The Last Way Home

Author: Liz Johnson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Prince Edward Island Shores #2
Release Date: August 2, 2022

Every broken thing can be made beautiful again

When Eli Ross left Prince Edward Island to join the NHL, he left a broken family behind. More than a decade later, he's headed home to an uncertain welcome. He wants to make things right with the family he wronged, but his mom's business partner isn't making it easy. To top it off, the coaching job he takes turns out to be more of a challenge than he anticipated.

For years, Violet Donaghy has put everything she had into making Eli's mom's ceramics shop a success, and she's not eager to forgive the man who hurt the family that's taken her in as one of their own. But when the kiln at the shop starts a fire that nearly destroys the studio, she'll need all the help she can get to save the business and their summer income.

When Eli and Violet come together, they must find the strength to mend the broken pieces of the Ross family--and to heal their own hearts.

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Reviewer: Monica Huyser

The Last Way Home by Liz Johnson is the second in the Prince Edward Island Shores series. While it would be better read after the first book, it could also be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone.

Eli Ross left home to join the NHL right at the time his family was falling apart. One brother told him to leave and not to come back. . .and Eli didn't for more than ten years. When Eli does come home, he is a broken man. He has lost almost everything he owns, and he has nowhere else to go. However, he is happy to find his mother welcoming him with open arms.

Violet Donaghy is Eli's Mom's partner in an island pottery business. . .until their kiln starts a fire, and they may lose the business. As she struggles to come to terms with the business loss, Violet also considers some of her past baggage. 

Can Violet and Eli both come to terms with their past--and find a better future?

Eli and Violet have their share of pain from their family issues. They both have hurts they need to heal on their own. Forgiveness, mercy, and redemption are all themes in The Last Way Home. I especially liked the spiritual element of this book, as it is a modern take on the Biblical prodigal son story. 

This book tugged at my heartstrings, and I really enjoyed the characters, even more than the first book in the series. I did enjoy seeing characters from the first book in this book, though--as well as a nod to Johnson's Red Door Inn series. I liked how some of the communication issues among the characters were resolved, as I think many readers can relate to those. I also liked many of the minor characters. 

I enjoyed the romance and seeing how everything worked out for Violet and Eli's relationship, the pottery business, and the local girl's hockey league. I am already looking forward to reading Levi's story next in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Interview and Reviews. All opinions within this review are my own.

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Reviewer: Diana Varela

The Last Way Home was such a sweet book of forgiveness. 

Violet and Eli had some baggage from their past that needed forgiveness. Though their pasts were different, forgiveness led to the same thing. It set them free from the baggage they had been carrying for over ten years. 

My favorite thing about this book was the sports talk. I don’t know much about hockey, but some members of my family played different sports like football and soccer, but mainly basketball. I liked the competitive spirit that one of the players, Madison, displayed. It brought back so many memories of so many games I watched. 

I liked the feelings passed around when Violet and Eli finally opened up about their past. I liked how they treated each other. They were loving and compassionate, never judging the other because they knew what it was like to feel the weight of their past exposed. It reminded me of the Bible when Jesus told the Pharisees that whoever was without sin could throw the first stone. None of them could because they all had sinned. We all have things in our past that we are ashamed of, so we should not judge each other. We should treat each other with love like the way Eli showed Violet. Violet was loving towards Eli, but not as much as Eli was. 

I love the characters. They were so relatable. This was an amazing novel with a lesson intertwined with it. 

My favorite character in this novel was Levi. He was the quiet type. The one you think is not listening or cares about your problems, but in reality, he’s the type of person that listens, gives, and comes through for you.

I requested and received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through Interviews & Reviews. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Erin Stevenson

The Last Way Home is the second installment in Liz Johnson’s Prince Edward Island Shores series set in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. I love that an author from Arizona, USA paints such a vivid picture of this beautiful part of the world.
 
I had read and enjoyed the first book in the series, in which Violet Donaghy was a supporting character. She fairly jumped off the pages, and I thought, this girl has a story. I don’t recall that she was ever described in terms of her physicality. The picture my mind formed was entirely different from what came out of the early pages of this second book—so it took me a while to get over that.
 
