Isle of Hope

Fans of Julie Lessman’s historical romances will love this modern day love story! Isle of Hope is a heartwarming and inspirational novel about forgiveness sought and restoration found. I’m enamored with the large and wonderful O’Bryen family and I thoroughly enjoyed the romances Julie skillfully crafted for both Jack O’Bryen and his mom Tess.

I really don’t have enough words to express how this story gripped me! It gripped my heart and squeezed it in a positive way. I think practically every single character touched me in a different manner and gave me a life inspiring lesson in the most human and non preachy way, at least that’s how it felt to me. There is a lot of spiritual talk, about turning your life to God and trusting Him, about forgiveness and mercy, but the characters felt so relatable to me, maybe because they practically all flawed in different aspects, that the message in the story touched my soul in the most natural and humbling way, that I do not feel the same after reading this story. It was heart wrenching, but always full of hope, it wasn’t dark or depressing, in spite of some difficult issues that happened in the characters lives, with devastating consequences. But is there a chance of redeeming oneself after you have done some serious mental and spiritual damage to the people you love? The answer is not easy, I mean the answer is easy, there is!! But the path that takes you there may not be as easy as one would wish. It takes a lot of humility, fortitude, and trust in God to get there. But I loved how God uses in the story flawed people to bring other flawed people to His love. We can all be God’s vessels, sharing His Unconditional Love and mercy to everyone, through our limited love and mercy, always forgiving. God wants to reach out to many people, and he wants us to be His balm, by showing love to others, deserving or not.
I don’t want to preach in my review, but this is what I loved about the book, the message that we can all be forgiven and loved, in spite of our mistakes. We do need to change, and that can be done gradually and with His Grace. We are never alone. I loved the passion and emotion that this book was written with. The characters are passionate, but in a good and measured way, they feel to the core, and I related to that.
I also loved the characters! The main story is about Lacey Carmichael and Jack O’Bryen, two young people who fell in love while being opposites: Lacey had a wild, fun and rebellious streak, and Jack was a pastor’s son on his way to the seminary with a straight and narrow mind who needed to relax a bit, which was what Lacey did to him. They were promised to marriage, until a series of events change everything forever. Lacey, having always struggled to earn her heart-surgeon father’s love, is kicked out of the house, so she mysteriously runs away to never come back, leaving Jack with no explanations, or her best friends Cat and Shannon, who never knew what was going on. During eight years, everything crashes down for both -intimate friends- families. Adultery breaks both Lacey and Jack’s parents marriages. Which sends Jack in a turnoil to abandon his faith and heavily begrudge his unexemplary pastor father. Lacey turns to a wild life, along with her cousin Nicki, who will later change and help Lacey change, but not after many mistakes, an unhealthy relationship that ends at rejection from her fiancé. But all this helps Lacey do a turnabout and finally turn her life to God. And now she’s back to Isle of Hope in “hope” of making amends to all the people she grieved. The man she loved and abandoned, her best friends, especially Cat, with whom she had shared everything, and most of all, her estranged father to whom she never forgave even after her mother’s death when he seeked her out. A mountain of relationships to fix, but with God sustaining her, will she be determined enough to fight the natural obstacles and rejection she will find?
Lacey was a great character, she really changed her life 360 degrees, she’s learning to be humble and face the consequences of her choices, but it will not be easy. Jack, on the other hand, changed completely but for the worse: faithless and full of anger. His love for Lacey still beats hard, but will he be able to forgive? And Ben Carmichael, hidden under a hard core shell of a successful man, but lonely and empty to the core. Can he overcome his pride and open up to the love Lacey wants to offer, but especially to a forgiveness he knows he doesn’t deserve? And one of my favorite characters was Tess, Jack’s mom, so full of faith and optimism, yet so vulnerable. I just loved the way she “bullied” Ben into opening up to her as a friend after so many rejections. Both had much to forgive, but also been forgiven for. Through these secondary, but almost main characters, I learned so much, about trusting God’s timing, about persevering, about humility and trust. And just before finishing, I have to mention Mamaw, her loving nature, her humor, and her no nonsense ways provided so much stability that her family needed. Another wonderful character from whom I learned.
All in all, a beautiful and inspiring story about unconditional love, deep faith, forgiveness and redemption that you won’t easily forget. I won’t! And I can’t wait to read the sequel in this series to know more of the O’Bryen family member stories, that are already dear to me!
Christian or not, you won’t regret reading this! This is a masterpiece!

Awesome story about life, the pain I inflicted by certain life choices, healing, recovery and forgiveness.

I loved this book. The story was credible and a beautiful story of forgiveness and restoration

I love everything that Julie Lessmn writes

There is so much to like about this book. It walks us through what it’s like to be in a close family, what it’s like to be in a dysfunctional family, and what it’s like when a close loving family falls apart at the seams. It also shows how one person’s decisions, whether right or wrong, has far reaching effects, both in terms of time and people. Most importantly, it shows how a forgiving and faithful God can use all things for our good, if we allow Him. I shared the characters’ sorrows and their pain, but also their joy. While this book is complete in itself I’m really thankful there are more to come in this series.