Isle of Hope

Julie Lessman is one of my favorite authors, and I am always extremely excited when I get a chance to read her newest books. I recently had the opportunity to read her newest book, Isle of Hope, and it was a wonderful book with characters that leapt off the pages. The main theme of this book was forgiveness: forgiveness for long held secrets, past marriage indiscretions, abandonment, and childhood upbringings.


Lacey Carmichael and Jack O’Bryen were meant to be together. They were teenage sweethearts, who grew up as neighbors with parents as best friends. Their ordered life was thrown into disorder as Lacey started hanging out with a new crowd, and eventually she left Isle of Hope and her past relationship with Jack behind. Also, the family friendship quickly disintegrated after actions the Carmichaels and O’Bryens could never have imagined. Fast forward eight years, and Lacey is finally coming home to face her past. Lacey has a long list of people she left behind that she has to make amends with, but everyone in Isle of Hope is not how they were when she left. Some of their lives have been filled with anger and bitterness at the past. The book really looks in depth at forgiveness, specifically the forgiveness she is able to give and receive through her newfound relationship with Christ. Almost every character in Isle of Hope has a backstory that needs resolution, and it was interesting to read how the histories of these two families are so intertwined.


The characters in this book were so realistic, and I felt like they could be a next door neighbor or family members. I also liked the interaction between the siblings in this book. Although they were older, they seemed to have a very close relationship, and seemed to really care for each other, which is nice to see! The romance in this book was also a great relationship to read about. Although both characters were flawed, they were able to move forward with their lives through Christ’s forgiveness. Since I loved this book so much, I am hoping there will be future books in this series that might focus on Jack’s twin sisters or others in the community who were introduced in the book through the church or the hospital where Jack worked!!! 


This book was provided by the author in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”