About the book:
No sooner is Shawn Collins home from the fighting in Europe than he is called upon to serve his country in another way--as a speaker on the war bond tour. While other men might jump at the chance to travel around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets, Shawn just wants to stay home with his son Patrick and the aging father with whom he has finally reconciled. When Shawn taps Katherine Townsend to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea that she will be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart.
My review:
This sequel to The Unfinished Gift was heartwarming and sweet. I am a real WWII fiction buff so the scenes that involved war I found particularly interesting, like the bombs being dropped on England toward the end. I found a lot of the material to be interesting and perfectly suited to the era. The author had obviously done his research and had me solidly grounded in the 1940s while I read this novel, especially when it came to lingo, popular music, and the current "stars" of the day. This story kind of reminded me of "It's a Wonderful Life" in tone, but minus the Christmas setting.
The spiritual thread in this novel was solid, though subtle. I found it well-balanced and inspirational. It didn't feel like a sermon to me, but like part of the story, as it should. I enjoyed watching the characters develop affection for each other and observing the continued healing of the broken bonds between father and adult son from the first book. The pacing was well done and the healing process realistically portrayed. I also felt like I'd really bonded with Katherine and her heart for wanting the family she never had. That was so touching and sweet how the author developed that aspect of her character.
The hero was amazing, too, and very humble, which made him extremely likable. His relationship with his son was tender and I grieved for him when they were separated. I loved how he got some solid advice from his dad about what to do with Katherine toward the end of the story. When the hero finally had his "oh no, I'm gonna lose her" moment, I was like "YES!" and cheered him on in his pursuit of true love. This was a great story with a lot of good heart-felt emotion. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book, but I did find it ultimately satisfying.
Revell provided me with a copy of this book to review for the tour, but it did not influence the outcome of my opinion in any way. The Homecoming was published by Revell and released in June 2010.
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