This is the third or fourth book I’ve read in the Hope Harbor series. Note that each novel in this series is a standalone, and you don’t have to read the earlier stories for this one to make sense.

Starfish Pier has Charley and his fish taco stand (I would love to try one of his tacos!), seagulls Floyd and Gladys (what else do you name a pair of seagulls?), and the ongoing banter between the Catholic priest and the Protestant pastor readers have enjoyed in the earlier books in the series.

But the banter hid a serious message.

Holly Miller is a first-grade teacher who volunteers at church and is staunchly pro-life. (So she’s both anti-abortion and anti-capital punishment … which makes sense to me). Steven Roark is a ex-Army sniper who now runs a fishing charter business. He moved to Hope Harbor to watch out for his brother, a budding alcoholic.

Yes, Starfish Pier is a romance.

But it also has some of the bigger issues that are more often dealt with in women’s fiction. Patrick resents his high-achieving big brother, and there are definite elements of the Prodigal Son about the story in his actions. But Steven isn’t the self-righteous big brother he could be. He’s a man with his own history, a history he’s not entirely comfortable with.

Then there’s Holly. She’s mentally and spiritually strong, but has a history of medical problems she’s trying to overcome. I admired that about her. She wasn’t prepared to let her (real) issues get in the way more than necessary. Instead, she was willing to share herself and her history, and make a difference where it mattered.

Overall, Starfish Pier is an intelligent and timely look at modern issues through a Christian lens that shows but never preaches.

Recommended for romance and women’s fiction readers.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Irene Hannon