Hope For the Future by Evelyn Hood
Series: The Lowrie Family #2
Genres: 20th Century Historical Romance
Can a family escape it s dark past to find happiness?
Buckie, Scotland 1918
Brothers James and Innes Lowrie return home to their wives and families after the war, Innes working for a shipbuilder and James returning to sea and the family's fishing business. Sister Bethany Pate and Innes have sons and heirs to go into the family business, but James does not. Innes takes in orphaned Etta Mulholland, adding to his already large family.
In 1931, as the new generation take the helm and pursue various careers in Buckie s fishing industry, some are content to take on the roles their parents have chosen for them, while others rail against these strictures. Adam Pate longs to join the man he knows as his uncle, James, as a fisherman, while his mother wants him to study at university and to find a life far from the danger of discovering dark family secrets.
Trouble brews when Etta Mulholland begins work as a herring gutter, guided by her cousins, but new relationships set various family members against one another, and the family s fortunes are threatened by external forces and the sea itself.
Is there light and happiness ahead for the hardworking families of Buckie or will discord from the past weave into their futures.
In this series: Echoes Of The Past
Other books from this Author Echoes Of The Past
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Review
Set in Buckie, Scotland, this installment of The Lowrie Family series spans two pivotal periods—1918 and 1931—capturing both the immediate aftermath of war and the quieter, equally turbulent struggles of the next generation.
In 1918, brothers James and Innes Lowrie return home from the Great War to their wives, children, and the familiar pull of the sea. Innes finds steadier work with a shipbuilder, while James returns to fishing and the family business. Life resumes, but it is irrevocably changed. The absence of an heir for James, contrasted with Innes’s growing family, creates subtle tensions, further complicated when Innes takes in the orphaned Etta Mulholland—an act of kindness that carries long-term consequences.
By 1931, the focus shifts to the next generation as they begin to carve out their own paths within Buckie’s fishing industry. Some embrace the roles laid out for them, while others push back hard against expectation and tradition. Adam Pate, raised believing James is his uncle, dreams of following him to sea, while his mother is determined to steer him toward education and safety—away from danger, and away from buried family secrets.
The dual timeline works beautifully, allowing the reader to see how past decisions quietly shape present conflicts. Nothing is simple here—careers, loyalties, and relationships all come with complications. When Etta Mulholland enters the workforce as a herring gutter, tensions rise, and the cracks beneath the surface begin to show.
What makes this book so compelling is how much is packed into its pages without ever feeling rushed. The author excels at portraying everyday life by the sea—hard, dangerous, and deeply communal—while layering in emotional complexity and generational strain. The characters feel authentic, flawed, and deeply human, and the setting is vividly realized.
This is a thoughtful, immersive continuation of the series—rich in historical detail, emotional depth, and quiet drama. It’s a story about inheritance in all its forms: family, work, secrets, and sacrifice. I was completely absorbed and eager to see where the next chapter of this family’s story will lead.
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