A few years ago, I watched a series on Amazon called The Newsroom. I can’t recommend it, because the language is frustratingly awful, but the story was great. In a world of fake news, I found myself reminded that many journalists chose that profession to provide the public with a valuable service, with the same conviction of a police officer or firefighter. Harbor Secrets was one of those stories, too – no bad language, set in a different time and place, but with that same conviction that the job of a reporter is a calling.
This post was originally shared on the Real World Bible Study
What I Liked About Harbor Secrets
Harbor Secrets tells the story of a 1916 newspaperwoman who takes over her father’s paper and takes on the smuggling trade in prohibition Oregon. I love the way this woman takes a leadership role in a business where women had no say. She takes her (supposedly temporary) role with a good head for business and an excellent resume and earns the respect of the men reporting to her.
[bctt tweet=”Melody Carlson has an exciting new historical series set in Oregon of 1916! Family, romance, homecoming, and an ambitious newspaperwoman make a recipe for fun. #READatWhiteFire #amreading #ChristianFiction @authorcarlson” username=”RealWorldBible”]
I love that we get a story of a dogged news(wo)man that is still a clean story! I love watching how Anna’s daughter brings her father back to life when he has sunk into depression following his stroke. I really liked how the romance element was present in this story but didn’t by any means dominate.
There were powerful themes of forgiveness and reconciliation throughout this story. It didn’t quite make sense for Anna’s reconciliation with her father to go so well, so fast, after so many years away from home (though nothing is impossible with God!), but throughout the story we see characters making the hard choices to forgive (and recognizing that those choices are hard and that trust must be rebuilt). I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and mystery or suspense.
About the Book
Harbor Secrets, The Legacy of Sunset Cove Book 1
A Peaceful Coastal Town…Threatened by a Storm of Secrets
It’s 1916 when newspaper woman Anna McDowell learns her estranged father has suffered a stroke. Deciding it’s time to repair bridges, Anna packs up her precocious adolescent daughter and heads for her hometown in Sunset Cove, Oregon.
Although much has changed since the turn of the century, some things haven’t. Anna finds the staff of her father’s paper not exactly eager to welcome a woman into the editor-in-chief role, but her father insists he wants her at the helm. Anna is quickly pulled into the charming town and her new position…but just as quickly learns this seaside getaway harbors some dark and dangerous secrets.
With Oregon’s new statewide prohibition in effect, crime has crept along the seacoast and invaded even idyllic Sunset Cove. Anna only meant to get to know her father again over the summer, but instead, she finds herself rooting out the biggest story the town has ever seen—and trying to keep her daughter safe from it all.
About the Author
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales of around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors, etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. You can find Melody on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
