Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

Can she forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

        After her father’s death, Caroline Taylor has grown content running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren’t supposed to have such roles, so it’s only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper—even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

        Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He’s secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation—the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He’s not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who’s angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he’s unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope…and possibly love?

 

        Hearts Made Whole is the second book in Jody Hedlund’s Beacons of Hope series, coming after Love Unexpected. Honestly, I really enjoyed Love Unexpected, but I LOVED Hearts Made Whole. There was something about Caroline and Ryan’s story that I immediately fell in love with, and I am thinking about it even now. The resolution to the mystery was so unexpected and yet so obvious as soon as certain events were brought to light, which made for the perfect combination. And I also never would have anticipated the twists and turns that this book was going to take. But that doesn’t matter, because I loved every one of them.

        Caroline Taylor sure is a strong woman! Despite all that she endures throughout the course of her short life, she still remains faithful to her siblings, faithful to light the lighthouse, and faithful to God. That says so much about who she really is as a person, and also shows why she is so perfect for Ryan, who needs a good source of constancy in his life. Along with that, I really love how she continues to believe in him, no matter how many things he does to make him undeserving of it.

        Ryan Chambers may be a little rough around the edges, and in need of a little healing, but that doesn’t keep him from being a wonderful hero. When he wants to be, he can be kind, caring, courageous, and a much better man than he usually allows himself to be. He really does have a genuinely compassionate heart, and that is part of what makes him such a great match for Caroline.

        Because this novel was so captivating, heartwarming, and hard to put down, I happily give it all five bookshelves, and a place on my all-time-favorites list. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical romance, especially one with a little mystery. Hearts Made Whole is a wonderful story full of suspense, forgiveness, and of course, a little love, and is a novel I am sure I will never forget.

        Happy reading!

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Jody Hedlund and Bethany House Publishers.