Starfish Pier

by Irene Hannon

[phyllish]

Heartfelt romance with hope and a little humor

I've heard the name Irene Hannon for a while now but had not read any of her books. When I read the synopsis of Starfish Pier, I decided it was time to remedy that situation!

Tackling difficult subjects such as addiction and right-to-life, this lovely story is focused on four characters' journey to find the right path for their lives. Interlaced with the perfect sprinkling of humor to keep it from dragging, it is romantic and shares important spiritual truths.

Holly had lived a very sheltered life. Health issues caused her parents to be very protective of her and she had only recently broken free of their coddling when she moved to the little town of Hope Harbor to teach. She had a very strong belief in the sanctity of life in all cases. No matter what.

When Holly approached Steven for a donation to the fundraiser for a right-to-life cause, he knew there was no future for them, despite the attraction they both clearly felt. Holly would never approve of his former career and he had a secret in his past that caused him shame that he knew she could never look past.

Patrick, Steven's younger brother didn't think he had a drinking problem. And was tired of everyone trying to "fix" him, especially the big brother who was everything he never could be.

Pete, Holly's new neighbor, had given up on life, convinced no one was left who cared about him and that death would be preferable to the life he was living. I loved the way first Holly, and then Patrick saw the need to inject themselves into his life, despite Pete's best efforts to push them away.

I really enjoyed how the intertwining of their lives influenced each other's spiritual journey.

Though the author mentions on her website that the faith element in her stories is not strong, I found Starfish Pier, epitomized everything I expect in Christian fiction. The characters learn life lessons that draw them closer to God and their faith journey plays a significant part in the story.

Though this is the sixth book in the Hope Harbor series, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't really tell who the previous books had been about. I have read many books where the author tries too hard to explain the history of a secondary character making it too obvious that there was a story about them already. While I could tell that Charley, the artist/taco maker was in the other stories, simply because he had to be, (and I have a feeling the two seagulls were in them as well), this was only because they are the type of iconic characters that need to be carried through all the books.

Whether you have read other books in Hope Harbor or not, I recommend you read Starfish Pier. And you just might find yourself picking up the other stories to read as well. I anticipate doing that myself!

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.