Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love (Isle of Hope Series) Paperback – October 15, 2015

*Warnings*#1 This is a long review, so pull up a chair and grab a bowl of popcorn. You'll be here awhile. #2 When I read a review, I want substantial information. So I will not skimp on the details. Which will mean some spoilers, so watch out.Beth K. Vogt, the award-winning author of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, said, concerning Julie Lessman's Isle of Hope series, "Be prepared to question your beliefs about forgiveness."What a fitting statement, because there is no book that delves into forgiveness and unconditional love like Lessman's Unfailing Love. Reviewers have called this book and series "emotionally captivating," "raw and convicting," "an emotional ride of a lifetime." (I suggest checking out Lessman's Isle of Hope webpage for more of these awesomeness-proving comments...)Unfailing Love is the first novel in the Isle of Hope trilogy, but is preceded by A Glimmer of Hope, the novella that you simply HAVE to read to grasp the situation and the characters' past. I would also suggest picking up the next two--or having them at your disposal the moment you finish Unfailing Love--to complete the stories of the secondary characters.This novel is semi-autobiographical, as the main character Lacey Carmichael has--as the book begins--burned a lot of bridges and now she's returned to her hometown--or island--of Isle of Hope, Georgia to repair them. But she has a lot of work to do with not only the father she's hated all her life--that's where Lessman's personal experience comes in--but also with the boyfriend she left without so much as a by-your-leave...the boyfriend whose dad had an affair with her mom. Yeah. Talk about some messed-up problems, right?Well, that's the kicker. You don't get a lot of "reality" in Christian fiction these days. Sure, there are breakups and divorces--illegitimate children too, especially if we're talking Love Inspired by Harlequin--but seriously terrible situations and the most sinful characters and endings you're pretty darn sure aren't going to be happy...not so common.There's really no message of forgiveness and unconditional love these days--not when we seek an escape from our own crappy lives in the books we read. Which is exactly why I don't read contemporary fiction. It's so flat, so boring. Maybe you can pick up a suspense novel and get some action or mystery, but reality? Genuineness? Authenticity?Nope.I can't say this of Unfailing Love. I just can't.The characters--Lacey and Jack, Tess and Ben, Cat and Shannon, Chase and Mamaw, Matt and Nicki...even some unmentionable ones--were so real. Their struggles. Their philosophies. Their pasts. Their heartaches. Their faith--or, in some cases, their lack of faith. Sure, some of us don't have the family- or home-life situations that the O'Bryens and Carmichaels do. I know I don't. But I'm not a stranger to those who do. None of us are a stranger to reality.So that's why Unfailing Love hooked me and reeled me in.Lessman's prose is just as real--not too flowery and poetic, drawing attention away from the actual story or causing the reader to stumble over unknown words; not too straightforward and plain, without emotion or detail; not too distant and detached from the characters or plot. It's just right.Another thing that I kept my eye out for was the setting. I'm a native Georgian, living roughly two hours away from Savannah--which is where part of this story is set, while the other part takes place in an actual little town 15 minutes away. So, being that Lessman is from Missouri, I was SO making sure she didn't make us down-home Southerns talk like a bunch o' silly lil' ol' rednecks. Far from it, actually. I was missing a few y'alls, but otherwise, she got the geographic features--I'm talking oak trees and Spanish moss--right and captured the genuine hospitality, food-lovingness (yeah, that's a word. I made it up just now), and overall awesomeness (no, I'm not prejudice to Yankees. They just have weird accents. ;) ) of the people of the South, specifically those on the coast.But the best part? Well, that was the preachiness of this novel. Yep, I read preachy books, I write preachy books, I love preachy books. Not everyone does, though. And not everyone can portray a biblical spirituality without adding in their own personal beliefs, the theories of their denomination, etc. At least, not like Lessman can. So, yes, I tiptoed into this book. Lessman was, after all, raised Catholic, and the whole deal with Jack's--lack of--faith put me on edge. (Which meant I had to sit down and talk myself into seeing the deep psychological aspects of what Jack had been through, as well as the serious impact his experiences had upon his faith, which was obviously based on the faith of his father, which was probably based upon the foundation of his church rather than his own salvation. Ahem.) Lessman wrote Unfailing Love with the universal topic of forgiveness and the way it heals, love and the way it covers all and never fails, and hope, which follows right behind love and faith. She didn't go into a serious Calvinist view of how so-and-so may not have been predestined to be saved or an Armenian view of how Jack could have lost his salvation or any kind of nonsense like that. It was pure gospel on every page. And even for those who don't like preachiness, guess what! It's the "Queen of Romance" here, and man! can that woman make some sparks fly!Speaking of, even the Queen of Romance knows how to keep from falling into the trappings of electrical jolts. I mean, in reality, physical attraction doesn't make a marriage. Or a good relationship. And these characters--from Lacey and Jack to the signature secondary couple--know that. They've been there. Some of us have been there. So Lessman builds last relationship on mutual respect, friendship, faith. She shows that, yes, attraction plays into it. (At least when the people are good-looking, which we all know they are. ;) ) But she also shows that there is so much more than sparks or steam or jolts of electricity scuttling up her arm at the mere brush of his warm, callused fingers against the line of her jaw.She paints a portrait of authenticity with Unfailing Love. A picture of grace, of love and hope and forgiveness. With some seriously irresistible kisses and wild plot twists, of course.Long story short, Julie Lessman pulls out all the spiritual stops in Unfailing Love. The punches keep rolling, and the reader just can't tell if the characters will ever get back up again. But she shows, with her signature dose of passion and faith, that love never fails. Trust me, you NEED this book. If you struggle with unforgiveness...if you've lost hope...if you simply cannot trust an invisible God to move or a cold heart to soften or a love to blossom...then read this book and you'll see, through a fictionalized true story, that Love really does conquer all.BookWorm

