Christian Romance published May 6, 2014
Bethany House
Author's website | Goodreads | Buy the Book on Amazon
Synopsis from Goodreads
Contemporary Romance to Make You Laugh, Cry, and Fall in LoveMy Thoughts...
When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life: "God, if you're real, I want to know you."
It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome, confident, and seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to fall in love with one of the locals.
Nick Sheridan is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow: no dating for a year. And it's a vow he intends to keep in spite of his attraction to Kate Darby...
I have to say right off that I totally judged this book by it's cover! I saw that cover and read the synopsis and I immediately wanted to read it. As you know, if you are one of my regular readers, I don't typically read or review Christian Fiction. I have made an exception for Bethany House, I have read a handful of books they have published in the last several years and I have enjoyed them all. I like that they are religious without being too in your face, the messages are more subtle, but to the point. That wasn't so much the case with this book. I felt like this one was more preachy and it took away from the story for me.
Kate Darby is a young woman who loves her career and it's a good one, but she loves her Grandmother more. When Leona has a stroke and needs care Kate takes a leave of absence from her job so that she can take care of her during her recovery. She has an accident on her way there and this is where she meets Nick. He is a new Christian who is determined that he isn't going to date for a year. This is going to be hard for him once he meets Kate.
I feel like this story had so much potential, but the preachy aspect of it hindered it. I liked Nick's character, but I didn't really connect with him. I didn't connect with Kate at all for some reason. She just seemed really detached and unsure of everything. She loved her job, but didn't know if she wanted to keep it. She loved Nick, but didn't want to admit it because she wasn't sure she believed in God the same way he did. I didn't feel like her "conversion" was really completely honest. I feel like it was just kind of glossed over especially after all the lead up.
The whole condor story line was what was connecting Kate to her Grandparents past and how Leona came to terms with her faith, etc... but it wasn't particularly interesting for me. It's probably just me, but California Condors really aren't something I am interested in and now I know a whole lot about them. I think more time could have been spent developing the relationship between the main characters instead of all the condor history.
Overall, I did enjoy the story, but I felt like the whole thing was too rushed and I could have done with a more subtle religious theme. If you like Christian Romance then this is probably a book that you will enjoy.
XOXO, Shelly
*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*
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