A Tale of Healing and Heart

Legacy of Hope by Renae Brumbaugh Green is a beautifully written and heartwarming addition to the Stratton Legacy series. As the third book in the series, it continues to deliver the same depth and emotional resonance that fans have come to expect. The main character, Ivelisse “Lisa” Garcia, captured my heart from the beginning. Her strength, compassion, and resilience, shaped by her upbringing in an orphanage, make her journey as a nurse in a mission hospital both inspiring and relatable.

The introduction of a mysterious stranger with no memory adds a gripping layer to the story. The gradual unfolding of his past and Lisa’s determination to help him not only showcase the author’s gift for storytelling but also highlight the theme of healing and redemption. Their growing connection is tender and thoughtful, never feeling rushed, which makes their relationship all the more engaging.

Set against the backdrop of a mission hospital, the novel expertly weaves in the challenges and triumphs of its time period, transporting readers to another world while maintaining a sense of realism. Renae Brumbaugh Green’s writing style is both elegant and accessible, with rich descriptions and well-developed characters that make the story come alive.

I particularly enjoyed how the book balances historical context with the characters’ personal struggles and triumphs. Lisa’s inner conflict between finding fulfillment in her work and the possibility of love feels authentic and relatable. It’s rare to find a book that so seamlessly blends emotion, romance, and personal growth.

If you’re looking for a deeply satisfying, character-driven story that will leave you thinking long after you’ve turned the final page, Legacy of Hope is a book to consider. Renae Brumbaugh Green has a true gift for creating vivid, inspiring stories that touch the heart.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author and was not required to write a positive review.

Legacy of Hope is on Tour with Celebrate Lit.

Author: Renae Brumbaugh Green

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: September 3, 2024

Ivelisse “Lisa” Garcia has overcome her past growing up in an orphanage and found purpose as a nurse at a local mission hospital. When a mysterious stranger she had a chance encounter with shows up in her ward with no memory of his past, Lisa is determined to help him recover, both mentally and physically. As she aids in his recovery, and a spark kindles between them, she wonders if there might be room for both fulfillment and love in her life.

But Lisa has a secret, and when it gets out, it could ruin any chance she has at love.

Jackson Stratton, desperate to escape his father’s tyranny, embarks on a daring journey to join Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. But a freak accident leaves him wounded and unable to remember his past. As he struggles to piece together the fragments of his former life, he finds himself drawn to the beautiful nurse who has become his lifeline. Will he ever unlock the keys to his past, or will his upbringing remain shrouded in mystery as he tries to start anew?

And should he learn the truth of his past, will it prevent him from embracing the future he truly wants?

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About the Author

Renae Brumbaugh Green is a city girl-turned-country-diva. She’s married to a handsome country boy named Rick, and she’s mom to four nearly-perfect, nearly-grown children, two rowdy dogs, and some ducks. They live in rural Texas where Renae wears overalls, western boots, and bubblegum pink nail polish. She’s a bestselling author of over 30 books, an award-winning humor columnist, and an online English teacher. In her free time, she can be found leaping tall buildings and rescuing kittens from trees. Or, she’d like to do those things, if she had free time.

More from Renae

To the casual observer, Jackson Stratton probably looks like he has it all. He lives in a beautiful home. He has influential parents and plenty of money. But behind the fancy facade, he exists under the harsh, abusive judgment of his father’s expectations. At the beginning of our story, Jackson leaves to begin a new life.

After an accident takes his memories, he’s truly given a fresh start. What if that could happen for each of us? All the hurt, all the pain, all the shame and neglect and abuse could be wiped away? What if we could truly choose who we want to become?

Lisa, on the other hand, was abandoned as an infant. She struggles with self-worth, even while experiencing God’s visible kindness, love and grace. No matter who we are or what our circumstances, none of us is immune to Satan’s lies, telling us we’ll never measure up.

The truth is, you are already exactly who God created you to be. You are perfectly formed in His image, with His characteristics, His strength and His power. But this world, this life, has a way of distorting that image. Sin—both our own sin and others’ actions toward us—deforms that beautiful spirit. Satan fills our heads with lies about who we are, and it doesn’t take long for us to see that image when we look in the mirror, instead of the God-created one.

So how do we go about finding the truth, when so much of our identity is built on lies? It’s possible. But it’s not easy. Just as we untangle a tight, wadded-up knot gently, one strand at a time, we can address the lies, the guilt, the shame one piece, one prayer at a time. It’s a process… but isn’t that what life is? A process of sloughing off the bad and becoming more and more like our Father?

When Jackson’s memories leave him, God doesn’t. He still hears that still, small voice, speaking truth. And though most of us have our memories intact, we can listen. With discipline and perseverance and faith, we can learn to ignore the lies and hear only God, telling us who we are, who He made us to be. We are strong. We are intelligent. We have great purpose. We are wanted. And we are loved.

I hope you enjoy reading about Jackson and Lisa’s journeys. And I hope, somewhere in there, you find a reminder that you are not your circumstances. You are not your past. You have hope, and you have an amazing future planned by your adoring Father. You are, and always will be, a valued, treasured, beautiful, wanted, loved child of the King.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11