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Angel Island #4
The Way Home
Welcome to Angel Island…Its captivating spirit can be felt from the shores of its windswept beaches to the heights of the spectacular Angel Wings Cliffs. The island is said to harbor angels who help guide the lost, delivering them from despair and darkness into the golden light of love and faith.
From end to end, Angel Island’s shores are awash with love.
Claire North understands how Angel Island sets the rhythm for her own serenity and ease. But a visitor to the island has disturbed her peaceful heart. She knew him as a troubled boy who came to her soup kitchen in Boston, full of half-truths but brimming with trust and seeking nourishment for body and soul. She wasn’t able to say good-bye to him then. Now, miraculously, a second chance to help him has come.
Jamie Carter, now a young man, is more in need of Claire’s wisdom than ever. She is elated over the reunion but soon suspects he is back to his old ways. She wants to believe in the possibility of change but her faith is truly put to the test...
On the other side of the island, Avery Bishop is also working hard to make a fresh start. Newly single, she pours her independent spirit into opening a new café. Her culinary school training and stylish taste are scoffed at by Mike Rossi, who owns the cozy café across the street. But Avery is determined to show this burger-flipping hero a real cook has arrived. If only Mike’s charming smile and laughing eyes didn’t make her forget so easily that he is her fiercest competitor…
From end to end, Angel Island’s shores are awash with love.
Claire North understands how Angel Island sets the rhythm for her own serenity and ease. But a visitor to the island has disturbed her peaceful heart. She knew him as a troubled boy who came to her soup kitchen in Boston, full of half-truths but brimming with trust and seeking nourishment for body and soul. She wasn’t able to say good-bye to him then. Now, miraculously, a second chance to help him has come.
Jamie Carter, now a young man, is more in need of Claire’s wisdom than ever. She is elated over the reunion but soon suspects he is back to his old ways. She wants to believe in the possibility of change but her faith is truly put to the test...
On the other side of the island, Avery Bishop is also working hard to make a fresh start. Newly single, she pours her independent spirit into opening a new café. Her culinary school training and stylish taste are scoffed at by Mike Rossi, who owns the cozy café across the street. But Avery is determined to show this burger-flipping hero a real cook has arrived. If only Mike’s charming smile and laughing eyes didn’t make her forget so easily that he is her fiercest competitor…
308 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2013
28 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Spencer
45 books108 followersKatherine Spencer was a fiction editor before turning to a full-time career as a writer. The author of more than thirty books, she also writes the Angel Island series, as well as the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries under her real name, Anne Canadeo. She lives with her husband and daughter in a small village on the Long Island Sound. Outside of her office, she is active in many community charity projects.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 28, 2018
It's amazing how a person that you think is unmovable and strong can at times be the opposite. It just goes to show that no one is perfect and always has it all together. Praise God that His grace covers us. Also, it's great when someone seems to be a total screw-up. Even then, God can change that person's life, turn him around, and make him a totally different person. This book is a great demonstration of this, too.
July 29, 2024
2.5 stars
This is a cute beach read. I did not connect with the characters which resulted in the lower rating.
It was fun to reconnect with some of the characters from Cape Light.
This is a cute beach read. I did not connect with the characters which resulted in the lower rating.
It was fun to reconnect with some of the characters from Cape Light.
May 30, 2013
Katherine Spencer's Angel Island series are gentle reads - and companions to her Cape Light series. In this book Claire North, the inn's cook and Liza's right hand woman, takes a more prominent role. Jamie Carter, twenty and out of work, veers back into her life and Claire remembers the once little boy she almost adopted many years ago. Can Claire help Jamie set upon the right path or will Jamie once again stray and return to his old life back in Boston? At the same time Avery Bishop is excited about opening her new cafe, The Peregrine, on the busier side of the island. Avery finds out that her only competition is the Lazy Tuna, a happening, crazy burger joint that the island's visitors flock to in droves. How can her culinary expertise and fancy dishes compare to fish and chips?
