Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

contemporary romance

Better every time: Review of Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh

Sometimes when I’ve read everything an author has written, I worry that I’m going to get more of the same, and I wonder if I could possibly love something new they’ve written as much as I love something they’ve previously written.

Am I the only reader who struggles with this? 

The best writers I know are constantly improving and their stories get better every time. Courtney Walsh is one of those writers and her latest novel, Just Let Go, might just be her best one yet. In Just Let Go, we return to Harbor Pointe, Michigan, the setting of a previous novel, Just Look Up, a small lakeside tourist town where Olympic skier Grady Benson has unexpectedly become stranded due to some personal setbacks. When he’s sentenced to community service to make up for some property damage, he finds himself stuck with the people of Harbor Pointe, including Quinn Collins, who recently bought the flower shop of her childhood dreams.

There is so much to love about this book. First of all, Harbor Pointe had a Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) feel to it, something I didn’t pick up on as much in the first book set here. In Just Let Go, I had an easier time picturing the downtown and the secondary characters who added to the personality of the place with their quirks.

(Also, can we talk about the cover? I love that flowers are front and center and there’s a guy in the background and the girl is seemingly the one receiving the flowers. I don’t know what it is for sure, but it’s refreshing to see something different on the cover of a romance novel.)

Secondly, Quinn and Grady seem all wrong for each other and their apparently mismatched pairing keeps the story moving forward. Seldom is there a surprise ending in contemporary romance stories–as a reader, I’m always pretty sure the two main characters are going to end up together–but the how of it all is what keeps me reading. And Courtney cooks up plenty of conflict and drama for these two characters.

Put this one on your summer reading list! It satisfies in all the best ways!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher as part of the Tyndale Blog Network. Review reflects my honest opinion.

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When life throws a curve: Review of Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade

What if an impulsive decision changed your life forever?

meant to be mineCelia Park has had a thing for Ty Porter since high school and when their paths cross in Las Vegas, the spark is still there. After four unbelievable days of a Vegas-style romance, Celia and Ty end up at a wedding chapel for an equally Vegas-style wedding. In the morning, Celia wakes up with no regrets; Ty, on the other hand, has nothing but. Their dream relationship ends after four days and the two part ways. Five and a half years later, they’re still married though they haven’t seen each other all that time. Circumstances force Ty to find Celia and he finds more than his in-name-only wife–he finds Celia raising a daughter, his daughter, alone.

Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade is the story of Celia and Ty’s relationship as Celia learns to trust a man who broke her heart and Ty learns to live for something other than bull riding. (Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.) It’s a sweet, funny, inspiring love story that mirrors the aches of the human heart for love and forgiveness.

Wade writes some of the best contemporary inspirational stories on the market today. I love her style of storytelling, especially in this book Celia’s spunk and Ty’s charm. You can almost hear the irresistible smile as he speaks. And the cover is just plain adorable and captures Celia’s personality perfectly.

If you’re stocking up on summer reading, add this one to your list. (And check out Becky’s other books, including the first in the Porter family series, Undeniably Yours.)