The circumstances surrounding Eli had already been clearly introduced in book one, s I was prepared for that, but at first, his tale seemed like just one more prodigal son story. Both Eli and Violet had deep past pain and secrets, and Johnson did a masterful job of leaving breadcrumbs and letting out the line in just the right amounts at just the right times.
 
It felt as if we were visiting the same things over and over and for me, the story dragged at times. I wondered if it would ever get traction. But when the answer to what had happened in Violet’s past was revealed, it took my breath away. It definitely was not one of the typical “past pain” tropes. From there, I couldn’t put the book down, and when the root cause of what happened to Eli came out, everything coalesced.
 
I loved the parallels between broken pottery, the brokenness of Eli and Violet’s lives, and the theme of self-forgiveness. I look forward to the third book of the series.
 
I was provided a copy of this novel by Revell Publishers through Interviews & Reviews. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Joy Hannabass

After a decade of playing professional hockey, Eli Ross is back on Prince Edward Island. But will his family accept him back or shut the door in his face? The Last Way Home by Liz Johnson has all of the answers and more.

Violet Donaghy is not happy at all that Eli shows up. She has worked with his mom in their business and knows the hurt she has endured over her son. But Violet doesn't know Eli because she showed up in town after he left and now is part of the family. She has worked with Eli's mom in her ceramic shop faithfully and doesn't need Eli there, that is until a fire almost destroys the place. Then she needs Eli's help. Will they get along enough to work on the ceramic shop?

I love Liz Johnson's books and have read all of them so far! I feel like I have visited Prince Edward Island just by reading her books. And this one is no different. I enjoyed the trip back to the island and my friends there. I immediately felt sorry for Eli, and my Mama's heart knows how his mom felt. Does the tension between Eli and Violet ever simmer down a bit?

I love the characters and the homey feeling of the family. I felt I was a part of them from the beginning. The plot has a nice flow, and enough is happening that I didn't want to put the book down. 

The Last Way Home by  Liz Johnson  is for anyone who loves a clean sweet family read with faith running through the characters. I highly recommend this book. 

I received a review copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Mindy Houng

"Being known was about the small things, small moments. It was seeing the truth before he'd even put a name on it."
 
I've been so looking forward to Eli's redemption story, but I have to say that it did not start out the way I imagined or hoped. I so wanted everyone to embrace this broken, shattered man and help lift him up, but he only runs into hostility, anger, and suspicion upon his return to his hometown. Granted, the author brilliantly turns his story around to bring about that forgiveness and redemption, but my heart hurt for Eli as he slowly found his footing on the path to grace. 

Violet is quite the spunky heroine who needs her own dose of forgiveness and grace. Oh, I loved Eli and Violet, with their great dialogue and firecracker-laden interactions. It was also nice to see some of the characters from the Red Door Inn make their cameo appearances in this book.
 
My interest is piqued about Levi, the youngest brother, and his story. I can't wait for the finale of the series.
 
I received the book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Amy Smelser

The prodigal son has come back home to his family. It has been a long while, and Eli Ross has not had much contact with his mother or two brothers. Now he is back, broke, and even in more trouble than anybody realizes. 

Violet Donaghy is like the daughter Eli's mom has never had. Hiding from her own failures, secrets, and family, Violet had come to Prince Edward Island to start anew and fresh. And this time, she has chosen the Ross family. Mama Potts (Ross) not only treats her as a daughter but has gone into business with her running a ceramic shop. Unfortunately, the day Eli arrives, the shop catches on fire, and they are in a financial mess.

Eli is trying to prove that he has changed, that he is not the jerk that left his family when they needed him most. Violet is determined to keep Eli at arm's length and keep a close watch on him. She is bound and determined to ensure he will not hurt Mama Potts anymore. However, his mother loves him and is willing to take him in no matter what. How can you love like that? Both Eli and Violet have a lot to learn, not only about a parent's love but God's love as well. Along the way, they just might be falling in love with each other too.

This was another enjoyable story about the Ross family, and I look forward to Levi's story.

I was provided a copy of this novel from Revell Publishers through Interviews and Reviews. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

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