Member Reviews
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This is the third book in the series.
Alice and Bridget became nuns when they were young. The convent was strict and when Alice and Bridget were caught together, it did not matter they were in love, they were expelled. Alice stayed in California and Bridget became an executive for a prostatic limb company. The plot centers around 25 years later when they meet again and the love is still there. Both Alice and Bridget have changed and they need to address their differences about religion and lifestyle. They need to learn how to communicate and love again. The characters change throughout the book and make for a compelling story. I recommend this book for romance readers.
When I was reading through the book it felt so 'solemn' which makes a lot of sense since the two main characters were nuns who fell in love with each other while being in the convent. I think the story is great and wonderful. When they reconnected and became more honest which each other's feelings and regrets felt somewhat heartwarming because even after all these years, they still feel the same way.
💎 Thank you, Netgalley and publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I liked the premise of this book a lot, but the story itself, or the way it was told, left me a bit disappointed.
There was quite a bit of religion references, but that's to be expected in a story such as this, especially as it relates to each of the characters and how religion has helped form who they are. Alice and Bridge were both likable and the author portrayed them in such a way that the reader can't help but pull for them.
Overall, not what I expected, but overall, a pretty nice read.
This second chance romance with a religious backing was not your typical lesbian story. Which in my opinion, made it interesting. Bridget Moore, former novice/nun, working as a sales executive helping people that have lose a limb with the aid of prosthesis. The work she does, makes her feel good about helping others and making a difference. Alice Johns, former novice/nun, working for the mission historical preservation society values others and the role religion plays in her life. Bridge has no place in her life for religion after being kicked out for acts against the church and God. Alice, still finds comfort in religion but in a different way. After they are both kicked out Bridget moves on and Alice stays in the community. Twenty-five years later, they meet again by accident in the gift shop where Alice works. The interest and spark is still there but religion and faith is a challenge.
I really connected to this story due to my Christian upbringing and sexuality. Like Alice, I may not appreciate some of the aspects of organized religion but it is still important to me. I need it in my life during good times and not so good times. It can be a challenge to reconcile being a lesbian and being a Christian but I make it work and find comfort.
Lost Harbour is an adorably heart warming story about two ex-communicated nuns who fell in love while becoming nuns. This was so sweet and just absolutely mesmerizing of a book. I thought this to be an especially original plot, one that I would never of thought of reading about. Although it is quite common, it is truly and rarely ever spoken about. In this story, Bridge and Alice finally reunite after 25 years of separation. This reunion immediately brings them back to their past lives they’ve both tried hard to forget and remember. I love everything about this. I love a story about two middle aged women finding each other again and falling back in love. I had so much fun reading about this lovely community that opens their arms and accepts everyone. It was so California!!! I love the plot about religion and the two different perspectives by both main characters and how they gradually built their communication around resolving unspoken guilt. It was magnificent!
3.5. I had no idea this was apart of a series but, it definitely can be read as a standalone. I did not feel like I was missing out on a thing. Alice Johns and Bridget Moore were nuns at 18 and were dismissed for having an inappropriate relationship. After 25 years, they have a chance meeting. I am a sucker for religious books, maybe because I am not religious at ALL and find them very interesting. The religious aspect was handled very differently in this story, where it may be the thing to tear Bridget and Alice apart after all this time. They both have moved on with life and have responded differently from their lives inside the covent. Enjoyed reading this story, the romance was very nice but, the main conflict in the story got extremely repetitive. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the third in the Oceana series (I’ve read the other two) and I already knew Alice Johns, from the previous books. The books can be read as stand alone stories but the characters will interact with others in the series.
Oceana is a trailer park community whose owners have a gift of knowing who needs to live there to heal, recover, or get on their feet again. Alice was invited on the day she was thrown out of the convent, when she couldn’t bring herself to catch a bus home to the Midwest.
She built a quiet life and has a community of friends. She works for the mission historical preservation society. She considers herself Catholic with a small c. She literally runs into Bridget Moore who visits the old mission where Alice’s works. They have not seen each other for 25 years. Bridget has gone on to have a successful and fulfilling career in sales. She has come to the San Diego area to begin easing into retirement. She hasn’t step foot in a church in decades and is no longer a believer.
I’m not going to spoil the details of the story but the connection between the two is still strong. The big drama has already happened in the past. I almost wanted another obstacle other than faith to challenge them now. I still enjoyed the story but some parts felt too easy. Maybe it is their maturity that allows them to talk and not have mis-cues between them. (3.5 Stars)
Alice and Bridget became nuns when they were young. The convent was strict and when Alice and Bridget were caught together, it did not matter they were in love, they were expelled. Alice stayed in California and Bridget became an executive for a prostatic limb company. The plot centers around 25 years later when they meet again and the love is still there. Both Alice and Bridget have changed and they need to address their differences about religion and lifestyle. They need to learn how to communicate and love again. The characters change throughout the book and make for a compelling story. I recommend this book for romance readers.
