With her 50th published novel (!), Irene Hannon takes us on another delightful trip to Hope Harbor, Oregon, the lovely coastal community where people come home to find love, truth, hope and compassion.
In “Sea Rose Lane,” Eric Nash is returning home to Hope Harbor after losing his fast-paced attorney job. His intention is to come home and rest and reboot until he can find another partner-tracked position.
BJ Stevens is the lovely contractor and architect converting his father’s home into a bed and breakfast. A former big city girl, she has a hard time trusting men and their willingness for a genuine relationship.
As Eric and BJ dip their toes into a potential relationship, trying to determine what they each want out of life, they both find a way to see past their own circumstances and help someone else — Luis, a despondent Cuban refugee working for BJ, and Eleanor, an 88-year-old trying to find contentment in her older age.
Besides the great and heartwarming characters of Eric, BJ, Luis and Eleanor, Hannon fills her novel with fun characters — including taco man Charley, who always knows the right things to say; a quirky set of seagulls; and a belching seal named Casper.
“Sea Rose Lane” is a delightful romance tale, but it is also filled with great truths — determining where your priorities in life should lie, discovering what it is you truly love to do, finding and following God’s path for your life, the impact of making assumptions and judgements about others, dealing with fear and self-righteousness versus compassion, and learning to open ourselves to what life has to offer. As Eric’s father points out to him: “Sometimes good things come our way when we’re open to new opportunities.”
Another interesting tidbit: both novels in the Hope Harbor series start with a literal bang — the books’ main characters literally crash into each other!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Sea Rose Lane” (Hope Harbor series, #2) by Irene Hannon