected to a previous series she’d already published. From the get-go, I felt left out as though I didn’t quite know who all the characters were or their significance.
On the other hand, for standalones, I sometimes feel as though I would like the story to continue. I’ve invested in the setting and characters and so enjoy when I can return to that place and continue to glimpse the characters I’ve fallen in love with—even if from a distance.
My favorites are books that fall in the middle between standalone and series. I like to think of them as standalones within a series. Becky Wade’s Porter brother series is like that. Each of the books centers around one of the brothers (and a tomboy sister). While characters from other books make an appearance in the stories, each plot is separate and complete without any reliance upon another book.
My Beacons of Hope lighthouse series falls in the middle too. The books are related in that they all take place at lighthouses and share a symbolic “cross of hope” that is passed on from one book to the next. A minor character in a previous book becomes the hero or heroine in the next book. But each book can be read by itself without having read any of the others.
In other words, readers can pick up my newest release, Never Forget, which is the fifth and final book in the series, and they wouldn’t be confused about who the characters are or what their history is. The plot starts with a bang and ends with a satisfying sigh. It is complete story unto itself.
And yet, for those who’ve read other books in the series, they’ll get to see the happily-ever-after of a character from a previous book. And they’ll also get to find out where the cross of hope finally ends.
If you’re not a fan of series, I encourage you to give the Beacons of Hope series a try. It might satisfy the need for standalones and series all in one neat little package.
To that end, I’m giving away all FIVE books in the series as part of the Celebrate Lit blog tour to one lucky winner!
Tell us: What is your preference: Standalones, Series, or Standalones within a Series?
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January 10: Reading Is My SuperPower
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January 21: His Grace is Sufficient
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January 22: A Path of Joy
January 23: History, Hope, Laughter & Happily-ever-after
January 23: Henry Happens
January 23: Onceuponatime
To celebrate her tour, Jody is giving away the entire Beacons of Hope series. Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ad6d
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