Author: Deanne Wilsted
Series: Stand Alone
Published: Feb. 13, 2013
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Author (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Christian/Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 3.5 to 4 Stars!
Book Description:
“I did what?”
Twenty-eight-year-old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly registered her newest couple for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her Catholic guilt into overdrive.
But who can blame her? The groom is gorgeous and his two kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions. Before long, she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and wife they lost years earlier.
Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy life that God has handed them?
My Thoughts and Review:
To be
honest I was a little hesitant going into this read, mostly because I
knew it has a slight Christian theme to it and I was really hoping
that it wouldn't turn out to be preachy. I don't mind religion in
books, I myself am quite religious but I hate feeling like I am being
preached to (I know, I know, that probably doesn't make sense).
Either way, I didn't need to worry. Why there are religious
undertones to this story it isn't preachy at all and I never felt
like the book took anything too far or over the top. The religious
aspect of it is there but in a very subtle nice way.
I really
liked Gabriella. She was reserved (but still a little fiery), kind,
strong and had a heart of gold. She wanted what was best for everyone
and always seemed to know what were the right things to do and say
with Peter and Chloe, who were still very much grieving over the loss
of their mother two years earlier. She wasn't perfect, she had her
own demons to work out but that made her all the better. I think her
hardships made her who she was, made her understanding and caring and
someone you would want to be with.
Father
O'Shea was surprisingly another favorite of mine. He too was kind but
he was also a little mischievous and wanted what was best for
everyone, even if that meant he had to push and meddle a little in
the process to get what he thought was “right” for those he cared
about. You could see that he too had a heart of gold.
I liked
Ryan but, I didn't love him. Sometimes I felt like he really needed a
good smack over the head for him to open his eyes, see what was
around him (mostly his kids and how they were dealing with his wife's
death) and start dealing with the things that needed dealt with. To
stop turning a blind eye to things that were staring him right in the
face (and okay, maybe even all the signs that things were not as they
should be!). It was a little frustrating at times.
I did feel
for him being a single dad trying to raise two children on his own
and really, doing the best he could but I really thought he could of
handled so many things so much better and really, in a lot more time
than he had (that will make more sense to you once you read the
story, I promise!).
I did love
his moments with Chloe and Peter though. They were great kids and I
really liked that we got small glimpses throughout the story into
their thoughts and feelings as well, it was a nice touch to the
story.
This was a
little slower paced than what I would have liked but overall it was a
very heartwarming story filled with learning to let go and love again
and to follow your heart, no matter what.
I
am glad I gave this story a chance. I give this one 3.5 to 4 Stars!
Great review. I don't mind some religion in books either and totally agree with your point of view. This one sounds like it could be interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good and I understand your apprehension. My grandmother use to say too much salt can spoil the meat and that can easily apply in faith-based books, especially those that are preachy. If it makes sense for the character to call on their god or hold to their faith then it works.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends is a single father of two and he's doing an amazing job with those things so quite frankly, I don't think I'd be very sympathetic towards Ryan. But the rest of this sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. :)
I'm always a bit apprehensive about books with religious undertones too, because I don't like being preached to either. Glad to hear this was well done, and that you ended up enjoying it. I have to admit I never would have checked this out if not for your review, but now I'm intrigued. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI know I cmmented on this before, for some reason the comments I made from my kindle don't seem to be showing up. Just wanted you to know I have been reading and commenting, they just didn't all go through.
ReplyDeleteI'm hesistant about books with religious tones but it sounds like this one worked out. One of my favorite series ever is technically Christian fiction but I wouldn't have guessed since it was so subtle. (That's The River of Time series by Lisa Bergren)
I think it makes perfect sense to me. I like christian fiction once in a while, it's a little relaxing and cute and there is a lot of story and detail. I myself am religious in a way but hate it when books preach - because it feels like religion got too preachy /shrugs
ReplyDeleteI usually avoid Christian books because I don't like preachy books either. But if they are not overly religious then I do like a sweet heartwarming story.
ReplyDelete