A 5 Star Book Review of The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese, A Spellbinding, Deeply Emotional Story of Hope, Healing and Love
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary 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.
Spellbinding · Deeply Emotional · Nautical
Beautiful Threads of Hope and Healing After Loss, Deep Friendships, Strong Familial Bonds and a Charming Seaside Setting in the Pacific Northwest!
Don’t miss this stirring, emotional new release from master-storyteller Nicole Deese! Deese delivers a poignant, deeply rich story with strong, well-developed characters who settled into my heart. With romance, faith, and the hope of finding healing and redemption after deep grief, readers will love this five-star read!
Scroll down to read my review…
Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.
As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony--two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she's also desperate to find the closure she's convinced will come with Cecelia's missing final manuscript.
After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell--the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters--offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.
Honoring Cecelia's last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?
"The Words We Lost is thought-provoking and tender, capturing the transformative beauty of surviving."--T.I. LOWE, bestselling author of Under the Magnolias
MY REVIEW: ★★★★★/5
Nicole Deese never ceases to deliver poignant, emotionally rich stories with strong, well-developed characters that have a way of settling into my heart and blossoming to life in my mind. As a long-time fan of her masterpieces, I am happy to recommend The Words We Lost as a five star read!
HIGHLIGHTS:
Small, Seaside Port/Town · A Second Chance at Love · Author and Publishing House Aspect · Faith, Hope and Healing · Stirring Familial Bonds and Deep Friendships · Emotional
WHAT I LOVED:
I found this spellbinding story to be one that spoke to my heart. The pace was melodic, gentle and stirring, allowing me to absorb and process the grief Indy is encountering as she grieves her father and her best friend, plus the loss of her hopes and dreams. I enjoyed her development and the way her story unfurled with surprising revelations.
I absolutely loved the premise of a “book within a book” through CeCe’s perspective via her manuscript and the many letters she left behind. Her character is strong and I simply adored her personality and the bond of friendship she, Indy and Joel had. Her love for scavenger hunts (and pirates!) was something that really stood out to me and is a marvelous way to describe this story - Deese, in a way, takes readers on a scavenger of her own, revealing little bits and pieces of the story, creating an intense desire to know and learn more.
I felt the tension in this story so well, a true hallmark of the masterful way Deese crafts her stories. I loved Indy and Joel together and their second chance romance. I enjoyed the secondary characters such as Alli, Chip and Wendy, among others. There are beautifully woven moments of tenderness and joy, moments of deep friendship and familial bonds, moments of brokenness and pain and moments of rewarding memories and true freedom found in faith.
Summary:
Overall, a well done story that readers who enjoy stories of imagination, literature and the Pacific Northwest will enjoy!
Content and Trigger Warnings: Alcoholism, Grief, Brain Cancer, Depression, Loss of a Parent/Loved One
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Image Courtesy of Baker Publishing Group. | Photo Credit: © Rayla Kay Photography
Romance · Nostalgic · Women’s Fiction
With strong threads of faith, sisterhood and family legacy, this new release takes readers on a cross-country road trip full of wit, charm, faith and redemption! A must read for 2024!
I was delighted by well-crafted characters, entertained by deep, hidden secrets, old journal revelations and the nostalgia of traveling across the United States by bus in this delightful new release from author, Nicole Deese. True to her fashion, Deese pens an emotional, heartwarming and rewarding tale of sorrow, family and hope that readers are sure to love!