The Book You Do Not Want to Miss in 2023: Indigo Isle by T.I. Lowe
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
“Storms show up and there ain’t a thing we can do to stop them.”
Sonny Bates left South Carolina fifteen years ago and never looked back. Now she’s a successful Hollywood location scout who travels the world, finding perfect places for movie shoots. Home is wherever she lands, and between her busy schedule and dealing with her boss’s demands, she has little time to think about the past . . . until her latest gig lands her a stone’s throw from everything she left behind.
Searching off the coast of Charleston for a secluded site to film a key scene, Sonny wanders onto a private barrier island and encounters its reclusive owner, known by locals as the Monster of Indigo Isle. What she finds is a man much more complex than the myth.
Once a successful New York attorney, Hudson Renfrow’s grief has exiled him to his island for several years. He spends his days alone, tending his fields of indigo, then making indigo dye―and he has no interest in serving the intrusive needs of a film company or yielding to Sonny’s determined curiosity. But when a hurricane makes landfall on the Carolina coast, stranding them together, an unlikely friendship forms between the two damaged souls. Soon the gruff exterior Hudson has long hidden behind crumbles―exposing the tender part of him that’s desperate for forgiveness and a second chance.
A story of hanging on and letting go, of redemption and reconciliation, and of a love that heals the deepest wounds, from the author of the breakout Southern fiction bestseller Under the Magnolias.
MY REVIEW: ★★★★★ 5/5!
Indigo Isle is a TOP TEN, MUST READ for 2023! New-to-me author T.I. Lowe immediately and completely immersed me in her incredible, contemporary story of regret, isolation, forgiveness and redemption. This novel ebbed and flowed so well. I smiled, I laughed, I tensed and I mourned; three cheers for a beautifully written story!
From the first line, I was wholly captivated. I found myself happily lost in the vivid, true-to-life descriptions of the S. Carolina lowcountry, where the majority of this story takes place. I found myself drawn to Lowe’s main character, Sonny Bates, an L.A.-based location manager for a large movie production company, and her current life situation. Sonny is a beautiful and unique blend of strength, poor choices, intelligence, curiosity and insight. When she meets her match in the isolated, formidable ‘Monster of Indigo Isle’, I could have stood up and cheered for the tension, sarcasm and deliciously exciting mystery behind Hudson Renfrow. The forbidden act of Sonny trespassing on his island had an almost Beauty and the Beast flair with a dash of grumpy/sunshine-in-forced-proximity bit of trope mixed in.
With quote-worthy phrases and memorable, yet quirky secondary characters, this novel captured my attention and I found myself reading late into the night, unable to put it down. I could not have loved Sonny and Hudson together more nor adored the snark and chemistry between them more. Their romance was fantastic!
As the story weaves in and out from Sonny’s POV and unfolding the layers of her past and the sexual assault she faces on a regular basis, my heart became very invested. I felt her emotions, her pain and her regrets, making the ending oh, so very joyous and rewarding! I loved the modern twist on the parable of the prodigal son and found the faith elements of this story very strong at the end, making it a story of salvation, forgiveness, redemption and freedom.
Hands down, Indigo Isle is a must read. I will most certainly be telling as many people as I can about this novel and I am so grateful to have it grace my shelves. In addition, I’ll be returning to this author to read some of her backlist as well! Both Christian and secular readers who enjoy women’s fiction and contemporary romance will likely adore this story. It would also be a great beach read!
Content and Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assualt (not detailed), Loss of a Child, Burns, Loss of a Parent
