Serenity Point

Serenity Point is a fictional town, the setting for two book series by Canadian Christian romance author Kimberly Rae Jordan: The Halversons (an ongoing series featuring the Halverson family, centered around the family's medical clinic) and Christmas in Serenity Point (a series of three Christmas-themed novels issued in 2022 and early 2023, which feature some of the Halversons in crossover scenes).

The town is portrayed as being in northern Idaho, roughly an hour way from the city of Coeur d'Alene, and is small but large enough to have one "big box" chain store serving it and the surrounding area. The town's most prominent employer is a local ski resort; two of the Halversons - including the resort's general manager - are employed there.

Halverson Family

Cathy and Dan Halverson are both doctors, who previously operated a medical clinic in Serenity Point (originally started by one of the couple's parents, not stated which one, and which also operates as a "free clinic" on Saturdays) until retiring to concentrate on medical missionary work. Dan also serves as an elder at the church where the family worships.

The Halversons (a White couple) are parents of ten children, a mix of biological (six) and adopted (four) children (two of which are Black, taken in by the couple at the request of the children's terminally ill birth mother, a family friend).

The children (in order of book portrayal) are:

• Gareth--portrayed as the oldest biological child. His story is portrayed in Gareth, the first book in the series. He followed his parents into the medical profession and now operates the medical clinic along with two of his adopted siblings (Jay and Janessa).
  • Aria--a friend of Janessa's from nursing school. Originally from Sacramento, after her mother's death she falls into depression and is fired as a nurse after coming to work intoxicated. She leaves the medical profession and eventually moves to Serenity Point to work as the clinic's receptionist. Ultimately, she and Gareth begin dating and eventually marry; Aria returns to the nursing profession as the clinic's "backup nurse".
• Jaylen "Jay"--one of two Black children adopted by the Halversons. His story is portrayed in Jaylen, the second book in the series. He and Janessa are biological siblings (Jay is older by two years) whose mother died of a terminal illness (the father's absence is later explained to be death as a result of a car accident). He is the business manager for the clinic and frequently clashes with Gareth over operations (requiring Janessa to intervene).
  • Michelle "Misha"--the new (as of the second book) female doctor at the family clinic. She and her family move to Serenity Point from Atlanta, after her younger brother is killed by a gang (in retaliation for the actions of her older brother who leads a rival gang; the younger brother was not involved in gang activity and was planning on studying engineering in college). Her older brother's actions have caused a clinic where she worked in Atlanta to close (the doctor at that clinic paid for her medical degree and planned to pay for her younger brother's degree as well); due to his gang activity the family does not disclose their new city of residence.
    • Denise--Misha's mother. She is the mother of three children; her husband - who was part of a gang - was murdered while serving a life sentence in prison for his activities.
    • Ciera--Misha's daughter, she is the biological child of her younger brother. Ciera's mother planned to abort Ciera, but Misha encouraged her to give birth, agreeing to adopt her.
    • Payton--Jay's son, whose existence is not known by Jay until the child's mother discloses it (she is signing away her parental rights; it is hinted that the mother's fiancé does not want to raise another man's child, especially one that is hinted at being mixed-race).
• Janessa--Jay's biological sister, also adopted by the Halversons. Her story is portrayed in Janessa, the third book in the series. She works in the clinic as a nurse.
  • Will--a long-time friend of Gareth and Jay (and the son of the pastor where the Halversons attend church), who begins dating Janessa. Their relationship ends after he and Janessa are seriously injured in a car crash (Janessa ends it, being consumed with fear of losing someone else close to her) but is later resumed.
    • Liam--Will and Janessa's infant son. Wilder calls him "Slugger" as he has a habit of punching Wilder in the nose.
• Kayleigh--works as the head manager for a "five-star resort" located north of Serenity Point. Her story is portrayed in Kayleigh, the fourth book in the series. She is portrayed as the third of the ten siblings and is notably shorter than the others.
  • Hudson--the illegitimate son of Alexander Remington, owner of the resort. After a series of incidents involving the resort (later discovered to be the work of a disgruntled employee, who believed that Kayleigh was given the manager's job because of Alexander), Hudson is sent to Serenity Point to investigate. He is portrayed as being a Christian but having lost his faith after his mother - a social worker - was murdered by the estranged husband of a domestic violence victim. Ultimately, he returns to his faith and moves to Serenity Point.
• Charlotte "Charli"--works as an elementary school teacher in Serenity Point. Her story is portrayed in Charlotte, the fifth book in the series.
  • Blake--Charli's former boyfriend, father of Layla. He returns to Serenity Point after leaving the military when the mother of his other daughter (Amelia) is killed in a car accident. He and Charli ultimately reunite and marry.
