Excited about Reading

Excited about Reading: Her One and Only by Becky Wade

/ Dora Hiers / 10 Comments

her one and only wadeIt’s been a year since I devoured a Becky Wade book, so I was excited about reading Her One and Only, the 4th book in the Porter Family series. Here’s a little about the book then let’s chat. 🙂

The Cover Story~

Gray Fowler, star NFL tight end, is being pursued by a stalker, so his team hires a protection agency to keep Gray under the watch of a bodyguard at all times. When Gray meets Dru Porter, an agent assigned to him, he’s indignant. How can an attractive young female half his size possibly protect him?

But Dru’s a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt. She’s also ferociously determined to uncover the identity of Gray’s stalker. And she’s just as determined to avoid any kind of romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past. But the closer they get to finding the stalker, the closer they grow to each other. As the danger rises, can Dru and Gray entrust their hearts–and their lives–to one another?

Let’s Chat~

So, let me just start off saying I’m not a huge fan of prologues or books that begin with “3 months earlier” and this book had both. Once I got dates/characters/details situated in my head and waded through a somewhat slow beginning, the quick, witty and sarcastic dialog moved things along at a much faster clip. I laughed out loud at some of Dru’s zingers. Don’t give up!

Although ten years separate Dru from the youngest of her three brothers, she’s determined to prove that she can be as good or better than her siblings. A former Marine (just like them) now an Executive Protective Agent (bodyguard), she’s assigned to protect Gray, the “big football player.” A female bodyguard protecting a big, brawny hero. Quite the twist, don’t you think? Tough and not-at-all-girly, Dru adores her family and spends a lot of time with her quirky elderly neighbor, which makes her totally likable in my opinion.

What’s the last book you read with a twist on the heroine’s profession? What was the twist and did you like it?

NFL star Gray Fowler prefers his dates to be agreeable and warm, totally opposite prickly and disagreeable Dru. But since he’s not keen on his teammates razzing him about being protected by a female, he passes Dru off as his girlfriend. Soon, his thoughts revolve mostly around her, rather than football, and he discovers he likes feisty, strong-willed and direct much more than hero worship. But, Gray…that bet? What were you thinking?? lol.

Because of childhood issues, Gray steers clear of long lasting relationships. When he’s forced to confront his demons, he reveals his “hidden parts” to Dru, definitely a turning point for him. Dru didn’t judge, didn’t think or call him weak; rather, she offered something he needed desperately…all-in protection. Who’d have guessed that a big, hunky football player’s deepest need was protection? But her fierce protectiveness birthed trust.

Dru’s quirky neighbor reinforced and expanded the theme of letting go of your past by forgiving and moving forward. We’re reintroduced to the entire Porter clan and Bo and Meg confront a paralyzing fear. The birth of a foal conveys a subtle faith message.

He (God) wasn’t taking her concerns away. Rather, He was holding her up through them.

The faith element wasn’t in your face, but not bashful, either. Dru struggles with dating a man with questionable faith. Gray drinks and mows through girlfriends, but feels he behaves better than most of his friends. Real (believable) change takes place in both characters throughout the story. Overall, I really enjoyed Her One and Only and I’m looking forward to reading the next book by Wade.

TO PONDER: What we show to the world, whether it’s fierceness or confidence or rebellion, often hides deep wounds and/or ferocious fears. When someone reveals those soft spots, doesn’t it almost always change our feelings toward them? What do you think?

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of Her One and Only for the purposes of reading and offering my fair and unbiased opinion. I was in no way compensated for my review.

Excited about Reading: Fourth and Long by Liz Isaacson

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

The Cover Story~

Can one summer together make up for eight years of separation?

Commander Brett Murphy left his family’s construction firm in Oklahoma City for a life of hard work at Three Rivers Ranch. Alone, without a wife and kids, Brett needs the camaraderie he enjoyed while serving overseas with his Army buddies, Squire Ackerman and Peter Marshall.

What Brett doesn’t need is the reappearance of his ex-wife. Fiery Kate Donnely has come to Three Rivers to confess to Brett that they’re still married, and oh, he has a seven-year-old son she never told him about. At least not in letters she mailed.

Eight years ago, Kate left Oklahoma City only weeks after Brett’s first deployment, shamed because of her bad choices and the unborn child of a man she’d already asked for a divorce. She needs him to sign the papers now or she can’t have access to her hefty inheritance. But Brett absolutely does not want Kate to take his son away from him again.

They strike a deal: She’ll stay at Three Rivers for the summer so Brett can have the opportunity to get to know his son. How far will they have to go and how much will they have to forgive in order to become a family?

