Jody Hedlund writes the most compelling historical novels I've ever read. Hearts Made Whole is another taking place in a Michigan Lighthouse. Caroline has been taking care of the lighthouse for a while, especially since she watched her father drown taking the doctor back to his home. Mr Finnick comes to tell Caroline she must move her family out of the keeper's cottage by the end of the week to make room for a new lightkeeper. Ryan Chambers arrives unexpectedly and mistakenly gets into bed with Caroline--not knowing that she's already in the bed. She starts whapping him with her pillow and he wonders if she is trying to kill him, and thus begins their acquaintance that grows into friendship and even more.
Jody has wrapped this love story in a blanket of mystery along with the repercussions of addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder in post Civil War veterans. In building her characters, Jody has included strong faiths, impish shenanigans, and sibling rivalry. Thrown into that mix are a developmentally delayed man with unrequited love, a lighthouse superintendent taking bribes, a smuggler who is bribing the superintendent, and a woman who is mounting a campaign to allow Caroline to keep her job as lightkeeper. These characters only add interest to the plot lines that move with a steady gait toward a most satisfying conclusion.
Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a Lighthouse to keep you safe from rocky shores.
My thanks to Bethany House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. My only obligation was to give an honest review.
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