Review: Finding Hope in Starshine Cove

Finding Hope in Starshine Cove by Debbie Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucy Brown lives a very small life with her teenage daughter Rose. She has a run-down little cottage in Ireland, a job in a call centre, and a small circle of friends. By and large that's the way she likes it after escaping her abusive ex-husband Robert. Sitting in the airport bar one day, waiting for a delayed flight to London to collect Rose from a visit with her father and his new family before they go on to Dorset for a friend's wedding, Lucy is dreaming up stories about the other passengers when a gorgeous man asks if the seat next to her is taken. Maybe because she has just been wondering what the other passengers would dream up about her, Lucy fibs to this stranger, telling him her name is Amelia and making up a glamourous sounding career.

Lucy's friend Ella is marrying Jake, the man she met at Starshine Cove, a charming village which doesn't appear to exist on any maps and has a Brigadoon-like quality. Ella and Jake were the protagonists in the first book in this series Escape to Starshine Cove. They are having a great time until Jake's brother Josh turns up, who turns out to be none other than the handsome man Lucy met at the airport!

Many apologies later, Lucy and Josh have made peace and found that there is still a chemistry between them, they almost kiss at Ella's wedding ceilidh when Rose interrupts them, Robert's second wife has called asking for Lucy's help.

I enjoyed this, it was classical Debbie Johnson. Lucy needs to learn to trust herself and let go of her fears from the past before she can trust herself to love again. Josh is just the perfect man, kind, generous, caring, supportive. If I had any complaint it would be that maybe there wasn't enough tension, if a book containing an abusive ex-husband can be called 'safe' then this is it.

But generally a lovely heart-warming feel-good romance. Definitely Hallmark movie material.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.



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