Hope Stockton’s life is dead, frozen in a winter of guilt, deceit, and fear. When handsome young pastor, Josh Lewis, comes to serve in her church, she wonders if she can trust him with her past. Will he be able to help her answer the questions that have been buried in her heart for years? Or will his own secrets drive them apart and prevent him from helping Hope find her spring of forgiveness? … Set in small town Texas in the years during and following the Vietnam war, Seasons of Hope is a story of forgiveness and restorat
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It was hard to keep tears away while reading this book. Heartwarming, grace and forgiveness story.
My heart over and over went out to Hope. Her story was so human and parts of it very relatable. More than anything I loved her heart. Her story was on of loss, failure and running away from her Father. One of the most outstanding parts of this story was the amazing people God placed in Hope’s path to shine the light to Him. I love how Josh inspired her to be a better mum and person. The storms he went through were so heartbreaking but i loved how God turned his life around giving him a purpose of bringing others to Himself. I really admired Josh’s heart for people no wonder he was exceptional Minister.
Mattie! This little boy was a sweetheart that brought joy, unconditional love and innocence into the whole story and everyone’s life.
I recommend this book to everyone who loves a deep grace story, those dealing with fear and unforgivness towards themselves, those who are dealing with grief and estranged relationships within families.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
Heart cleansing:
I really enjoyed this tender and emotional story about receiving second chances in life and living in the freedom that comes with them. Both Josh and Hope had made mistakes in the past and were still dealing with hurt and doubt. I enjoyed seeing them deal with their issues and how Hope was able to restore her faith in the Lord. They had to overcome a number of obstacles to be together but I liked how their issues seemed authentic and I was so glad when things finally worked out for them.
Whilst being set in the mid 70’s, this story still felt highly relevant and applicable to today. There was a strong Christian message of redemption, forgiveness and hope. I thought there was just the right amount of drama and tragedy mixed with a sweet romance. All in all, a fabulous book!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
This is a wonderful book! It is well written and holds your attention, once you start reading you don’t want to stop. I fell in love with little Mattie and loved reading Josh and Hope’s story. This is a book you don’t want to miss. I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was my first book by author Carol James and I must say she will definitely be added to my list of go-to authors. This book was so good. This story was emotional. Tissues nearby came in handy in some sections for me. The themes of faith, redemption and forgiveness are evident in this story which made it all the better for me. From the prologue the story captivates you and makes you want to know more about it. The characters were heartfelt and relatable.
We immediately meet Hope who is a single mother with a little boy named Mattie. She is scared to get close to anyone. She has a past she doesn’t want people to find out about especially Josh. She is also a broken woman. She feels like God’s grace cannot possibly extend to her after her the sins she has committed. She believes that God is possibly punishing her and that’s the reason why her first love and her parents were taken from her.
Josh is the new pastor in town. He comes from a well off family but is not without his faults, or regrets.
Josh and Hope meet for the first time but she doesn’t realize that he is the new pastor. She is skittish around him and takes her a long time to get comfortable being around him. Her preconceived ideas about him and his life are revealed and she allows herself to open up to him and open her heart once again to the possibility of something more. Circumstances, (that I will definitely not reveal as I don’t want to spoil it for you) brings them together in a beautiful way.
God really had to bring Hope to a place where she could do nothing else but realize that He is the one in complete control. There are other characters as well that we see in the story that you enjoy seeing like Aunt Dee and Ms. Cora. Josh’s parents also play an integral part in the story and it was beautiful to read how that relationship was restored.
Overall this book was a great read and I can’t wait to read another from this author.
I received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Book Tour. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion
Are you ready for a heart-searching, feel good, happily-ever-after type story? Well, then this is a book you definitely need to read! This is my first time reading a book by Carol James and I enjoyed the way she developed her story.
From the start, there is great tension and emotions between the characters without them being over the top or dramatic. They feel natural given the situation presented. Both Hope and her son were cute characters and I liked the conflicts between Hope and Josh. I felt they were very likely to happen to real people. The only thing I did not like was the way Hope’s son Mattie phrased things at times, it seemed like Carol James was trying to hard to get him to sound like a kid. Otherwise, I thought the characters were very well done.
The setting of this book takes place in a little Texas town near Fort Worth! I love all things Texas, and this was a fun addition to the storyline since I knew a couple of the places mentioned. The time period is set in the 1970’s right after the Vietnam War. I thought it was a unique timeline that I have not read very many books about. I truly enjoyed it.
I give the book 4 out of 5 stars for the creative characters, the interesting setting, and for the very prevalent aspects of finding faith and forgiveness.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
I have to say I don’t read a lot of books set around the Vietnam War. I’m not sure if it’s just because it’s one of the relatively more recent wars, or if it’s because it was such a controversial war, or maybe just because nobody really writes books about this time period. So, I was surprised to see that that is when this book takes place.
