Where Faith and Books Meet: Irene Hannon: Hope Harbor

By Kelly Bridgewater

From Amazon

Back Cover Copy:

Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life--and love--altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives--including their own.

My Thoughts:

Irene Hannon is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. I knew she has written a number of books for the Love Inspired line and has two full length contemporary novels that I have enjoyed immensely. So when I heard she wrote a new contemporary romance novel, I couldn’t wait to get my hand on a copy.

Hannon is great at creating characters that are life-like and memorable. They stick with me after I’m finishing reading the book. Hannon allows Tracy and Michael to literally run into each other within the first couple of pages of the book, allowing a lasting impression to change both their lives for the better. In Hope Harbor, Tracy is a determined young lady, willing to help her aunt and uncle who took her in after her parent’s untimely death. She works selfishly long hours at the cranberry farm and volunteers to help others in the small sea-side community of Hope Harbor. The hero, Michael Hunter, is a person who is fleeing from his non-profit work in Chicago, hoping to free himself from the guilt over his wife’s death. He volunteers to help others even the elderly lady who is his temporary landlord.

The theme of moving on and learning to accept what God has in store for the future is important for everyone to learn. It is a hard lesson, yes, but something we need to grasp on to and trust God with both hands.

I enjoyed getting to roam the small town of Hope Harbor and see how a number of lives are affected and changed through the course of the novel. Hannon knows how to create a story that rips at the heart of the reader and keeps them thinking about the plot long after I they close the book. I loved traveling down the beach and having fish tacos from the little stand where most of the locals visit.

Always enjoyable, Irene Hannon’s latest book, Hope Harbor does exactly that. Bring Hope to the characters that populate the pages and interact with each other. The story has just the right amount of romance, sprinkled with tension and real world dilemmas. I would recommend this book to fans of Irene Hannon’s romantic suspense or fans of contemporary romance like Melissa Tagg, Susan May Warren, or Beth K. Vogt.

I received a complimentary copy of Irene Hannon’s Hope Harbor from Revell Publishing through Netgalley and the opinions stated are all my own.

Irene Hannon’s Writing Bio:

Irene Hannon is the best-selling author of more than 35 novels. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and the Daphne du Maurier Award for mystery/suspense. Irene and her husband make their home in Missouri, USA.