"As
you get ready to head out on your vacation or to a weekend getaway, I
hope that one of the books you'll pack to read is my newest release, Hearts Made Whole, the second book in my new lighthouse series, Beacons of Hope. If you didn't read the first book, Love Unexpected, don't worry! While the books have some overlapping characters and themes, they can definitely stand alone."
As with the first book in the series, Hearts Made Whole is
set at a real Michigan lighthouse, Windmill Point Lighthouse. Windmill
Point Lighthouse once existed on Lake St. Clair on the rural outskirts
of Detroit. It was a strategic beacon that helped ships cross from Lake
Huron over into Lake Erie as those ships transported raw goods from the
Northwest states to eastern cities and seaports.
The lighthouse is named after the old ruins of a windmill where early frontiersmen brought their grain for grinding. Today,
all traces of the original windmill and lighthouse are long gone. If
you visit Grosse Pointe in the Detroit area, all that remains is a small
conical structure with a white flashing light.--author Jody Hedlund
The Great Lakes lighthouses of Michigan are the settings for Jody Hedlund's Beacons of Hope Series. In book 2, Hearts Made Whole, it is 1865 and Caroline Taylor is acting lighthouse keeper after the drowning of her father ~ that is, until the lighthouse inspector, who needs a "y" added to his last name, determines it is now time to get rid of her and her younger siblings. Mr. Finick has come to tell her to vacate as he has replaced her with a man who served two years earlier at Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Upon the new hiree's arrival, Caroline is in for quite a shock and wallops him ~ until they both realize the misunderstanding. He has arrived early before her tenure is up. Ryan Chambers moves into the boathouse as a refuge and an isolation.
He released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and finished ascending. He didn't know much about lighthouses, but he knew enough to understand that the light at the center of the room was a small sixth-order lens, the smallest light designed for lighthouses. He'd expected a larger lens for a station located in such a strategic position, one that handled the heavy commerce of boats traveling around the horseshoe of Michigan from Chicago to Detroit and on to Buffalo.Fortunately, Ryan allows them to stay as he is in need of training. I liked the descriptions of the lighthouse keeper's work. Caroline's younger twin brothers, Harry and Hugh, need rescuing more than once. Their sister, Sarah, is bedridden. She is entertained by sister Tessa, who is quite a rascal, herself. You can't help but become endeared to this family and the help they are to Ryan as he overcomes obstacles from war remaining to hold him down. Caroline's friend, Esther Deluth, pops in to be a rescuer to Caroline's cause. The nearest neighbor is recluse Monsieur Poupard. Mysterious happenings cause Caroline to become watchful for her family.
--Hearts Made Whole, 76
I liked this story and the uncertainty of what was going to happen, as it drew the family together. Be ready for a few surprises you may not see coming.
Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of nine novels, including
“Captured By Love,” “Rebellious Heart,” and “A Noble Groom,” winner of
the 2014 Carol Award and INSPYs Award. She received a bachelor’s from
Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in
social work. Currently she makes her home in Midland, Michigan, with her
husband and five busy children.Find out more about Jody at her website.
***Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for sending me a review copy of Jody Hedlund's second book in the Beacons of Hope Series, Hearts Made Whole. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***
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