Driftwood Bay

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

HANNON, IRENE

DRIFTWOOD BAY

After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life.Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room -- until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.

Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it's least expected?

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invited readers back to the charming seaside town of Hope Harbor, where they are sure to find peace, healing, and a second chance at happiness.

My Review:

published in 2019

Oopise, almost missed revisiting this one with y'all since I jumped ahead to Starfish Pier this week. I actually listened to them in the right order but instead of pacing myself to one book a week I kinda binged at the end of my revisiting Hope Harbor audible extravaganza. :-)

Rambunctious beagle alert!!!!! Perfect for comic relief, exasperating interruptions and copious warm fuzzies! That right there is enough of a reason to read Driftwood Bay. But there's so much more to this divinely magical story (the whole series, really) that elevate it to the absolute top of my everyone-in-the-world-should-read-this-book-NOW list.

Like taco maker extraordinaire and town sage, Charley. I love that he has more page time in this novel. If you're familiar with the Hope Harbor series, you're probably as crazy about Charley as I am. And as curious about just how he knows the things he knows. I love an air of mystery in a man, but there's an extra sparkly special something about Charley. Seagulls Floyd and Gladys know that to be true and if you can't trust a seagull who can you trust?

I know, I'm not making any sense, might as well be speaking gibberish but, all will be made known once you've ventured into Hope Harbor. And if this is your first time with this series, no worries, Driftwood Bay (book 5) reads as a standalone -- all of the books do. But, be forewarned, once you sample the delectable  sweetness of Irene Hannon's storytelling you'll have to read the rest of the books too.

Here's one of the reasons why -- Charley sage-isms. Like this:

"God's timing isn't always ours. Sometimes he opens doors we aren't certain we're ready to walk through. And it's fine to be cautious. Not every door that beckons is divinely inspired. But at some point we do have to make a decision because most don't stay open forever." (sorry I can't quote page numbers -- I listened to the audio version.)

Then there's Jeannette and Logan's poignant love story. There's something so fragile about their wary relationship. Certain scenes kept snatching my breath away. So much pain and anguish in their pasts. My innards were twisted up in knots as I read my way through their angst.

And the Syrian refugee family brings another dimension to the overall theme of finding hope after a catastrophic loss. Each character deals with their grief in different ways and it isn't until they find the courage to take risks, drawing strength and support from one another that they can begin to heal.

"Don't let fear stop you from being everything God intended you to be."

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Driftwood Bay, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winners announced on Saturday May 29  2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!