Love Unexpected

Emma Chambers has been uprooted more in her young life than  should ever be. First the famine in Ireland drives her and her brother away then the search for a better life takes them away from Mackinac Island aboard a ship.  When that ship is attacked by pirates, they take every last penny she and Ryan have and leave the ship ablaze forcing them to swim to shore.  When they "land" on Presque Island, Michigan, they have nothing but the clothes on their back and each other.  Homeless, it would seem that the best way to begin a new life is for Emma to marry a recently widowed lighthouse keeper who needs help with his small son.  Will love grow in what begins as simply a marriage of convenience or will Patrick's questionable dark past and the rumor surrounding his first wife's death prevent Emma from experiencing the special kind of love only God can grow between a man and his wife?

I have never read a Jody Hedlund book I didn't thoroughly enjoy.  Her writing style is gentle, easy to read and dives right into a story that captures the reader's attention. Love Unexpected, the first in the Beacons of Hope series, is no exception. As she often does, Jody weaves together characters who are quite imperfect and yet are used by God which is quite encouraging to this reader.  I found it quite interesting that Jody's inspiration for these characters is rooted in real historical people.  I have never travelled in Michigan but it has now made my list.  While I don't expect to see the quaintness described in this time period, I can only hope to find remnants of it. 

I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction  reader or one who enjoys a good love story. This story has it all--character to love and relate too, a charming historical setting, and twist and turns in the plot that will keep you turning each page.   Jody's way with words will draw you into Emma and Ryan's lives immediately.  I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and was in no way obligated to write a positive one.