Ocean of Regret

By Mary E. Hanks

I became a fan of Mary E. Hanks after reading the first book in the Second Chance Series, so I was very excited when I discovered she had a new series. The first book, Ocean of Regret, in the Restored Series released in 2018. It took me a while to get to it, but I’m completely hooked on the story and am anxiously awaiting book two, which will release this year.

One thing I like about Hanks’ books is the recurring theme of second chances. As a Christian, I experience second, third, fourth…etc. chances from God all the time, and her books bring home the fact that I should be willing to give second chances to the people who hurt me too.

In Ocean of Regret, it’s Judah Grant who’s been hurt when his wife Paisley runs off. Paisley has been gone four years, but Judah never stopped loving her and this book is all about Judah’s quest to win back his wife. I really like Judah for many reasons. One, he learned from his own mistakes. He could see how he could have been a better husband. Two, he never gave up on Paisley and when she returns he’s ready to forgive and forget. Paisley is a more complicated character, but as the story progresses you learn her backstory and can understand why she would think running away was the answer to her problems.

Another thing I liked about this story was the setting. I had an aunt who lived in Oregon and when we’d go visit her we’d always go over to the coast. There is something so mesmerizing about the Pacific, and I appreciated Paisley’s love for the ocean. I could envision the scenery, and it reminded me of the happy times my family shared so many years ago.

There are a couple of villains in this story, but you don’t discover who they are until the end of the book. And, there is a big cliffhanger. This shouldn’t surprise people since Hanks has clearly marked Ocean of Regret as book one, but some people get all bent out of shape when there’s a cliffhanger.

What I would say is if you’re looking for a good, clean, Christian romance, you’ll enjoy this book. I don’t know if book two will resolve everything or if more are planned, but either way, I’m in for the long haul and will definitely be purchasing book two, Season of Rescue, when it comes out later this year.

Ocean of Regret gets a five-star from me.

 

 

Do you prefer stand-alone books or books in a series?

 

If you like books in a series, do you want each book to have resolution or do you like cliffhangers until the final installment?