Hope is an interesting character. She has a horrible secret that she doesn’t want to share with the new pastor. Of course, everyone around her knows that she wasn’t married when she had her super cute and precocious little boy. They all know his daddy died in the war. But she still feels all the shame and guilt of that long ago incident and doesn’t want to share it with the new pastor Josh or she just might lose some of her heart.
And when she finds out Josh was actually with her love when he died she has a lot more questions and even some more guilt. Can she move past her guilt and trust and love again? Which will be easier, trusting Josh with her son or with her heart?
I loved this book. It read quickly and I was very invested in both the pastor and Hope and watching them heal and grow. Plus I loved the family with all the rambunctious boys too. Great author and I highly recommend you read this book.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
This has been a very emotional journey as two people struggle with their past. I found the characters to be very easy to relate to. Hope is a sweet woman who is raising her son alone. I loved the setting of the story in a small town during the late 1960s. The Vietnam War saw many young men enlist with hopes of coming home safely. In Hope’s heart she felt that her son’s father had been killed during the war, but she never gave up on him.
Josh was definitely my favorite character. He has followed God’s direction and finds himself a pastor of a small church in the town where Hope lives. Their first encounter was really funny and I applaud the author for her creativity. I kept thinking how God works in mysterious ways. Hope is in for a huge surprise when she gets to church.
The story explores a son who in his eyes has disappointed his father. Josh has tried to reconcile with his dad but each time they end up further apart. I really liked how the author slowly gives us a look in Josh’s past. It explains the reason his relationship with his father is strained. He has lived with overprotective parents and it has been hard for him to go out on his own. At first I didn’t like Josh’s dad but as the story continues, something changes my mind.
Hope frustrated me at times because she liked Josh but found reasons to keep her distance from him. She lacks trust and it is causing her to be so clingy towards her son that Josh notices it. There are a few snags along the way that cause misunderstandings between them. The story is definitely faith based and I loved how they both turned to God for answers. The author illustrates trust and forgiveness in a story that made me cry. They were happy tears as I could sense them releasing things from their past. To surrender your pain to God is a door opening to unconditional love.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Season of Hope is a wonderful, sweet romance with strong characters set during the era of the Vietnam War. I really enjoyed the way the author effortlessly wove the Biblical principle of forgiveness into the story, without being preachy, and how the hardest person to forgive is often oneself. One of my favorite characters was Mattie, Hope’s son. I often find children to be annoying characters in books but James did an excellent job of bringing little Mattie to life and endearing him the reader’s heart. I also really liked the hero, Josh. I loved the way he modeled Christ to those around him and his patience with the heroine as he gently won her over.
I love the worlds Carol Jame creates. I find myself wishing I could be a character in her stories. Season of Hope is no exception. The charming characters, the redemptive discoveries, and the hope available to every one of us make this book worth your time. I received this book from the publisher and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Carol James does an excellent job of showing how fear and past hurts can interfere with new relationships. I loved Hope and Josh and Hope’s little boy Mattie. These characters leapt off the page and into my heart. This story will stay with me for a long time. A second chance at love that gives glory to God.
Have you ever struggled with God? Ever needed forgiveness but didn’t think God would offer it? That is the struggle Hope explores and overcomes in Season of Hope. I found myself engaged from the very beginning. This is one of those books that will linger in your mind. The characters are relatable and the story line believable. It is a great read and worthy of your time.
Hope is a single mother in the days before single parenthood was socially acceptable, let alone common. Her son, Mattie, is the result of her farewell to her boyfriend, Nate, before he departed to fight in Vietnam.
But Nate died. And so did her parents. And now Hope thinks God is punishing her for her sin. The result is she’s not big on church … until the interim pastor moves into the guest house over the garage in the house she and Mattie share with her aunt.
Josh comes from a well-to-do family and has his own battles to face. He also fought in Vietnam, an experience which changed his life and motivated him to become a pastor.
Seasons of Hope sits between contemporary and historical romance. Technically, the Vietnam War was long enough ago that it’s considered historical. But it’s still something that happened in my mother’s lifetime, something I can remember being told about as a child. As such, it also feels somewhat contemporary (for which we can probably thank Paul Hardcastle and “19”).
It’s not a common era for historical fiction. I have read some fiction set in the 1970s, but not a lot. The era is familiar, which certainly gives the novel a contemporary feeling. But so much has changed since then in terms of technology and social norms. Those areas certainly gave the novel a historical feel.
The plot was excellent. Hope and Josh make a great couple, with plenty of conflict but not too much unnecessary angst. (There was the beautiful ex-girlfriend and a big misunderstanding, but that was fortunately worked out quickly enough. I am not a fan of the other woman or big misunderstanding tropes).
What I liked most was the realism. Both Hope and Josh were characters who allowed false guilt regarding the past to influence and sometimes rule their presence (I say false guilt, because God forgives our sins before we even ask. As such, feeling guilty after we’ve repented is false guilt … even though it’s also all too common).
Seasons of Hope is a solid Christian romance with believable characters and an important message of forgiveness. Well worth reading.
Thanks to Pelican Book Group and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.