Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Lisa

Is it healthy to love a fictional family so much?: Review of A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

I don’t know if it’s good or bad that I love Becky Wade’s Porter family so much. Or that I inevitably start reading one of her books when I have a house full of housework to do.

a love like oursBut whatever. I’m not sorry. At least not sorry enough to give up reading Wade’s books or immersing myself in the Porter family world. The latest in the series, A Love Like Ours, is a heartwarming (and heartbreaking) story of childhood friends who rediscover each other as adults. Lyndie is a spunky sprite of a girl with a love for horses and a dream of jockeying. Jake Porter is an emotionally wounded, physically scarred Marine veteran who excels at shutting people out. (Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book through Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my review.)

The story is a testament of love and determination, of the power of relationships to bring healing, of sacrificial love and risking friendship for something more. I loved Lyndie’s spirit and how her life drew life out of Jake. I felt compassion for Jake’s struggles, and I cheered for his steps toward wholeness.

I think my favorite parts, though, were scenes where the Porter siblings–Bo, Ty, Jake and sister Dru–appeared together, especially one where the other three are confronting Jake about some things. It felt like a familiar family gathering with joking amidst serious talk, and the personalities of each character really shined. (Ty Porter is still my favorite, but don’t tell the others.)

Whenever I pick up a Becky Wade novel, I can count on her to deliver humor, romance and serious setbacks for the couple in question. She does it with such seamless storytelling that I’m almost sorry when I finish the book too quickly. (Also, the covers are all adorable. Check out Becky’s blog for the inside scoop on the making of these covers. I love this!)

If you like a fun romance for your summer reading, check out A Love Like Ours. (Or the other books in the Porter family series: Undeniably Yours and Meant to Be Mine.

And read on for more news about how you can help Becky celebrate this new book!

Fall in love with Becky Wade‘s new book, A Love Like Ours, a story of healing, romance, and cowboys. A glimmer of the hope Jake thought he’d lost returns when Lyndie lands back in Texas, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

To celebrate the release of her new book, Becky is giving away a $100 cash card and a book-inspired prize pack!

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One grand prize winner will receive:

  • A $100 cash card
  • A copy of A Love Like Ours
  • A copy of the Secretariat DVD
  • A scarf
  • A dog-tag/cross keychain
  • A pair of earrings
  • A Scarf
  • A Texas-shaped cutting board
  • A Jake Porter mug
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Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 26th. Winner will be announced May 27th on Becky’s site.

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The one who makes room

One of my best memories of high school (and there are few) is the lunch table where my friends and I gathered daily to share a meal. We always chose a circular table, rather than the long, rectangular ones. Maybe it felt more intimate or inclusive. I don’t know why, really, but I remember the tradition of finding a circle table and pulling up chairs and squeezing in around it.

The table was meant to seat six, maybe eight, but as the year went on, we found ourselves making room for one more person, and one more. There were days that 10 or more teenagers squeezed around this table, elbows bumping, food overlapping, personal space non-existent.

And it wasn’t that any of us was popular or well-known or even particularly well-liked. No, we were more like a band of misfits. We worked on the school newspaper, played in the band, got good grades. You know who we were. We were not flamboyant or funny. In a crowd, we’d usually blend in.

But at lunch, we came together as a group.

And we made room.

Paweł Wojciechowski | Creative Commons | via unsplash

Paweł Wojciechowski | Creative Commons | via unsplash

Read the rest over at Putting on the New, where I blog on the 12th of each month.