I really don’t have enough words to express how this story gripped me! It gripped my heart and squeezed it in a positive way. I think practically every single character touched me in a different manner and gave me a life inspiring lesson in the most human and non preachy way, at least that’s how it felt to me. There is a lot of spiritual talk, about turning your life to God and trusting Him, about forgiveness and mercy, but the characters felt so relatable to me, maybe because they practically all flawed in different aspects, that the message in the story touched my soul in the most natural and humbling way, that I do not feel the same after reading this story. It was heart wrenching, but always full of hope, it wasn’t dark or depressing, in spite of some difficult issues that happened in the characters lives, with devastating consequences. But is there a chance of redeeming oneself after you have done some serious mental and spiritual damage to the people you love? The answer is not easy, I mean the answer is easy, there is!! But the path that takes you there may not be as easy as one would wish. It takes a lot of humility, fortitude, and trust in God to get there. But I loved how God uses in the story flawed people to bring other flawed people to His love. We can all be God’s vessels, sharing His Unconditional Love and mercy to everyone, through our limited love and mercy, always forgiving. God wants to reach out to many people, and he wants us to be His balm, by showing love to others, deserving or not.I don’t want to preach in my review, but this is what I loved about the book, the message that we can all be forgiven and loved, in spite of our mistakes. We do need to change, and that can be done gradually and with His Grace. We are never alone. I loved the passion and emotion that this book was written with. The characters are passionate, but in a good and measured way, they feel to the core, and I related to that.I also loved the characters! The main story is about Lacey Carmichael and Jack O’Bryen, two young people who fell in love while being opposites: Lacey had a wild, fun and rebellious streak, and Jack was a pastor’s son on his way to the seminary with a straight and narrow mind who needed to relax a bit, which was what Lacey did to him. They were promised to marriage, until a series of events change everything forever. Lacey, having always struggled to earn her heart-surgeon father’s love, is kicked out of the house, so she mysteriously runs away to never come back, leaving Jack with no explanations, or her best friends Cat and Shannon, who never knew what was going on. During eight years, everything crashes down for both -intimate friends- families. Adultery breaks both Lacey and Jack’s parents marriages. Which sends Jack in a turnoil to abandon his faith and heavily begrudge his unexemplary pastor father. Lacey turns to a wild life, along with her cousin Nicki, who will later change and help Lacey change, but not after many mistakes, an unhealthy relationship that ends at rejection from her fiancé. But all this helps Lacey do a turnabout and finally turn her life to God. And now she’s back to Isle of Hope in “hope” of making amends to all the people she grieved. The man she loved and abandoned, her best friends, especially Cat, with whom she had shared everything, and most of all, her estranged father to whom she never forgave even after her mother’s death when he seeked her out. A mountain of relationships to fix, but with God sustaining her, will she be determined enough to fight the natural obstacles and rejection she will find?Lacey was a great character, she really changed her life 360 degrees, she’s learning to be humble and face the consequences of her choices, but it will not be easy. Jack, on the other hand, changed completely but for the worse: faithless and full of anger. His love for Lacey still beats hard, but will he be able to forgive? And Ben Carmichael, hidden under a hard core shell of a successful man, but lonely and empty to the core. Can he overcome his pride and open up to the love Lacey wants to offer, but especially to a forgiveness he knows he doesn’t deserve? And one of my favorite characters was Tess, Jack’s mom, so full of faith and optimism, yet so vulnerable. I just loved the way she “bullied” Ben into opening up to her as a friend after so many rejections. Both had much to forgive, but also been forgiven for. Through these secondary, but almost main characters, I learned so much, about trusting God’s timing, about persevering, about humility and trust. And just before finishing, I have to mention Mamaw, her loving nature, her humor, and her no nonsense ways provided so much stability that her family needed. Another wonderful character from whom I learned.All in all, a beautiful and inspiring story about unconditional love, deep faith, forgiveness and redemption that you won’t easily forget. I won’t! And I can’t wait to read the sequel in this series to know more of the O’Bryen family member stories, that are already dear to me!Christian or not, you won’t regret reading this! This is a masterpiece!

