The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White Review

 

The Island Bookshop  is another awesome book by Roseanna M White. I'm so used to reading historical fiction from her, and more recently Christian fantasy, so when I learned she had released a contemporary romance, I was intrigued. To be honest, for the longest time contemporary romance wasn't my go-to when choosing a book to read. But I am definitely starting to love this genre as well. And, well, with this book, I'd have to say Roseanna White can write contemporary fiction just as well as historical, and fantasy. I loved this book. I also went into it not realizing "secrets from the past and present," as mentioned on the back cover, meant we were going to get a dual timeline story. 

The main story is about Kennedy Marshall and Wes Armstrong, two characters who were friends as children, but had gone on to live their own lives hundreds of miles apart, but now because of certain circumstances, have found themselves in close proximity again for longer than planned. Is there a chance that there may be a future for them? 

One of my favorite parts of the book is discovering the identity of who truly owns the bookshop that Kennedy and her sister Lara inherited from their grandmother. And finding out how this all relates to the story about Ana Horvat from 1938. Ana, who is an immigrant from the area around Italy, who has come to America to give her unborn child a better, safer life, coming to join her husband who had already been living here. 

I also love the importance of books in this story. From Kennedy working with rare books in the Library of Congress, to cherished well-loved books owned by Ana, to the setting revolving around the importance of this family owned bookstore.

Faith is important to the characters in this book, which is always important to me as the reader. The characters love the Lord, and we also see the importance of going to God in prayer and seeking His will. 

Definitely a book I highly recommend