A relaxing, inspirational read...and as Reverend Ben says, “…when people are trying to change their lives for the better, the road to becoming whole isn’t always a straight one. People tend to fall off the path now and then, or take wrong turns. Especially if they’ve been damaged, they can’t always make all the right choices.”
A relaxing, inspirational read...and as Reverend Ben says, “…when people are trying to change their lives for the better, the road to becoming whole isn’t always a straight one. People tend to fall off the path now and then, or take wrong turns. Especially if they’ve been damaged, they can’t always make all the right choices.”
August 12, 2013
I liked the book. I like the entire series all the way from Cape Light to the Christmas sequels to Angel Island. I do wish, though, that the author would continue the original stories and resolve them. For example, in the Angel Island series, the character's romance issues are not completely resolved, as though it's going to be a continuing story, but not much is said at all in the next two books, as though we shouldn't really care about that any more, let's divert our attention to someone else...
February 17, 2022
Claire North made a special connection with Jamie Carter many years ago when she volunteered at a soup kitchen in Boston. She was trying to either adopt or foster him when she had to return to Angel Island to care for her ailing father. Ten-year-old Jamie had a hard time understanding why she left so quickly. Now Jamie is a young man of twenty. He walks into the garden at the Inn where Claire is on her knees pulling weeds. Claire is stunned to look up and see someone she has never forgotten. Jamie found her at a time when he is very much in need of her calm and gentle guidance to steer him along the correct path. But will Jamie be receptive to Claire's suggestions or will he return to the bad choices of friends he'd made in Boston?
Avery Bishop's dream of opening a restaurant of her own is finally coming true. She finds a room at the Inn where she can live all summer until an apartment becomes available on the island. Avery meets Mike Rossi, her competitor who owns the burger joint down the street. Avery had been engaged to her partner in another restaurant, Paul, who dumped her when their place became successful. She definitely is not lookng for another man right now. But she finds herself attracted to Mike anyway.
Avery Bishop's dream of opening a restaurant of her own is finally coming true. She finds a room at the Inn where she can live all summer until an apartment becomes available on the island. Avery meets Mike Rossi, her competitor who owns the burger joint down the street. Avery had been engaged to her partner in another restaurant, Paul, who dumped her when their place became successful. She definitely is not lookng for another man right now. But she finds herself attracted to Mike anyway.
May 17, 2019
The way home by Thomas Kinkade's Angel Island by Spencer_ Katherine
Have read other works by the author and enjoyed the book. This one starts out with Eliza Martin who's been helping out at the inn for a year now.
Claire North is the cook and housekeeper and everything she is needed for.
This summer Jamie who Claire had met in Boston where she was ready to foster him shows up at the island and she hopes to save him now.
Avery Bishop is also arrived, starting her new cafe after her breakup and she's determined the business will work. Michael is a fierce competition who she's loves to look at.
Although there are just a handful of characters the locals also make an appearance.
Like hearing more of the island, the happenings and how they all work together and I've learned some new things to try.
Drama and laid back atmosphere, just a great read.
Recipes included.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Have read other works by the author and enjoyed the book. This one starts out with Eliza Martin who's been helping out at the inn for a year now.
Claire North is the cook and housekeeper and everything she is needed for.
This summer Jamie who Claire had met in Boston where she was ready to foster him shows up at the island and she hopes to save him now.
Avery Bishop is also arrived, starting her new cafe after her breakup and she's determined the business will work. Michael is a fierce competition who she's loves to look at.
Although there are just a handful of characters the locals also make an appearance.
Like hearing more of the island, the happenings and how they all work together and I've learned some new things to try.
Drama and laid back atmosphere, just a great read.
Recipes included.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
January 31, 2018
That was my first encounter with Angel Island Series and I couldn't understand what Thomas Kinkade has to do with all this until I read about the series on Good Reads. 'The Way Home' is nice and easy reading, despite (or maybe because of) somewhat over-simplified characters and limited language. The novel is a bit too heavy on a religious side, to my taste. I do recognize an ever-present numen and I do appreciate people's need for faith but why do these communications with God have to be so verbose? It don't add anything to the story nor to the character. So even though I enjoyed, to some extend, reading 'The Way Home' I am unlikely to pick up another book from the series unless I'm desperately out of books to read.