Heavily religiously based, unfortunately not one that interested me, the writer has a way of building up worlds this is just not something that I can relate to or get lost in
Lost Harbor is the third in the Oceana series romance. Its dense and very repetitive with the religious issues. However, it was an enjoyable fun read.
Thank You, NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books and Author Kimberly Cooper Griffin.
It was nice to be able to go back to Oceana as it's such a lovely place with lovely people.
In this third installment we get Alice's story, a character we've met in the previous two books. We get more information about her past as a nun and her first love Bridge.
By coincident they run into each other again and it doesn't take long for old feelings to re-emerge. The difficulties they face bring some conflict but I like how the author makes the MC's deal with them. They think it through and communicate. Really refreshing.
An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return for an honest review.
This book is part of the Oceana Series Romances, of which it is the third, after Tides of Love and Sweet Spot, which have in common the environment in which they are set, a space in which diverse people live together, a kind of commune/resort with restricted access.
But each of the books can be read independently of the others, they are not connected, the only thing they have in common are the same characters that appear in all of them.
This time the protagonist is Alice, a former novice who was expelled from the convent where she was a little by vocation and a lot by obligation and family tradition. Alice has lived in Oceana for more than twenty years and she is a bit of a mystery to others, although she is a very dedicated person to helping everyone, super kind. She keeps the secret from her until one day she by chance meets Bridge, who was also a former novice at the convent along with Alice.
Now they meet again as adults but feel the same attraction that caused their expulsion. After having to leave the convent, each one has followed very different paths, Alice quietly and without romantic relationships and Bridge without hiding her sexuality and with multiple relationships, none of them serious enough for her to put before her work.
The reunion between Alice and Bridge is explosive and reignites the flame of adolescent love, which causes them to rethink what they want to do from now on.
And it has been the excess of rethinking and reflection that has made reading this book a little dense and slow and quite repetitive, with regard to religious issues. They come from the same point but since their separation they have chosen very different paths that it is not easy for them to converge again.
But despite this I found it an interesting story.
Wow! I was blown away by the character and plot development in this book! I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend this book to others!
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
Alice Johns and Bridget Moore are nuns until they get kicked out of the convent, it seems their attraction to each is forbidden, and so begins their new path
until 25 years later they find each other
an interesting story about love and loss and their way back to each other, can they overcome what happened to them 25 years ago and start again.....
an enjoyable series and one i will be keeping a look out for
cute and sweet and very fun. another nice book from bold strokes! i loved alice's character especially. tyssm for the arc!
It was interesting to read about older lesbians finding each other after all these years. They really just picked up right where they left off in nun school and I loved it. Alice was a woman after my own heart in not really knowing where she stands. Bridget was able to bring Alice right out of her shell.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I really do love this series so much! Lost Harbor is the third book in the series and it was so nice to go back to this world with Alice & Bridge at the centre of it.
25 years ago they were nuns but when their love for each other was discovered both were asked to leave. Going in separate directions both in where they lived and their religious beliefs, they never thought they would get a second chance with each other.
In the 25 years they were separated from each other a lot has changed but they were easily able to pick up where they left off. I was a little cautious about this one with religion being a big theme throughout the book but I loved how the author wrote both Alice and Bridge's experiences and how they could come together and share a life. I really did enjoy reading their story and getting some flashbacks was great.
All in all, this might not have been my favourite of the series so far but I definitely enjoyed being back in the Oceana world with this amazing characters!
Alice and Bridget were both nuns but were shock to feel a forbidden spark between them. They haven’t seen each other since getting released from the convent. When they meet again Alice is still practicing her religion while working at a church she close to her chosen family but no one knows she once was a nun Bridget went a different way and became top sales executive with lot of money that she doesn’t know what to do with and hasn’t stay long at one place but still that spark they felt years ago is still there and now they have a second chance to be together but will there difference between them now causes them not to give each other a chance. I enjoy this read and it’s nice seeing previous characters and what going in their lives.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
This is the 3rd oceana book and it was a really nice story.
Alice & Bridge were once both nuns when they were young they got caught together and had to leavr nunnery. After losing touch they find each other again and go through a journey of past reflections and reconnecting.
A really sweet story. Loved seeing some of the characters in book aswell. Thankyou for advanced copy.