Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon
Sarah Grace's Rating: 4.5 out of 5 bookmarks

Editor's Note: Driftwood Bay is part of the Hope harbor series. Click here to see more books in this series.

Irene Hannon is an incredibly talented author and knows how to weave together a cohesive plot with realistic and loveable characters. It is no wonder she is a seven-time RITA Award finalist and three-time winner. But I will be honest and say that I tend to be skeptical of her works—particularly her romances—as they just aren’t always my cup of tea. But when I saw Driftwood Bay, the synopsis really grabbed my attention, so I thought I’d give another a try. And I am very glad I did!

Book Synopsis, courtesy of Revell:

After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tea-room--until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.
Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it's least expected?

From chapter one, I fell in love with Logan West’s character. He’s kind and caring and doing his level best to connect with his grieving five-year-old niece, of whom he now has custody. But he’s also insecure and very real in his struggles to care for a little girl, and that just makes him such a relatable character. His niece, Molly, is also a very sweet character, and while the reader only enters her point of view once or twice, you nonetheless quickly fall in love with her as well. Jeannette Mason is also a very solid character, and very relatable, but I didn’t click with her as much as I did the other characters.

While Logan and Jeannette are our main characters, we also enter the point of view of a Christian Syrian family fleeing persecution. I think that subject is a very relevant one right now, and Hannon did a fabulous job weaving that topic into the story. I loved getting into Mariam’s and Thomma’s heads and seeing firsthand some of the tragedies they went through.

The plot maintains a nice pace that keeps you engaged from beginning to end, and these characters will quickly find a place in your heart. As I mentioned briefly above, I didn’t particularly care for the romance, and that’s the reason I docked half a star from my rating, but that is only my personal preference. I did appreciate how the romantic thread played a more backseat role compared to the other storylines.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed this release from Irene Hannon! If you are looking for a romantic, cozy, beachy read, definitely check out Driftwood Bay!




Sarah Grace is a voracious reader, and if it weren’t for this crazy thing called “Life”, she’d be tempted to spend all her days in front of a woodstove, book in one hand, coffee mug in the other. A lover of learning, she finds enjoyment in many things, and has more hobbies than she knows what to do with. When not reading, spending time with her ever-growing family, or buried in a textbook, she can be found painting, playing the piano, producing music and audio dramas, web designing, fangirling with her sisters and friends, or discussing technology with her brothers. Sarah Grace inhabits the State of Great Lakes and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.


Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a free copy of this book for promotional purposes. This post contains affiliate links.