Starfish Pier

Two fairly recent newcomers to town, first-grade teacher Holly Miller and former Delta force operator and Steven Roark, currently a fisherman, find themselves in opposition in Hannon’s latest “Hope Harbor” novel (after Driftwood Bay). Holly has strong convictions, which makes her attraction to Steven, who is on the opposite side of an issue disrupting their community, even more puzzling to her. Guilt from his past has made moving on difficult for Steven so he tries to keep his distance from Holly, convinced that a relationship between them would never work. Once a mysterious artifact washes up at Starfish Pier, a happy ending for the two of them seems even more distant. The restful location and quirky townsfolk are sure to be soothing to those who enjoy Christian romances set in small towns. The romance here is very slow moving, though, as the characters tend to spend more time alone in their heads, rather than together on the page. Further, the novel’s pro-life message can be a bit heavy-handed.