Firm Foundations

Love’s Winter Hope by Naomi Rawlings is a delightful historical romance. It is book five in the fabulous Eagle Harbor series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The novel deals with many themes including that of restoration. Restoration happens not only in buildings but in people too. God can restore the years the locusts have eaten. Buildings and people need firm foundations. We need to build our lives on Jesus.

The novel explores treasure. Where our treasure is, there is our heart. Treasure is not to be found in things but people – relationships. We need to build up treasure that will last. “She’d have put more effort into the things that truly mattered.” A crisis has a way of focusing our attention.

Money is important. It brings choice. When money is our focus, we have our values wrong. “I was so focused on the size of our savings.”

Too often people think money is the answer. “I was too focused on money… believe that having more… would solve our arguments and problems.” If you believe that money is the answer, you are asking the wrong question. The answer is always having lives grounded in Jesus.

The novel deals with guilt and loss. “How could his brother laugh and eat pie… with Pa gone?” This loss happened before the series began but the repercussions have been felt down the books. The past is gone. We cannot alter it. We need to deal with our guilt and forgive ourselves. Guilt is a heavy burden that we were never meant to carry. It will always weigh us down. We need to give it to God and let Him heal us.

Love’s Winter Hope is a pure delight. It is wonderful to return to Eagle Harbor, a familiar setting with old friends. There is a fabulous community feel to the novel which encompasses the reader.

With Naomi Rawlings wonderful descriptions, the landscape really comes alive for the reader. I could ‘see’ the town and its inhabitants, the harbour and the roaring seas, the wooden cabins.

Eagle Harbor is a marvellous series… with the sixth and final book due out in February 2018, why not grab yourself books one to five and start reading a fabulous new series now?

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON