MY REVIEW:
“On Love’s Gentle Shore” is the third and final book in Liz Johnson’s Prince Edward Island Dreams series. I have been privileged to read and review each of the books and loved them all. It would be difficult to choose which one I enjoyed the most but if I had to choose I would probably choose this one. There is just something about stories about the reunion of past love. And no, I don’t think that is a spoiler. All of us who have read numerous romance novels know how a book will usually end. It’s the pages in between the beginning and the end and how it all comes about that keeps us reading. Natalie and Justin getting back together is a given but how it all transpires is the mystery. And what a story it is!
Fifteen long years of hurt feelings and misunderstandings stand between Natalie and Justin. Natalie was content with her life in Nashville and never planned to return to Prince Edward Island but somehow found herself agreeing to having her wedding in her hometown. Her fiance books an entire summer at the Red Door Inn so they can plan and facilitate the wedding. When the inevitable happens and Natalie and Justin can no longer avoid each other, each must come to grips with their past and find healing (and love).
This was a beautiful story and I was rooting for Justin from the beginning. It was easy for me to see that Russell was absolutely not the right man for Natalie. I really found it difficult to like him at all. He was way too self-centered from the beginning – love himself way more than he loved Natalie.
Liz Johnson writes so naturally that the entire story flowed. It was almost impossible for me to put the book down to take care of mundane tasks. I didn’t want to miss a minute of the story but of course the end came much too quickly. One of these days I may be able to learn to slow down and savor a story but there are still so many books to read and my time grows shorter by the day. It is a blessing and a curse that my favorite authors just keep cranking out books. I’ll never catch up but I’ll keep trying!
Loved “On Love’s Gentle Shore” and look forward to whatever Liz Johnson has to offer her readers next.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Fifteen years after she left Prince Edward Island, Natalie O’Ryan had no plans to return. But when her fiancé, music producer Russell Jacobs, books their wedding in her hometown and schedules a summer at Rose’s Red Door Inn, she sets out to put the finishing touches on the perfect wedding. But she can’t possibly prepare for a run-in with Justin Kane–the best friend she left behind all those years ago after promising to stay.
Justin’s never forgotten Natalie or the music career he always dreamed of pursuing. He’d been prepared to follow her off the island until his dad died and he was left to run the family dairy farm. He’s done the best he can with the life that was thrust upon him–but with Natalie back in the picture, he begins to realize just how much joy he’s been missing.
After Natalie’s reception venue falls through, she must scramble to find an alternative, and the only option seems to be a barn on Justin’s property. As they work together to get the dilapidated building ready for the party, Natalie and Justin discover the groundwork for forgiveness–and that there may be more than an old friendship between them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Johnson is a full-time marketing specialist for a Nashville-based publisher. She has been a freelance writer and editor for several publications, including CBA Retailers+Resources, Christian Fiction Online magazine, and Storytellers Journal. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she is the author of several books, including The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn (an ACFW Carol Award finalist) and A Star in the Night, which was part of the New York Times and ECPA bestselling A Log Cabin Christmas Collection.
