The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson — Book Review

The Red Door Inn is the first book in the Prince Edward Island Dreams series, so we can look forward to more experiences with this fine set of characters. This first book is endorsed by Max Lucado, Colleen Coble and Becky Wade, so I was expecting a well-written tale, and I was not disappointed.

Marie Carrington is troubled and alone, running from a traumatic experience that has left her unable to trust anyone. She meets Jack Sloane on the ferry to Prince Edward Island and he offers her a temporary place to stay. Jack is an older man who is determined to carry out his dear late wife’s wishes to transform the place he’s bought into a B&B.

Jack’s nephew, Seth Sloane, also lives at the B&B. Trying to get back on his feet after his fiancé conned him out of his construction business and everything he owned, Seth is severely suspicious that Marie is up to stealing everything from his too-trusting uncle.

Even though Marie and Seth feel strong attraction to each other, their past experiences won’t allow them to trust.

Several other of the village’s unique inhabitants play parts in this captivating story of the healing power of Christ’s love and His plan for His children.

My favorite character is Jack, who trusts people and believes the best in them, even putting himself and his inn at risk to help them. Marie’s gifted interior design abilities piqued my interest, and also brought the setting into greater focus.

I found both the cover and the title intriguing, as well as the setting. As a Canadian, I’m happy to see a series set in my country. I’ve visited PEI, and it’s a completely different pace of life than the mainland. The author has done an excellent job of portraying that.

Johnson’s writing is tight and clean, the characters are realistic—I especially love the quirks that differentiate them from one another—and I learned to love them as I read. The author uses tension well, from hidden secrets to romance, from financial struggles and time constraints to trust issues.

I love it when the first chapter of the next book in the series is featured at the end of the story. Looks like the next part of the series will focus on one of the secondary characters from the first book: chef Caden. I look forward to more time spent at The Red Door Inn.

This book is published by Revell and I would classify it as a Christian Romance. A worthwhile read. For more information on Liz Johnson and her writing, visit her website.