Out of the Storm by Jody Hedlund

Having grown up in a lighthouse, loneliness is all Isabelle Thornton has ever known--and all, she assumes, she ever will know. But when her lightkeeper father rescues a young man from the lake, her sheltered world is turned upside down.

This short story takes place in 1854 at the Presque Isle Lighthouse on Lake Huron, as does the first full length novel in the series, Love Unexpected, releasing later this year.

This is a pretty good novella. The romance is a bit quick for me, but then, it has to be for a novella. I had trouble liking Henry. I wish his character could have been developed a little more so we could understand him better. I was amazed that Isabelle would fall for him as he didn't seem trustworthy, nor did he have a pleasant personality.

Isabelle's love seemed a little unrealistic to me. She had grown up at the lighthouse so had limited interaction with men. It seemed her attraction to Henry was more because she was getting a man's attention for the first time in her life more than it was real love.

The historical aspect of the novel was good. It gave me a new appreciation of what lighthouse keepers had to endure in the 1800s. It was a rough and lonely occupation.

This is a quick read and sets us up for the series to come.

This is a free ebook novella and part of a new series from Hedlund called Beacons of Hope, set around the Great Lakes lighthouses of Michigan. You can download the novella at Amazon or in EPUB form from the publisher, via email, at their promotional website.

Jody Hedlund has been writing novels for the last twenty years. A number of them have been award-winning and best-sellers. She and her husband have five children You can find out more at http://jodyhedlund.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 141 pages. The novella is 90 pages long with the rest of the download being an excerpt from the coming novel.

I was invited by the publisher to download this free novella for the purpose of an independent and honest review.