Book Review - Sunrise Reef

If you are also a longtime resident of Hope Harbor, I welcome you home. If you are a visitor, I hope you enjoy your stay. In the decade since Irene Hannon released her first Hope Harbor novel, many people have found home in this place where hearts heal and love blooms. Some are characters in the eleven novels of the series, but many are readers who have fallen in love with the town and its cast of vibrant characters.

Sunrise Reef is the eleventh Hope Harbor novel and focuses on Bren Ryan, one of our favorite baristas at The Perfect Blend. With a past full of heartache, Bren has started to find healing in her new home. Everything seems well settled for her until the day she finds herself in need of a temporary home, accosted in the middle of the night, and opening her arms to a stranger who feels like a kindred spirit. Noah Ward has a laser focused plan for his visit to Hope Harbor, and the sooner he can convince his father to move back to St. Louis, the sooner he can end this faux vacation and get back to work. That laser focus is how Noah has climbed to success in his world and how he will achieve his goal. This naturally means that Bren and Noah inevitably collide in glorious fashion on a regular basis. Hannon takes this seriously and delivers one run-in after another that will have to make or break this opposites-attract couple in a cozy and adorable page turner that keeps all of Hope Harbor on their toes.

Not one to shirk her supporting character duty, Hannon creates a supporting cast like no other. A job partially done by the lovingly crafted characters of the previous novels, the supporting characters are rounded out by some new additions, including Emma Blair. Emma has been riding a wave of bad luck for several years and it seems to have run out when her car dies in Hope Harbor. Fortunately, it never seems to be bad luck for anyone to get stuck in Hope Harbor, and though I enjoyed the way Hannon developed her story, I do hope Emma gets her own book someday. Sunrise Reef is a charming addition to the Hope Harbor series, but I am not going to judge too harshly if you decide to read it as a standalone. It will flow just fine. However, for real richness, indulge in the series and build all that backstory that comes with a decade of knowing and loving the residents of this hopeful little seaside town with big heart.

Sunrise Reef, the eleventh novel in the Hope Harbor series by Irene Hannon, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Walmart

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Sandcastle Inn

Irene Hannon brings us back to Hope Harbor in Sandcastle Inn, the tenth book in her series. This installment brings us into the lives of veterinarian Matt Quinn and Vienna Price, a career driven go getter in limbo. In the wake of personal tragedy, Matt finds himself on a working vacation, unprepared for the amount of work it will take to help his sister Kay with her coastal B&B in need of renovation. He desperately needs a contractor and an advisor who is skilled in revamping boutique properties with an image problem. As usual, Hope Harbor delivers in spades, bringing Vienna into his orbit in a way that catches them both off balance.

Sandcastle Inn is a love letter from Hannon to anyone struggling with grief, shame, and family strife. She does not dance around the issues, and though it reads as fiction, she packs a great deal of truth and hope in the storyline. There is no doubt the longtime residents of Hope Harbor we have grown to know and love are patiently guiding forces along the way: Bev, Charley, Father Murphy and Reverend Baker, Floyd and Gladys. Their roles in this book feel like they were written just for this specific storyline, but anyone who has read any of the nine books before will feel the same way about each one. Hannon writes with such familiarity that this is not the first time I have caught myself longing for a vacation to this fictional seaside town, dreaming of a cookie from the jar on the counter at Bev’s Book Nook or tacos and a word of wisdom from Charley. If you are looking for the perfect beach read, your search is over!

Sandcastle Inn by Irene Hannon, the tenth in her Hope Harbor series, is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Into The Fire

Irene Hannon’s latest release has all the good stuff of a well written romantic suspense novel. There’s the intelligent and determined arson investigator who is trying to solve a puzzle before anyone else dies while fighting her own demons from the past. And there is, of course, the sensitive but keen ATF Special Agent who is assigned to work with her and must then work out what to do with the feelings he develops for her. There are some wonderfully supportive family members and then there is the foe. The one who killed arson investigator Bri Tucker’s former colleague, leaving her to solve a puzzle she can’t even seem to decipher. And the one who is causing a series of really crummy events to keep Bri off balance when she needs to be able to focus. Of course, Special Agent Marc Davis is messing with her balance a bit in a different sort of way. If only they could wrap up their joint investigation so they can focus on the heat building between them. Hannon’s storyline lights up intrigue you will struggle to contain in Into the Fire.

Into the Fire, the first book in Irene Hannon’s Undaunted Courage series, is available now from you favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Walmart            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Body of Evidence

Irene Hannon serves up the final installment of her Triple Threat series in the steaming hot Body of Evidence. The baby of the Reilly sisters, Grace, has always been the romantic one. It’s not so easy finding The One when the ones you generally work with are dead. Sheriff Nate Cox, however, is definitely not dead and he makes her feel all kinds of alive from their very first interaction. As a pathologist who has to work with the handsome sheriff on a regular basis, Grace is compelled to work with him when she finds a pattern of consequences among the deaths of several local seniors. Following the evidence puts Grace squarely into the line of fire and together they have to figure out who is killing, how they are killing, and why strange things keep happening to Grace. Hannon simmers Body of Evidence to perfection and polishes off Triple Threat with all the flourish of a chef’s kiss.

Body of Evidence, Triple Threat book #1, by Irene Hannon is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book            Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely unbiased.

