Hope is a single mother in the days before single parenthood was socially acceptable, let alone common. Her son, Mattie, is the result of her farewell to her boyfriend, Nate, before he departed to fight in Vietnam.
But Nate died. And so did her parents. And now Hope thinks God is punishing her for her sin. The result is she’s not big on church … until the interim pastor moves into the guest house over the garage in the house she and Mattie share with her aunt.
Josh comes from a well-to-do family and has his own battles to face. He also fought in Vietnam, an experience which changed his life and motivated him to become a pastor.
Seasons of Hope sits between contemporary and historical romance.
Technically, the Vietnam War was long enough ago that it’s considered historical. But it’s still something that happened in my mother’s lifetime, something I can remember being told about as a child. As such, it also feels somewhat contemporary (for which we can probably thank Paul Hardcastle and “19”).
It’s not a common era for historical fiction. I have read some fiction set in the 1970s, but not a lot. The era is familiar, which certainly gives the novel a contemporary feeling. But so much has changed since then in terms of technology and social norms. Those areas certainly gave the novel a historical feel.
The plot was excellent.
Hope and Josh make a great couple, with plenty of conflict but not too much unnecessary angst. (There was the beautiful ex-girlfriend and a big misunderstanding, but that was fortunately worked out quickly enough. I am not a fan of the other woman or big misunderstanding tropes).
What I liked most was the realism.
Both Hope and Josh were characters who allowed false guilt regarding the past to influence and sometimes rule their presence (I say false guilt, because God forgives our sins before we even ask. As such, feeling guilty after we’ve repented is false guilt … even though it’s also all too common).
Seasons of Hope by @CarolJamesAuth is a solid Christian romance with believable characters and an important message of forgiveness. #ChristianRomance #BookReview #Vietnam Share on XSeasons of Hope is a solid Christian romance with believable characters and an important message of forgiveness. Well worth reading.
Thanks to Pelican Book Group and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Carol James
Carol is an author of inspirational fiction. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell “Terrorist,” Zoe.
Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she’d been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.
Retired from her “real” job, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, volunteering at a nearby school, and serving in the production department at her church.
She is also a soccer fan extraordinaire and keeps her DVR busy recording Atlanta United and English Premier League games.
And, most days in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.
Find Carol James online at:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
About Season of Change
Set in small town Texas in the years during and following the Vietnam war, Seasons of Hope is a story of forgiveness and restoration.