July 8, 2017
Home is Where the Heart Is.
Another great book by Katherine Spencer. I love the Angel Island series because it draws me close to the ocean at least in spirit. I find these stories relaxing and comforting, besides the adventures that unfold.
I don't know if young readers would enjoy this as much as a more mature reader. I it is very easy reading and holds your attention.
Another great book by Katherine Spencer. I love the Angel Island series because it draws me close to the ocean at least in spirit. I find these stories relaxing and comforting, besides the adventures that unfold.
I don't know if young readers would enjoy this as much as a more mature reader. I it is very easy reading and holds your attention.
March 3, 2020
I am enjoying this series. It’s a very comfortable read. I tend to get lost in the story and don’t want to stop. I have a feeling that I will be reading both the Cape Light and the Angel Island books again.
November 25, 2017
Perfect feel good read with just enough love!
February 13, 2018
Nice story when you don't want twists and turns. Some phrases used several times but a good story.
September 26, 2020
The Way Home
I got the book because it was next in series. I didn't like it as much as the other books in the series.I didn't care for the part about Avery very much.
I got the book because it was next in series. I didn't like it as much as the other books in the series.I didn't care for the part about Avery very much.
June 29, 2021
I like the ending of this book. I was a little concerned for the characters through the middle, but the end was satisfying.
April 16, 2022
A Hallmark tv movie in book form.
June 17, 2025
Not a bad story but the religious crap was a bit much for me
July 6, 2025
great read
I have enjoyed the entire series. I hadn’t been reaching much in the last few years and this series got me reading again. Thank you
I have enjoyed the entire series. I hadn’t been reaching much in the last few years and this series got me reading again. Thank you
August 8, 2013
This is a novel that tells the separate stories of characters Claire and Avery.
Claire's main responsibility at the Inn at Angel Island is cooking but she helps owner Liza in cleaning, gardening and seeing to the comfort of guests. She is stunned when Jamie Carter surprises her with a visit to the island. It has been 10 years since she saw him for the troubled 10 year old boy he was when she was working at a soup kitchen in Boston. Jamie had had a tough life living with his grandmother while his errant father came and went. A bond developed between the two and she had even thought of taking him as a foster child but when she was called home to care for her sick father, she was unable to explain her desertion of Jamie in a way that a 10 year old could fully understand. Now, she wants to make it up to him. She talks Liza into offering him a job which turns out to be a possible mistake. Jamie has "a past" and isn't completely honest with Claire about the past 10 years.
Avery has fled a broken romance with the owner of the Tulip Café and is determined to start her own restaurant on the other side of the island. A large sum of money invested by her mother is at stake and the restaurant has to succeed, but the Café Peregrine may be too fancy, too refined for the beach crowd. In fact, the Lazy Tuna, owned by widower Mike Rossi, is her competition and she doesn't understand the attraction of a "fish shack". You can kind of see where this storyline is going.
I didn't feel any real connection to the characters, but part of that is due to the fact that I have a strong attachment to the characters of the other series, Cape Light, and I just may have to warm up to Angel Island. The book was a quick read, rather predictable, and didn't involve a lot of thinking and sometimes that's what a person needs in their reading diet. I won't give up on Angel Island, and if given the chance, I will return for another visit to take another look around.
Claire's main responsibility at the Inn at Angel Island is cooking but she helps owner Liza in cleaning, gardening and seeing to the comfort of guests. She is stunned when Jamie Carter surprises her with a visit to the island. It has been 10 years since she saw him for the troubled 10 year old boy he was when she was working at a soup kitchen in Boston. Jamie had had a tough life living with his grandmother while his errant father came and went. A bond developed between the two and she had even thought of taking him as a foster child but when she was called home to care for her sick father, she was unable to explain her desertion of Jamie in a way that a 10 year old could fully understand. Now, she wants to make it up to him. She talks Liza into offering him a job which turns out to be a possible mistake. Jamie has "a past" and isn't completely honest with Claire about the past 10 years.