Sharing my takeaway~

How have I not read anything by Liz Isaacson before now? Yikes! I have a lot of reading to catch up. 🙂

I don’t typically choose to read books where the characters are married, but the cover spoke to me and the blurb intrigued. I didn’t like Kate in the beginning.  Never really got her. Like why she asked Brett for a divorce. Why she chose to stay silent about Reid. Why she stuck around and took abuse from a patronizing mother. I mean, she was an adult, why didn’t she just take her son and live on her own? I didn’t understand some of her choices, especially toward the end.

“Kate felt utterly alone, like she was the only woman stupid enough to make such colossal mistakes.” 

Yep. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? So, Kate’s love and devotion to her son, Reid, and her willingness to take a job and stay on the ranch just so Brett could get to know Reid, redeemed her. Brett, on the other hand…

“She’d loved the danger in his eyes. The years had changed him, and though his eyes were still pools of ebony, they held more wisdom now. The same passion, but curbed with patience and maturity.” 

He’s been through three deployments already, suffers from PTSD and a fear of sand. Horses calm him, and he’s found a sense of peace at Three Rivers Ranch. When Kate shows up and shatters his balance, I couldn’t blame him for wrestling with forgiveness. Even so, he’s kind and sweet and really good with Reid. What a hero! Especially when he…yikes, I can’t give that away! You’ll have to read the book. 🙂

I appreciated the insight from the letters and emails, but toward the end, I felt like they took over the story. The faith thread was subtle, not overpowering or preachy, and the romance the perfect balance of speak and sizzle. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Fourth and Long. Now, I’m off to find more romances in the Three Rivers Ranch series!

“The Lord speaks to each of us differently,” he said.

“Does He?” She wished her voice didn’t sound quite so desperate, quite so unsure. But she wasn’t sure God heard or answered her prayers.

Disclaimer: I purchased my own copy of this book. I was in no way compensated and this is my fair and unbiased review.

Excited about Reading: Going back by Jennifer Young

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

The cover story~

Feisty, redheaded, and fabulously rich student, Leona Castellano, is set upon returning to her Italian roots to put an old feud to bed. Her grandfather is dead, but his former enemy, Faustino Manfredi, seems determined the hostility should not die with him and turns his fury upon Leona.

When she becomes close to Faustino’s grandson, Nico, their romance strengthens Faustino’s vendetta and attracts the opposition of Leona’s parents, bringing Leona and Nico face to face with a terrible secret.

Sharing my thoughts~

Leona vacillated between rich spoiled child and a naive woman who hoped to reconcile families over an ancient feud. Moody and petulant, Nico’s inability to stand up to his father and grandfather annoyed me, but his love and concern for his sister redeemed him. Both characters dealt with a myriad of family issues and struggled to assert their independence.

“Somehow his loyalty made him less of a hero. When I fell in love with a man, it would be one who stood up for himself, even if that meant standing up to me.” ~Leona

Let me just put this out there. As a romance lover, I felt cheated with the actual romance in Going Back, as if all the juicy details happened before the first page.  I really wish the opening scene revealed the “inciting incident,” the one everybody rehashes repeatedly from differing POV’s. Instead, the wooing (if there was any) took place before the book opens (perhaps in the first book, A Portrait of My Love?), and Nico and Leona never connect on the page until approximately 23% into the book. When they finally get together, they argue, which even leads to a behind-the-door bedroom scene. Really? The romance lover in me cringed and wanted to close the book.

But I didn’t. Because, while Going Back lacked romance, it made up for it big in drama and family dynamics. Specifically, dealing with manipulative and controlling family members. We all have one, don’t we? A family member, whether by blood or marriage, who attempts to control you through manipulation or guilt or just plain browbeat you into submission. Until someone stands up to them or we distance ourselves, this person continues their abhorrent behavior.

“Somehow he and I would overcome everything, would make it work and put an end to the stupidity of hatred, instead of allowing it to reach into the third generation and taint it, the way it had done in the first and the second.”

I kept reading, anxious to see how the characters would overcome the obstacles to their happy-ever-after. The POV switches between 3rd (Nico) and 1st person (Leona), all separated by appropriate breaks, distracted me. Based on events and secrets that unfolded, I expected some kind of twist, but the author delivered a shock that even I didn’t see coming. 🙂

So, maybe not as much romance as I prefer, but the ending satisfied my happily-ever-after requirement. Jammed with drama and knitted with a heavy theme of forgiveness, Going Back was worth the read.

“Being good and kind and forgiving isn’t easy. You do it bit by bit.”
Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Tirgearr Publishers and Jennifer Young for allowing me the privilege of reviewing Going Back and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.