Hearts Made Whole

April 27, 2015
Caroline Taylor has helped her father tend the lighthouse at Windmill Point on Lake St. Clair for years, but when her father drowns in a storm, she and her younger siblings—Tessa, just turned 18; Sarah, who is 13 and critically ill; and 10-year-old twin brothers—must leave the lighthouse and the job she loves. When a man arrives to take her position, she knows right off he is in no shape to care for the light. Ryan Chambers is fresh from the Civil War’s Iron Brigade, wounded in body and spirit and hoping the lighthouse job will help him heal. Caroline and Ryan’s first meeting doesn’t bode well, but as they begin to know each other, each finds a kindred heart in the other. But throw in Ryan’s addictions, an unlikely suitor for Caroline, dangerous happenings around the lighthouse, a bully’s threats, and an intimate betrayal, and the road to wholeness is nearly ruined. Readers will find a tangle of plot lines that may cause whiplash, but Hedlund has gathered fans since her career began with The Preacher’s Bride, and this third in the Beacons of Hope series will surely add to her base. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary Management.

June 1, 2015

In the second volume (following Love Unexpected) of Hedlund's new historical series, Caroline Taylor takes over as the keeper of a Michigan lighthouse after her father's unexpected death. But it's 1865, and Caroline is soon replaced by battle-fatigued veteran Ryan Chambers. Keeping each other company in an isolated environment presents a challenge for the couple.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2015
Following Love Unexpected (2014), the second in Hedlund's inspirational Beacon of Hope series has Caroline Taylor continuing to run the lighthouse in which she lives with her siblings after her father drowns taking a doctor across stormy waters to his next patient. Caroline is an excellent lighthouse keeper, having taken over for her father as his arthritis worsened, but she's a woman, and that doesn't sit well with the inspector. When the lighthouse board chooses an inexperienced Civil War veteran to take her place, she's told to clear out within the week. The problem is, her terminally ill sister can't be moved, and even if she could, they have no place to go. Ryan Chambers is damaged in both body and spirit, and he supplements his pain pills with alcohol to forget his pain. The isolated position at the lighthouse offers just the solitude he wants. When he arrives, he's shocked to find the Taylors. Caroline is equally stunned to discover that her replacement is a drunken opium addict who doesn't seem to know anything about his new job. Hedlund's superb and affecting story of faith and healing is set in the past, but its message about soldiers returning from battle rings just as true today.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)