Reviewer's Bookshelf: Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund

Book Summary: All she's ever wanted was a home. But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn't be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can't even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others' problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.

But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife's death, and it seems as though Emma's answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous. 

My Thoughts:  Jody Hedlund is easily one of my favorite authors.  Each book I've read by her has not only taken me through a whirlwind of emotions, but they have also reflected a moment in history.  Some of her characters are fictional, but many are based on real life people and events.  I love that.

Her newest novel, Love Unexpected, takes us on a journey to Michigan and into the life of a lighthouse keeper, a job that is dangerous in more ways than one.  The weather can go from calm to torrential storm at the blink of an eye, and there are those who would want to sabotage the keeper's efforts in order to pirate the ships coming through the dangerous waters.  The light must be lit every night, without fail, or someone could be harmed.  It is a demanding life, but one that Patrick has found honor in doing.  When his wife dies, leaving him with a young son to raise on his own, he is desperate to find a way to keep his little family together.  This is the situation that Emma enters in to.  

There are several themes going on throughout this novel, but the aspect that I enjoyed the most was the romantic tension.  Hedlund is a master at creating those heated moments that make you wonder what will happen next between the hero and heroine.  It may be something as simple as words that are spoken, a moment where two hands touch, but they are moments that carry so much weight in the attraction between two characters.  I like the way that this can be created and still keep the novel clean.  For me, this is evidence of a skilled Christian fiction novelist.  The attraction between Patrick and Emma was obvious, but it was some of the other themes that hold them back from fully trusting each other with their hearts.

Patrick has a dark past...one that he is not very open about with Emma.  She is unable to see who he truly is because he is unable to trust her with his past...for fear that she will reject him.  Emma is unable to trust Patrick fully and ask him about where he spends his time.  Instead she relies on a busybody from town for advice.  There is a push and pull between the two of them as they are unable to communicate openly.  It would be hard to do this given their quick marriage, but it is also the root of several of their issues.  The growing love between them allows them both to trust more, forgive those who have wronged them, and allow God to soothe their wounds.  Trust, forgiveness, and honesty are themes that run throughout Patrick and Emma's love story.

Once again, I definitely recommend this novel.  Before I read Love Unexpected, I picked up Jody's FREE e-novella, "Out of the Storm", which is a prequel to this novel. It's not necessary to read it, but it does offer a little bit of background.  I enjoyed it as well.

Hope you enjoy Love Unexpected!

I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel from the publisher in order to give an unbiased review.