My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing
Will she ever be able to stop running, even when she believes she’s finally safe?
Heiress to a vast fortune, Victoria Cole has everything she wants, including the perfect fiancĂ©. Having left two other men at the altar, Victoria is sure that now she’s found her true love and will finally live happily ever after. As her wedding draws near, however, Victoria’s life is threatened. To keep her safe, Victoria’s father hires a bodyguard.
Tom Cushman’s number one priority is protecting his clients, which means no personal entanglements. But he’s never guarded someone as beautiful and winsome as Victoria. After a near-kidnapping, the wedding is cancelled, and Tom hides Victoria at Cape Cod’s Race Point Lighthouse until her attacker can be found. Appointed as assistant light keeper with Victoria posing as his wife, Tom believes the isolation of the lighthouse will keep her safe.
As Victoria struggles to live without familiar luxuries, her heart betrays her with growing feelings for her protector. Determined to help Tom stop fleeing from his haunted past, can the runaway bride learn to face her own fears? With the attacker closing in, will both of them ever be able to stop running and find the safety they long for?
My Review
Once again I was enthralled by the historical setting and vibrant characters in Jody Hedlund's latest lighthouse story! I loved seeing the journey of the inspiring driftwood cross and its accompanying letter come full circle. Victoria is a gently bred socialite, unaccustomed to life's hardships, but there is a deep measure of compassion in her from the love of her parents (the main characters in the series' prequel novella, Out of the Storm). Even though she was somewhat spoiled by wealth, she doesn't allow her attitude to remain so as she is exposed to the struggles Tom's parents deal with in their life at the lighthouse. I appreciated seeing her growth as she serves and tries her hardest to make the best of the situation. Even though Tom has vowed to keep things strictly professional, it's easy to see why he falls for her, despite his efforts to avoid it. Tom's parents bring an element of humor to the book with their "encouragement" aka meddling. Victoria and Tom both experience angst with their rising passions and reflections on life, seeking to support each other but knowing that their time together is temporary. The novel is also suspenseful with the thread of mystery woven in as to who could be after Victoria and why. Finding true safety in God and His grace is a powerful spiritual theme that is well represented in the lives of Victoria and Tom. I highly recommend Forever Safe and the entire Beacons of Hope series! Read them in order if you can, but each story also does well as a stand alone.
(Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)
Be sure to check out the other wonderful books in the Beacons of Hope series:
Out of the Storm (FREE prequel novella)
Love Unexpected (book 1)
Hearts Made Whole (book 2)
Undaunted Hope (book 3)