    • Layla--Charli's daughter. Her father (Blake) is originally portrayed as absent from their lives but returns (not knowing of Layla's existence) with another daughter (Amelia).
    • Amelia--Blake's daughter from another relationship. She is often called "Berry" due to her love of blueberries and strawberries. She dreams of becoming a competitive figure skater and later is coached by Lexi.
    • Shiloh--Skylar's daughter who the couple adopts at Skylar's request. In the ninth book of the series, she successfully undergoes treatment for cancer.
    • Charli and Blake later have two boys.
• Lee--works in a veterinary clinic. His story was portrayed in Lee, the sixth book in the series (he is not introduced prior to this). He was adopted by the Halversons after he was nearly murdered by his abusive parents (to protect him, law enforcement fabricated a story about his death; his older brother was murdered by them).
  • Aurora (Rori)--the daughter of a wealthy resident who was conceived as a result of an affair, she was raised by a grandmother until that person died, after which she was regularly shuttled between parents - neither of whom wanted permanent custody - forcing her to become self-reliant at an early age. Her favorite hobby is photography, the one item on which she will spend money.
• Wilder--works during the winter as a ski instructor at the resort where Kayleigh is manager. His story was portrayed in Wilder, the seventh book in the series. Otherwise, he travels around the country and the world, seemingly without any plans (thus earning him the name "Wilder the Wanderer"). It is later revealed that he helps rescue children from human trafficking and works closely with an orphanage in Thailand (a country notorious for child sex tourism).
  • Alexandra (Lexi)-- a former competitive figure skater; after her father was sent to prison for fraud (notably, he defrauded fellow churchgoers), she and her skating partner ended their relationship (and engagement). She ended up working at the resort, teaching on a new skating rink built by Remington (his wife and her mother were good friends; it was her influence that led Lexi to Serenity Point). Though she and her partner would reunite (and Lexi would go on to win an Olympic gold medal), the partnership ended shortly thereafter when her partner was injured in a car accident (his family specifically did not want Lexi to visit). In a later book it is revealed they have a child.
• Zane--an adopted son (he knows he is adopted but does not want to know the origins of it). His story was portrayed in Zane, the seventh book in the series. He leaves Serenity Point shortly after the breakup of a relationship and moves to Chicago to become a chef. While there, he leaves his faith and marries a non-Christian, and they move to Tampa when he gets a job as a sous-chef at a one-star Michelin restaurant. However, he is seriously injured in a car accident, losing four years of memory (thus, he wonders who his wife is, and thinks he's still with his old girlfriend).
  • Kelsey--the youngest of three daughters; the parental relationship was horrible, and she has no contact with any of her family. She marries Zane while they were in Chicago. Eventually, though Zane does not regain his memory, they are able to maintain their marriage, and she becomes a Christian. She also passes the nursing exam and works in a home for elderly patients.
• Skylar--initially a high school student who is a cheerleader, later goes to college and leaves Serenity Point, working as a flight attendant for a Las Vegas firm offering private aircraft flight services. Her story is portrayed in Skylar, the ninth book in the series. She discovers she is pregnant but ends the relationship with the child's father as he seemingly doesn't care (and even offers to pay for an abortion); she asks Charli and Blake to adopt the child. However, in the upcoming book she reunites with the child's father.
  • Aiden McIntyre--Skylar's ex-boyfriend and Shiloh's father. He didn't believe Skylar was telling the truth about her pregnancy (thinking she was saying that to keep him around). They initially meet again so Aiden could be tested for possible stem cell donation; they later reunite, marry, and have a child (Miles Robert).
• Cole--initially a high school student who is a top-level basketball star, later goes to college and eventually to the professional ranks. His story is portrayed in Cole, the tenth and final book in the series. He is discovered to be the best match for Shiloh as a possible stem cell donor. In the ninth book, he is friends with Aiden (but wasn't aware that he was Shiloh's father, nor about his comments about Skylar). In his book, he eventually retires from pro sports to serve with a Christian sports ministry.
  • Annelisa "Annie" Walker (nee Burke). The daughter of uber-rich Duncan Burke, her surname is changed after she and her twin sister, Angelica, were kidnapped; she was returned after a ransom was paid but Angelica was not, and the family never knew if she was still alive or murdered. It caused her mother to essentially abandon her; she has no relationship with her. Her father has become overprotective of her, her older full sibling Julian, and her younger half sibling Benjamin (Benji), and at one point threatens Cole's career (as he has purchased a part interest in the NBA franchise for whom Cole plays). She has an online business making custom clothing; however, she donates all the proceeds - plus matching amounts from her monthly allowance - to a local women's shelter. (A planned follow-on series will feature Annie's three siblings; Angelica is discovered to be alive and living in rural Kentucky with a couple who took her in after her "parents" - likely those who kidnapped the girls - claimed they were "unable" to care for her.)