A novel that combines deep biblical principles with everyday life and is complemented with romance that shows the struggles real-to-life people have with relationships, purity, and doing life God’s way. Excellent writing! I was engrossed from start to finish.

This is a brilliantstory, which draws you in right from the start. Lacey comes home after some years away. She is looking to apologise for her behaviour to family and friends, hoping to avoid the man whose heart she broke when she left. She also has major issues with her father whom she hasn't seen since she left. This is not your stereotypical romance with girl leaving boy and home, then reuniting several years later with a couple of hiccups. Rather it is a well thought out moving tale of redemption and grace, both for Lacey and her dad. There is a very real and touching romance between Lacey and Jack, both of whom are very different now as to when they were teenagers. Lacey has come back to her faith in God, whilst Jack has turned his back on everything he once believed. Again there is so much more to the story than I can say in a few words. I would urge you to buy or borrow this book. It is a gripping read with a very moving romance in its heart. And not just for Lacey and Jack. This is the first in a series and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one. Especially if it starts 6 months after Isle of Hope finishes. But you'll have to read the book to find out why!

Julie Lessman's books are always worth reading. Another great book full of such interesting, romantic and passionate characters. The story-line is so real about life, offences, mistakes, regret, forgiveness, love and spiritual truths.

I follow and read Julie's books from the O'Connor series n the McClare's series and now this new one.I really liked the characters n the relationships they have even the dog added to the story. Some huge difficulties to overcome but needed to be put in the open to bring healing n restoration n forgiveness. Not easy but small steps need to be taken. The story brings out an emotional level n ones own memories of times past. What we haven't done well as individuals n as family members. Certainly gets you thinking how one deals or covers over secrets or unmentionable subjects. Look forward to the next book n seeing how these characters continue on to blossom or fail. God's Good.An Aussie reader

Wow! What an amazing story of forgiveness by Julie Lessman! I read A Glimmer Of Hope, the prequel, before this one, and I was glad I did, since it helped to really set the scene in the beginning of how far both main characters had come. And that twist...WOW! Never saw it coming! It helped to make a good novel GREAT! Excited to read the next two in this series to see how the story continues :).

Julie lessmans's books are always so good. Look forward to a new one coming out!