Book Review - Sea Glass Cottage

“As my abuela used to say when I was a boy in Mexico, coincidence is nothing more than a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.”

Charley, his tacos, and his timely wisdom are back in Irene Hannon’s eighth Hope Harbor novel, Sea Glass Cottage. It is no coincidence when Christi Reese arrives in Hope Harbor to find Jack Colby and ask him for a loan. The glitch? Jack hates Christi and she deserves it. She broke his heart and threw him under the bus long ago; never mind the heartbreak and shame that have shaped her into an altogether different person. All Jack knows is that Christi has invaded the sanctuary of his new life. Then again, the invasion of the girl who hurt him terribly so long ago pales in comparison to learning that one error in judgement ten years ago has come back to him in the form of a daughter who now desperately needs her father.

Charley’s insights are not reserved for Jack and Christi as they learn to heal beyond the hurt. He is full of sage advice and some overt nudges as Beth Adams begins to gingerly try on the idea of shedding her anger with her husband, Steve. Still reeling from their teen son’s sudden death, anger with Steve for failing to embrace their boy’s passion and for pushing him to be someone different has been the armor that kept Beth upright through her grief. Coincidence is the small miracle that brings a very special little boy into Steve’s life and opens the door to reconciliation with Beth. And frankly, if Noah doesn’t make you want to go hug every special kid in your life, you need to check your pulse.

Bringing back characters we’ve grown to know and love, as well as introducing us to some new ones, Irene Hannon brings home another great Hope Harbor novel. Check out Sea Glass Cottage to see how coincidences work to nudge our characters toward the miracles God has in store for them.

Sea Glass Cottage by Irene Hannon is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House            Christian Book            Barnes & Noble                Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Labyrinth of Lies

Cate Reilly is relieved to be done with undercover work. However, she is the only county detective who can pass as a seventeen year old student at a prestigious St. Louis girls’ boarding school to investigate the disappearance of a prominent businessman’s daughter. Cate can handle one last undercover assignment, befriending her new roommate to find answers about the missing girl, and she can handle the cold walks through the woods in search of evidence of foul play, but she has to work hard to handle the fact that the man who broke her heart is teaching her Spanish class.

Zeke Sloan has seen and survived it all during his time undercover with the Mexican drug cartel. He should be more safe on assignment as a Spanish teacher at Ivy Hill Academy, investigating a drug trafficking ring that is using the school for clandestine operations. Zeke never thought the biggest danger on this assignment would be to his heart, until Cate walks into his Spanish class and back into his life. As they work together to determine how their investigations may be linked, they also find themselves working together to figure out what went wrong in their relationship and if they can restore trust and repair wounds they thought would never heal.

The Triple Threat series from Irene Hannon gets an intense second installment with Labyrinth of Lies. She grabbed my attention with book one, Point of Danger, when Hannon introduced us to a family of sisters who feel like our own. Following the Reilly sisters, Triple Threat delivers intense action and swoon-worthy romance.

Labyrinth of Lies is available from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book            Barnes & Noble            Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Blackberry Beach

Irene Hannon says Hope Harbor is where hearts heal... and love blooms. Blackberry Beach, the seventh Hope Harbor novel, stays true to that motto as Katherine Parker and Zach Garrett tend to the wounds of their hearts, while love blooms in spite of the challenges ahead of them. Katherine, weary of what Hollywood takes as the price of fame, slips into Hope Harbor under the radar to try to find some peace and direction for her future. Zach is happy and settled into his new life in Hope Harbor, but the two most important relationships in his life are missing. Hannon gives us a delightfully beachy romance built around these issues and a handful of other delightful characters, including the surprisingly insightful Charley and a seagull couple who teach the local residents about the joy of partnership.

When reviewing series books, I like to read the entire series. Somehow, I managed to miss this tidbit before beginning this seventh-in-the-series book. It reads well as a stand-alone, but I look forward to reading the first six. Hope Harbor is a lovely town with lovable characters and is sure to have many more enjoyable stories to share.

Blackberry Beach by Irene Hannon is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions stated here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Point of Danger

I have a rule about suspenseful books.

It says that if you open your book with a statement like, "The package was ticking," you had better deliver. Thanks, Irene Hannon; you kept my heart pounding until the very last word of Point of Danger. There is no doubt the first novel of her Triple Threat series snatched my attention from the get-go and didn't let go.

Eve Reilly is a conservative talk radio host who holds nothing back for the sake of being politically correct, so it's no surprise that she has gotten used to hate mail. Neither is it surprising that she's not going to back down when things escalate to a point of action. Police detective Brent Lange is tasked with trying to determine the source of the particularly nefarious package as other suspicious incidents unfold around Eve. The deeper he digs, the more involved the plot seems... and the more involved his heart becomes.

Irene Hannon has woven an intricate web of social and political intrigue based on events we have seen unfolding as we watch the evening news, which made Point of Danger very relevant, very real, and very intense. I picked up this book, read her opening declaration, and promptly informed everyone in my house to go away until I had completely devoured it. (Thankfully, they love me enough, and know me well enough, to do just that!)

Point of Danger is currently available from your favorite bookseller. Here are some links, because I'm helpful like that.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/y4awulw7

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y5yrdlfm

Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/y5sx8nv9

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.