Genre

Women’s Fiction, Romance, Drama

Audience

Adult

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

2016

Themes

Marriage, Love, Unexpected Pregnancy, Pro-Life, Military, PTSD, Community, Annulments, Single Motherhood

 

Reviewed by

M.S. Ocampo

Katherine “Kate” Middleton (not to be mistaken for the Duchess of Cambridge)’s life changes with a single phone call from a woman she has never met. The man she thought was her husband has a whole different life apart from her, including another wife and kids. Her marriage is not even valid.

Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

Longing to escape this false life and start fresh, Kate leases a house on Chincoteague Island, off the coast of Virginia. She takes on a new job writing for the local paper, a step up from selling advertisement space for a Washington D.C. magazine. Kate quickly makes friends within the Chincoteague community. Sparks start flying between her and Aaron Kelly, a member of the Coast Guard.

Unfortunately, Kate quickly discovers that she’s pregnant with her ex-husband’s baby. She never considers abortion as an option, in spite of not being religious. However, she avoids the responsibility of telling her former husband about it until well into the pregnancy.

Motherhood brings on many new responsibilities. Lucky for Kate, the people of Chincoteague Bay as well as her family are ready to help her. Even her brother, who has been on tour with the Army, eventually arrives to help her out. But Kate still has to face the responsibility of telling her former husband and dealing with whatever consequences come from it.

A few interesting subplots revolve around the burdens other characters are carrying. One of Kate’s friends deals with single motherhood and the stigma of being married to a man who ended up murdered. Kate’s brother and Aaron Kelly are both processing major trauma from the time they served in the military. The story has an overall theme of everyone having skeletons in their closets, but being able to overcome their pasts with the help of a supportive community.

Subscribe to our Newsletter & Get Weekly Catholic Books for as little as $1

I would recommend this novel for fans of Lifetime movie dramas as well as Hallmark Channel’s romantic comedies. Kate starts out not being a religious person, but finds comfort in the local Catholic community. This novel also handles themes of past trauma in a very relatable way.

 

Join Here for FREE to Never Miss a Deal

Find new favorites & Support Catholic Authors

A Life Such As Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer

A chance encounter with an amnesiac soldier leads Brigid to discover the realities of the Civil War.

Books for Lent

Deepen your Lenten reflection with these stories of repentance and forgiveness

I Hope You Find Joy By Eliza Mae Albano

Can Emma find joy with the man who hurt her?

Stay with Me by Carolyn Astfalk

Can Rebecca get out from under her domineering father and find love with the forbidden Catholic boy determined to win her heart?

Celtic Crossing by Len Mattano

Relic lost, and faith found.

Zeal & Zest: Where to Begin with Hillaire Belloc

Belloc was known as a Catholic polemicist with a vicious talent for skewering his opponents. Anyone struggling to persevere as a Christian in the fields of journalism or media should read him. His children’s books have an acerbic humor that will appeal to bored veterans of political correctness, especially teens.

Aurora and God by G.M.J.

After her boyfriend’s death, can Aurora forgive God?

The River of Life by Diana González Tabbaa

The death of little Anthony’s father shakes his faith until a heaven-sent friend helps him find his way back to God.

680 Miles Away By Tara J. Stone

Will Evie run away for good, or will she fight for Finn?

Most Highly Favored Daughter by Janice Palko

Her perfect life hides her city’s darkest secrets. Can Cara face the light of truth and come to understand real love?

Falling Into Place by Susan Brinkmann

She’s New Age; he’s Catholic—can their romance survive? And can she survive their investigation into their city’s Satanic hate crimes?

Unclaimed, Nameless, & Vanished by Erin McCole Cupp

Jane Eyre re-imaginged in a world where cloning, and genetic manipulation have returned us to a class system.

Bread from Home by Fr. Stephen Siniari

We all hunger for the same food from heaven. A collection of short stories exploring an Albanian Orthodox church community, their Catholic and Evangelical neighbors, and the hunger for heaven that unites them all.

Good to the Last Drop by Declan Finn

Marco thought his problems were over when he took on the vampire council, until he gets bit by a werewolf. Will this ruin things with his vampire girlfriend?

Books to Pray With, March: For the New Martyrs

Every month in 2024 Pope Francis has a monthly prayer intention. Every month we will release a book list that will draw your heart and soul deeper into prayer on these topics.

The Table by Dennis Lambert

A table built by the grandfather of Jesus Christ survives the darkest moment in history to bring peace to a widowed musician

The Wind That Shakes The Corn: Memoirs of a Scots Irish Woman by Kaye Park Hinckley

Sold into slavery on her wedding night, an 18th-century Irishwoman struggles to free herself from her thirst for vengeance.

Finding Grace by Laura Pearl

Amidst the Free-love Women’s-lib culture of the 70’s how can one young girl find her path to sainthood?

A Hero for the People by Arthur Powers

Stories from the front lines of the Church’s mission to protect Brazilians farmers from theft and greed.