About the Book
Book: Hooper Safe Haven
Author: Rachel Skatvold
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
Release date: October 26, 2021
When Alicia Roberts accepts a job with mobile veterinarian, Kendall Mulligan, she hopes the Independence Islands will give her a safe place to start over. And as much as she appreciates the Mulligan girls’ offer to stay with them while she gets settled, Alicia knows she needs her own place. ASAP.
Hooper Ear Cove Apartments on Hooper Island offers a beautiful ocean view as well as one of the landlord’s hunky son—all at an affordable price. Just what she needs to start a new life. Isn’t it?
When life knocked Jace Young in the head with a literal curveball that ruined his major league chances, he was forced to return to Hooper Island and a job as the maintenance guy at his father’s apartment complex. On the side, he leads the contemporary song service at church as his heart heals.
When Alicia moves to Hooper Island, Jace is drawn in by her sweet personality. However, something hides deep beneath the surface, and Alicia resists any discussion of God. What will it take to convince her to anchor her heart to God and to confide the secrets she harbors?
Hooper Safe Haven continues the Hooper Island stories of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Alicia Roberts leaned against the railing, watching the seagulls hovering above the ferry as it prepared to dock at the Merriweather slip. They were always waiting for something—tiny fish in the surf or tiny scraps the passengers left behind. In a way, she knew how they felt. Until now, she’d been waiting, too—although it was for something entirely different. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind whipping through her long brown hair. In deciding to work on the Independence Islands, had she finally found what she was waiting for? A new purpose? There was no turning back now. After graduating and moving out of her college dorm she had nowhere else to go.
The sound of the apron dropping to allow the cars and people off the ferry drew Alicia out of her ponderings. She approached her blue compact car, packed to the gills with all the belongings she owned and slipped into the driver’s seat as quickly as possible to avoid holding up the other passengers parked behind her. Within a few minutes, she drove up Captains Walk, spying a large RV parked in one of the lots. Kendall Mulligan greeted her the moment she parked and stepped out.
“Welcome back!” her auburn-haired friend exclaimed, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m so glad you decided to take the job.”
Alicia pulled back and offered a shy smile. “Me too. How could I turn down such a great opportunity right out of vet school?”
Kendall took her hand, pulling her along. “Here, come inside. There are breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and coffee from Granny’s inside. If we hurry, we’ll have a few minutes to enjoy them before patients start arriving.”
Her stomach rumbled as she followed Kendall up the steps to the mobile clinic. “That sounds wonderful. I forgot to eat this morning.”
“Now you sound like Carly. I always have to remind her to eat breakfast. She calls me a nag, but she’s hypoglycemic, so if I don’t keep on her, she can’t function very well in the morning.”
Alicia chuckled. “No one usually has to remind me. I can’t function without a bowl of oatmeal or some kind of protein first thing in the morning. I think my routine is just off with this new job and all, but I’ll adjust soon enough.” She paused, remembering something. “Speaking of Carly, I heard about her engagement to that billionaire. When’s the big day?”
Kendall shook her head with a slight roll of her blue eyes. “Next month, believe it or not.”
“Well, that was quick!”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Her redheaded friend shrugged with a sigh. “I suppose when money is no object, a wedding can be whipped up pretty quickly, though. I never thought my little sister would get married before me. She’s always been so opposed to that kind of thing, but I guess when you meet the right one, why wait? I’m happy for them.”
“Me too. So, is that why she’s gone today? Wedding planning stuff?”
“Yeah, it’s going to be pretty crazy around here for the next month. She’ll be in and out of here a lot, but after the wedding she’s going to launch her new mobile art business with Luc. That’s why I’m so glad you could come and work with us.”
MY REVIEW
The series is so well written I am in awe of how each author incorporates characters from the other books into their individual stories. Of course I think you should read every book in the series so you get to know the community and people who live on the islands. Now let’s examine the latest book that has kept me emotionally involved to the point that I feel like we are family.
This story has a feel of depth and emotional struggles that showcases the author’s ability to make her characters seem real. Instead of reading the book, I felt like I was part of everything going on. I love how these characters have flaws that are not always visible. It is hard to see the emotional struggle when you are good at hiding your feelings.
Alicia grabbed my attention right away. She seemed like such a lost person with nowhere to go. It is easy to tell she is hiding something but she does a good job of deflecting curious questions from the people she has gotten to know. She doesn’t want to get too close to anyone and is determined to find her own place to live. Working with the veterinarian keeps her busy and she is settling down a little but she always has her guard up. I couldn’t wait to find out what her secret was.
Jace is my favorite character because he is a testimony to how God is always there even in the midst of illness. I was upset when I read what happened to him and the physical limitations he deals with. What I really liked about him was how he never felt sorry for himself and was always there to help others. I like how the relationship between Alicia and Jace slowly grew over time . The author does a good job of having Jace reach out to Alicia in a way that let her feel that she could share her past and not be afraid of what he would think of her.
I was shocked at what Alicia had gone through and how deeply she has been hurt and feeling abandoned. With a big event coming up for Jace, he tells Alicia that he is not afraid. “God has given me peace about it.” Right there at that moment you can feel his words helping Alicia to trust God with her problems. If I was facing what Jace is about to go through, I don’t know if I would be as calm as he is.
The story has a few surprises that made me love the characters more. With tears streaming down my face, I saw Alicia finally find her safe haven which was peace in her heart. I loved the ending and especially how one person whose name I won’t divulge, finally let their past and find a new relationship with God. This has been an especially good story where the author writes with such grace that each character became important to me. I didn’t want the story to end but am so happy for how the author left us with hope , peace and new beginnings.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Blog Stops
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 12
Texas Book-aholic, November 12
Inklings and notions, November 13
lakesidelivingsite, November 14
She Lives To Read, November 14
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 15
Connect in Fiction, November 15
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 16
Blossoms and Blessings, November 16
Aryn the Libraryan, November 17
Daysong Reflections, November 17
For Him and My Family, November 18
Blogging With Carol, November 18
deb’s Book Review, November 19
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, November 19 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 20
Mypreciousbitsandmusings, November 20
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 21
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 21
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 22
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 23
Kayem Reads, November 23
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 24
Splashes of Joy, November 24
Simple Harvest Reads, November 25 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/133ba/hooper-safe-haven-celebration-tour-giveaway
I love the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this is a must read book and series for me. Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and the author's bio and book details
ReplyDelete