As I said when I posted the excerpt for the blog tour, The Son & His Hope is the first Pepper Winters book I was going to read. This book was so unique and I know it’s going to be something I think about for quite awhile. Let’s talk about what I thought of this book!

“Things you should know about me from the very beginning:
I was born to true love, witnessed the destruction it causes, and vowed never to let such agony happen to me. I am not a story-teller like my father. I am not a writer like my mother. I am just a son—their son.
I am happy being alone.
And that is all I ever want to be.”

JACOB
The day he was born, Jacob learned his hardest and longest lesson.
It wasn’t a lesson a boy should learn so young, but from his earliest memories he knew where happiness lives, so does tragedy. Where love exists, so does heartbreak. And where hope resides, so does sorrow.
That lesson carved him from the kid to the teen to the man.
And nothing and no one could change his mind.

HOPE
I first met him when he was fourteen at a movie premiere of all places. A movie based on his parent’s life.
He was stoic, strong, suspicious, and secretive.
I was only ten, but I felt something for him. A strange kind of sorrow that made me want to hug and heal him.
I was the daughter of the actor hired to play his father.
We shared similarities.
I recognized parts of him because they were parts of me.
But no matter how many times we met. No matter how many times I tried.
He stayed true to his vow to never fall.

Review

I have to start with saying that after reading The Son & His Hope I finally understand the cover. The little touch of lace and the meadow mean so much more now that I know this story. It fits this story perfectly. I also have to say that this is a hard review to write, because this book made me feel so much.

The author was smart I think by starting off when Hope is ten and Jacob is 14. I loved the little jumps in time, because I think it brought their story to life just a little bit more. It’s like we got to experience everything with them. Add the dual POV and the introductions to every part of this book and I was sold.

Pepper Winters has a way with words that made me feel everything these characters were feeling. Both Hope and Jacob have already gone through way too much for their age. Losing someone so important to you at such a young age, is something you don’t just get over. The Son & His Hope really makes that clear. On top of a love story, this book gives us so much more. The journey through grief and accepting that people will die and learning that it’s okay to open up your heart.

My heart broke for Jacob. Losing his father hit him harder than it does a lot of people. He loves so much, but can’t accept that. Love hurts and everyone dies. Jacob tries so hard to protect his heart that he loses so much. Even though showing humans love (a simple hug is too much), the horses and land are where he finds his peace and feeling of freedom.

Hope knows loss as well, but deal with it differently. Even becoming slightly obsessed with death she learns to accept her mother’s death. She is so much stronger than she realizes and knows from the start Jacob is the one. The only thing for Hope is finding her place in the world. She doesn’t belong in the spotlights like her father does. Hope belongs on the land and with the horses.

Reading about Hope and Jacob’s relationship is actually pretty hard. While we can see so much love, there is also a lot of fear. Hope is determined though and doesn’t give up. I love that we see Jacob slowly growing and trying to love. It hurt everytime he would get let down by something happening, just as he started opening up.

I think this author wrote a heartbreaking journey for these characters with some special moments every once in awhile. Hope and Jacob’s relationship is nowhere near healthy, but it’s clear there is a lot of love. In all honesty, this story was a 5 star read for me until near the end. I think it went a bit too far. All the events closer to the end become too much. That became a bit unrealistic for me. It was just too much.

All in all, the ending made up for that little bump in the road. I can also advise you not to read this story in public if you don’t want everyone see your tears! I haven’t read the Blue Ribbon Duet yet, but after reading this one, I definitely plan on picking it up!

The Son & His Hope was an emotional ride, but those are the best books. Once again, a big thank you to Social Butterfly PR and the author for providing me with an ARC of this amazing story. What was the last book that broke your heart?