“Whenever you don’t understand what’s happening in your life, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and trust that it’s part of God’s plan for you.”
Irene Hannon delivers another delightful tale set in the beautiful Hope Harbor, Oregon, with “Starfish Pier.”
A story of finding love, forgiveness and the will to live, “Starfish Pier” introduces us to first-grade teacher Holly Miller and fishing charter captain and ex-military man Steven Roark — two people who have troubled pasts and are looking for new beginnings.
As Holly and Steven find themselves more and more attracted to each other, they must decide if they can overcome their pasts — and their very large belief differences — to forge a relationship. And while they’re moving along their paths, can Steven’s brother Patrick overcome his own demons, and will they all be able to come together to help Holly’s new neighbor, Pete, defeat his own battle?
Hannon, as always, does an incredible job of developing wonderful characters — Holly, Steven, Patrick and Pete all have very real, very deep and very relatable flaws, issues and problems. Some of the town’s lovable characters return — including the intuitive taco truck owner Charley; and two gulls named Floyd and Gladys and a seal named Casper; and an historic cannon makes for an interesting “character” too.
“Starfish Pier” is more than just a delightful love story filled with bumps and bruises. It reveals many different amazing themes, like the importance of not writing off potential friends, but to always take a second look at people; the fact that we tend to make things more complicated than we need to; “you miss a lot watching life from the sidelines — and letting fear hold you back”; God has a plan for you; trust is integral to faith; and we don’t know the ripple effect we can create.
Besides taking on despair, denial, kindness and when hope dies, a major theme of this book is forgiveness. It reminds us that if God is willing to give us second chances, why can’t we do the same — whether it’s forgiving ourselves or others.
This book does contain some serious subject matter, but it will cause you to look deep into yourself and your beliefs and values.
I can’t wait to return to Hope Harbor in April 2021!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“Starfish Pier” (Hope Harbor series, #6) by Irene Hannon