Several bits of Patrick’s past haunts him so that he has to struggle with his new found faith to find inner peace. Not only is the action riveting, but the character development is well done. The suspense, mystery and revelations as I read this book made it difficult to put this book down at times. Emma allows Bertie’s poisonous tongue to color her perception of Patrick, and coupled with the secrets he keeps, disaster nearly overtook the newlyweds before they became better acquainted.

But Bertie secretly seeks revenge on Patrick. This leads her to befriend Bertie Burnham for guidance and cooking lessons. She feels woefully inadequate for the task. In this case, Emma has never kept house, cooked a meal without burning it, or taken charge of a child. I enjoy reading historical fiction and the combination of that with a marriage of convenience is irresistible. Despite Ryan’s concerns she wants to stay in the remote northeast part of Michigan with Patrick. But she sees in Patrick a dedicated, loving father and thoughtful husband.

She immediately inherits the care of rambunctious 2-year-old Joey. She agrees and married Patrick the day after her escape from the pirates. When the kindly Reverend William Poyseor, the traveling minister often fondly called “Holy Bill”, arrived to conduct a funeral, he suggested a solution to Emma’s problem she should marry Patrick Garraty. The only females in the area already had seven people living in their tiny cabin. Reaching Burnham’s Landing, Ryan found a job chopping firewood. Emma and Ryan swam to shore, guided by the nearby lighthouse’s beacon. But on the way, pirates raided their ship, stole their life savings and the ship’s cargo, and set the steamer on fire. His death on Mackinaw Island prompted them to take a steamer to Detroit to start their life over again. Their mother died during the potato famine, their father leading them to America before drowning his sorrows in alcohol. But, as so often happens to us, the past rears its ugly head and threatens Patrick and his son’s future.Įmma Chambers and her brother Ryan are all the family they have left. Patrick Garraty, the lighthouse keeper at Presque Isle, was a man with numerous secrets and a shady background, yet his story is one of miraculous redemption. Much of the material has basis in historical facts, including the presence of a circuit riding preacher, a pirate that robbed ships and goods at various docks, the lighthouse keeper himself and his wife, and the setting at Burnham’s Landing. It is a historical fiction set in the mid-1800’s at one of Michigan’s scenic lighthouses. There’s adventure when pirates threaten the waters near the Presque Isle lighthouse, a marriage of convenience, a vengeful gossiping neighbor, a man with dark secrets, a family trying to survive deep oppression, and sexual tension.

Love Unexpected (Beacons of Hope Book #1) by Jody Hedlund

Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund