Heart of the Lonely Exile

B.J. Hoff

This is Book Two of An Emerald Ballad Series. We met Nora Kavanagh and her son Daniel John in Song of the Silent Harp. Nora now lives in New York and works for Lewis Farmington and his daughter, Sarah. Evan Whittaker, the Englishman who helped rescue her and the Fitzgerald children in Ireland, also works for Lewis Farmington.

Daniel John lives with Michael Burk, the Irish policeman who grew up with Nora. Daniel John and Tierney Burk have become great friends. Tierney is waiting for Nora to accept his father's proposal of marriage.

Nora keeps procrastinating her decision to Michael's proposal. Evan has realized he is in love with Nora. Yet having only one arm keeps him from letting her see how he feels. Sarah Farmington knows she is attracted to Michael Burk, but he is promised to Nora.

Morgan Fitzgerald is the Irishman who remained behind in Ireland. He and Nora had been sweethearts as teens, but he then took off as a minstrel. He was an Irish Rebel outlaw, and now lives with his rich English grandfather in Dublin. He continues to help the movement while he learns to love his grandfather. He accompanies a friend to Belfast and runs into a tragedy. There he meets eleven-year-old Annie Delany and their lives become intertwined.

This second novel by B.J. Hoff is also wonderful. I found myself tearing up or grinning like a fool many times as I was more involved in the story. The heroes in this book live in God's faith. Like the first novel, their faith in Christ is their center focus, but not the center focus of the book. It is the strength of the book.