Avery has fled a broken romance with the owner of the Tulip Café and is determined to start her own restaurant on the other side of the island. A large sum of money invested by her mother is at stake and the restaurant has to succeed, but the Café Peregrine may be too fancy, too refined for the beach crowd. In fact, the Lazy Tuna, owned by widower Mike Rossi, is her competition and she doesn't understand the attraction of a "fish shack". You can kind of see where this storyline is going.
I didn't feel any real connection to the characters, but part of that is due to the fact that I have a strong attachment to the characters of the other series, Cape Light, and I just may have to warm up to Angel Island. The book was a quick read, rather predictable, and didn't involve a lot of thinking and sometimes that's what a person needs in their reading diet. I won't give up on Angel Island, and if given the chance, I will return for another visit to take another look around.
July 11, 2024
Cheesy and boring. I could tell this story in less than 100 pages.
December 22, 2016
Another great chapter in the Angel Island series. We have Avery Bishop a young woman who just recently broke up with her boyfriend as well as leaving their resturant as well. Avery reads about Angel Island and decides this is the perfect place to start her new business and new life. Avery gets help from her mom to start her new reaturant. She also meets her business neighbors including Mike Rossi. Avery is attracted to Mike but she is also determined to make her business successful. She is not sure if she is ready for a new relationship. She is also weary to get involved with another man who is in the resturant business as well.
We also get to know a little bit about Claire's past. We know she is a great cook and big help for Liza at the Inn. Someone from Claire's past returns looking for her. His name is Jamie Carter who had a tough homelife. Claire met him while she was working at a soup kitchen in Boston. Jamie is now 19 and begins to work at the Inn during the summer. Claire is thrilled he is back she is hoping she will have a second chance on helping Jamie have a better life. Jamie is at a crossroads and needs guidance. Claire feels in her heart she is the one to guide him. She wants another chance to help Jamie.
I really enjoyed this book as usual it feels like you are right there with these characters. The story flows and love each book in this series.
We also get to know a little bit about Claire's past. We know she is a great cook and big help for Liza at the Inn. Someone from Claire's past returns looking for her. His name is Jamie Carter who had a tough homelife. Claire met him while she was working at a soup kitchen in Boston. Jamie is now 19 and begins to work at the Inn during the summer. Claire is thrilled he is back she is hoping she will have a second chance on helping Jamie have a better life. Jamie is at a crossroads and needs guidance. Claire feels in her heart she is the one to guide him. She wants another chance to help Jamie.
I really enjoyed this book as usual it feels like you are right there with these characters. The story flows and love each book in this series.
August 27, 2016
Nice continuation of the Angel Island series with the inn, Liza and Claire front and center along with Jamie, from Claire's past ten years before, Avery and Mike, both restaurant owners on the other side of the island near the ferry landing.
Lots of stories taking place at Avery's restaurant with her and Mike getting to know each other. He always seems to be there when she needs something but they keep fighting their attraction and take one step forward and two or three back. Quite a few stories and twists and turns.
Lots of family, friends, guests, hard work, fear, tears, anger, hope, laughter, food, caring, accusations, hard times and redemption. There is nice closure and a potential for a few ahppily ever afters. Loose ends were mainly tied up. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Harbor of the Heart.
This is the first Angel Island book that Katherine Spencer wrote on her own since Thomas Kinkade passed away in 2012.
Lots of stories taking place at Avery's restaurant with her and Mike getting to know each other. He always seems to be there when she needs something but they keep fighting their attraction and take one step forward and two or three back. Quite a few stories and twists and turns.
Lots of family, friends, guests, hard work, fear, tears, anger, hope, laughter, food, caring, accusations, hard times and redemption. There is nice closure and a potential for a few ahppily ever afters. Loose ends were mainly tied up. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Harbor of the Heart.
