The Words We Lost (#01 of Fog Harbor Romance Series)

I enjoyed reading The Words We Lost, the first book in Nicole Deese’s Fog Harbor Romance series that’s set in San Francisco and an island in Washington State. Ingrid is a fiction editor who’s working for a traditional publisher based in San Francisco. She’s devastated by the passing of her dear childhood friend, Cece, who was also her top selling author. Ingrid’s new boss is an awful person, and she’s threatening to fire Ingrid unless Cece’s missing manuscript, the last book under contract in Cece’s best selling fantasy series, is located.

Ingrid travels to Port Townsend to recover the missing manuscript and save her job. Joel grew up in Port Townsend, and he has history with Ingrid. He’s also Cece’s cousin, and circumstances force Joel and Ingrid to work together, and deal with the emotional baggage from their shared past, to solve the mystery of the missing manuscript.

I was intrigued by the story premise, and the reasons for why Ingrid struggled in her editorial job after she lost Cece. I loved seeing how the story mystery, combined with secret reveals, impacted the main characters. I recommend The Words We Lost to contemporary romance readers who like second chance romances with depth that explore how the past impacts the present, and include a relevant faith element in the story.

Many thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Nicole Deese has a way of writing that draws your heart and emotions into the story. It doesn't feel like a fiction book. There are many emotional issues dealt with in this book as you journey through how different people deal with grief, and love and a bit of greed as well. I found it a gripping, but difficult book to read. Read with a box of tissues. Brilliant writting.