Seaside Letters A Nantucket Love Story by Denise Hunter

Seaside Letters
A Nantucket Love Story
by Denise Hunter

Published by Thomas Nelson


www.brb.thomasnelson.com






I was so excited to see this book on the list of books available to review from the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers website. Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors. I'll put it this way: I have bookcases throughout my home, but only one for my FAVORITE authors and books. My husband knows that this particular bookcase is OFF LIMITS for anyone wishing to borrow one of my legions of books. I have a shelf for each author, and will NOT part with these books. Denise Hunter's collection is on the second shelf. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to review this book, and to add it to my collection. :)

Sabrina Kincaid is a waitress at the Cobblestone Cafe. She serves coffee every morning to the regular customers, including Tucker McCabe. But she is more than just a waitress, and he is more than just a regular customer. They have been corresponding to each other via the Internet under the screen names Sweetpea (Sabrina) and Harbormaster (Tucker). The online friendship has evolved into each having strong feelings for the other. Sabrina opens her heart to Tucker through the safety and anonymity of the emails.

Sabrina is dealing with issues of fear, insecurity (not feeling like she is pretty or good enough for Tucker), hurt from past betrayals, as well as shame from a bad decision made in the midst of a painful time in her life. She is hiding out on Nantucket Island after running from a painful betrayal by her fiance and cousin. She is avoiding dealing with her past. When she learns that Tucker would be affected by her past mistake, she goes to elaborate lengths to hide her true identity, further shutting him out of her future.

What she does not realize is that he knows who she really is, and is reaching out to her. He goes to elaborate lengths to reach out to her, to draw him to her, and to help her feel safe in revealing her true self. Unfortunately, Sabrina's fear of his finding out her past indiscretion is stronger, and she continues to hide.

I don't want to reveal any more of the plot than I already have, but I was deeply touched by this book. I loved how Denise used Tucker's love for Sabrina to illustrate God's love for us. The issue with more than one of the characters dealing with fear was powerful as well. Fear really does paralyze us, stops us from doing and being who God created us to be. Last, but not least, there is the theme of forgiveness. God's forgiveness, forgiving others, and forgiving ourselves. I think we all can use the reminder that one mistake does not define who you are, and if God can forgive us and remember our sins no more, than we can forgive ourselves and others.

I would recommend this book to all of my reader friends. If you have not read any of Denise Hunter's books, I highly recommend starting with Mending Places, book one of the New Heights Series. I promise you will not be disappointed!