inspirational romance

Excited about Reading: London Tides by Carla Laureano

/ Dora Hiers
Purchase Link

The Cover Story: 
Irish photojournalist Grace Brennan travels the world’s war zones documenting the helpless and forgotten. After the death of her friend and colleague, Grace is shaken.

She returns to London hoping to rekindle the spark with the only man she ever loved—Scottish businessman Ian MacDonald. But he gave up his championship rowing career and dreams of Olympic gold years ago for Grace … only for her to choose career over him. Will life’s tides bring them back together … or tear them apart for good this time?

My Takeaway:
I read Five Days in Skye, and LOVED it. You can read that review here. It’s not necessary to read Skye first although London Tides revisits Skye for a joyous celebration, so I’d recommend it. 🙂

“She shouldn’t be here.” London Tides pulled me in with the first line. It didn’t take long for Ian and Grace to reconnect after a ten year separation, and, oh, what a sweet romance for a few pages! Always a but, though, right? This is one of those books where I knew the bottom was going to drop out any minute and that my heart would be ripped into shreds. Yes. That’s exactly what this book did.

“You can’t see all the suffering and violence and hatred without wondering if there’s still good in the world. Most of my colleagues see evil as proof that God couldn’t exist. But despite all the bad, there are still people who help others when their safety, their very lives are at risk. When I see that, I know without a doubt he has to exist. I think without God, the good that remains couldn’t survive.” ~Grace

I was so invested in the characters. Grace because she was hurting, suffering from PTSD after living through the horrors of war zones and, since her identity had always been wrapped up in her job, wondering who she was now. Ian because he never gave up loving Grace, not after ten years apart and not even when a close friend and his well-intentioned mother tried to convince him otherwise. But at a crucial spot in the book, I wanted to throw my hands in the air and scream at Grace, “What are you doing? Just tell him how you really feel!”

For me the ending was a bit too abrupt. After ravaging my emotions, I wanted a little more happily-ever-after, a bit more “ahhh” factor when I flipped to the last page. But don’t let that stop you from scooping up this sweet romance! With a subtle faith thread weaved throughout and a plot that’ll keep you guessing whether Ian and Grace will actually enjoy a happily-ever-after, London Tides will appeal to contemporary romance readers across genres.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley and David C. Cook Publisher for the purpose of sharing my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, and I received no monetary compensation.

Excited about Reading ~ Secretly Yours by Valerie Comer

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Purchase Link~Amazon

The Cover Story ~ Chef Lindsey Solberg agrees to cater the church’s Valentine’s Day fundraising banquet as a favor to her teen sister, but she’s shocked to discover the bad boy from her high school days is now Riverbend’s youth pastor. Seriously? How could he have changed that much? Nick Harrison has prayed for years for an opportunity to make amends. Now Lindsey’s back in Riverbend and won’t give him the time of day. What’s a guy to do except leave a trail of gifts from a secret admirer?

Lindsey’s heart takes a beating when she realizes the boy who was never good enough is now a far better man than she deserves.


My takeaway ~ Food, faith and romance? How could I resist, especially when this little gem was offered free on Amazon. lol.

Overall, I enjoyed the story especially how Nick wooed Lindsey even after she was rather rude to him in the beginning. I admit having a hard time believing that Nick wanted to pursue her, but then I realized that it was the perfect picture of how Christ romances us even after we reject Him. 

Weighing in at only 91 pages, I breezed through this novella rather quickly. There were some light moments, but it also packed a powerful message.

“Love isn’t something we deserve. Any of us. But God gave us an example. He loved us when we didn’t deserve it at all. When we were mean to Him and hurled our filth in His face. Still He gave us His greatest treasure, His only Son, because He loved us that much.” ~ Nick


If you like romances with a strong faith message, you will enjoy Secretly Yours. I would definitely read more books by Valerie Comer.

Disclaimer: I received my copy of Secretly Yours while it was offered free on Amazon. This review is my opinion, and I received no compensation.

Excited about Reading: Just the Way You Are by Jessica R. Patch

/ Dora Hiers
Free for a limited time
when you sign up for her Patched In Newsletter

The Cover Story~

When Pastor Gabe asks Audrey Gilbraith to use her mad florist skills to help him design a prayer garden, she’s all in, especially since it helps take her mind off the fact she’s about to lose her job and her apartment. But working closely with Gabe and not falling for him is complicated. She’s not pastor’s wife material, and she has the past to prove it.

Gabriel Brookson wants out of Audrey’s friend-zone, but when he pursues her romantically, he ruffles more than a few feathers in his congregation. How much is he willing to give up for this wonderful, quirky woman, and will Audrey accept him if he risks it all?

My Takeaway~
Have you ever been in a situation, or worse, in a relationship, where you didn’t feel like anything you did was good enough? Where no matter how much you tried to fit in or how much you attempted to be that person nothing worked? It’s no fun. And that’s Aubry. Loud and boisterous, she cracks yo-mama jokes and is chronically late to everything, including church. She’s also hiding a tremendous amount of pain and guilt from her past.

“People dressed up hurt in all sorts of ways. Dresses and heels, a grin and witty words didn’t mean it wasn’t simmering under the surface, ready to explode…”


None of that matters to Pastor Gabe, who finds Aubry refreshing and honest, and has loved her for the past two years. When he finally woos her to move past friends, certain members of his church force him to choose between staying at the church or loving Aubry.

The underlying theme shines throughout this book like a lighthouse on a foggy night. Aubry didn’t have to change for Pastor Gabe to love her anymore, just like we don’t have to change for God to love us anymore. He loves us exactly as we are, where we are, even if we have a past we’re ashamed of.

I read Hope Under Mistletoe and loved it, so I was excited to snatch up another book by Jessica R. Patch. I love how she writes grace into her stories using real-to-life characters and witty dialog without being preachy. Just the Way You Are is a quick read, a wonderful book for a lazy weekend afternoon. I’m definitely a new fan!

Disclaimer: I received this novella free by signing up for Jessica’s Patched In newsletter. I received no compensation for my fair and unbiased review.