This is the first Angel Island book that Katherine Spencer wrote on her own since Thomas Kinkade passed away in 2012.
October 13, 2013
I tend to enjoy the Thomas Kinkade various series. In this book we find out another side to Claire North, a regular character in the Angel Inn books, whose delicious meals are one more detail making these books lovable. Perhaps more importantly than the fact that we find Claire has past regrets, is the lesson Kinkade leaves us with.:
Despite our best intentions, we can only help those who want to help themselves.
Claire learns this lesson during her interactions with Jaime Carter, a young man she had tried to help in his formative years. Hopefully he, and Avery Bishop, another character with her own story introduced this edition, will make appearances in future books.
Despite our best intentions, we can only help those who want to help themselves.
Claire learns this lesson during her interactions with Jaime Carter, a young man she had tried to help in his formative years. Hopefully he, and Avery Bishop, another character with her own story introduced this edition, will make appearances in future books.
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October 6, 2013Well .... first of all I am a guy. Therefore, I am going to have to be honest and say I mildly enjoyed it. I thought Jamie should have gone to trial and Claire been a key witness. The watch later found on the beach instead of that lame newspaper scenario. Putting the fire at The Lazy Tuna so close to the end of the story was totally a mistake! BUT, this is a guy's opinion... I can see why women would like it. Personally, and maybe i speak for most guys... but I doubt if I would read another Angel Island book.
July 15, 2016
Claire had not seen Jamie for almost 12 years and all of sudden he shows up on Angel Island. What is he here for, but it makes her wonder if he is up to the old trikes he was doing as a child. Avery comes to open a new restaurant on her own after a break up with her fiance. She starts getting advise from Mike who own a restaurant down the street. So much goes on and Avery's restaurant opens and business is slow but she get a tour group of senior citizens. What else can happen only you will know when you read the book.
November 6, 2013
This book was not the best of the series. I understand the author wanted to show another side of Claire, Lisa's cook and co manager of the Angel Island Inn. However Claire is completely out of character in her interactions with Jamie, a young man from her past when she worked at a shelter/haven for children in Boston. The other plot line is a sweet romance between Avery and Mike restaurant owners on the beach.
August 2, 2014
I loved this book! It gives the reader hope, as situations amongst the characters, really happens in life today. All of Katherine Spencer's novels gives readers hope, faith, peace, and love. A wonderful book to read no matter what is going on or what religion you are. We all need to be reminded of what all we have to be thankful for. It's easy to forget, and her novels bring back what we all have been missing.
May 2, 2013
Enjoyable read -- it was interesting to see more into the backstory of Claire North, the inn's cook and housekeeper. The love story between the restaurant owners was also sweet, even if a bit anemic. The book delivered exactly what I expected it to -- not Shakespeare, but definitely a comfortable, pleasant vacation. :)
April 27, 2013
Loved this book did not want it to end!!! I felt like I was living in the town and really felt like I got to know the people living their. Always wanted to live near the beach and this book really made me feel as though I was doing just that. Did not want the story to end. I hope their will be some more books coming along about the town and its people. Truly a great enjoyable read!!!!
July 27, 2015
Angel Island lives up to its promise
Like the wings of angels, the residents of Angel Island are enveloped and protected as the winds of life pellet and buffet them. Well written, without language ambiguities, tied up neatly, this is another story of redemption and restoration. The recipes are a nice side dish to this dish of a book.
Like the wings of angels, the residents of Angel Island are enveloped and protected as the winds of life pellet and buffet them. Well written, without language ambiguities, tied up neatly, this is another story of redemption and restoration. The recipes are a nice side dish to this dish of a book.
October 8, 2013
I always enjoy my visits to Angel Island. This visit was bittersweet since I knew that usually Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer write this series together. Rest in peace Mr. Kinkade!
October 28, 2014
As a continuation of Thomas Kinkade's Angel Island series, it was good. I enjoyed the new characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews