Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.
But this December, Lauren‘s brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.
Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.
Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.
She’s circumspect and organized. He’s flirty and spontaneous.
She’s convinced that people don’t change. He’s trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.
On this cross-country road trip, they’ll both discover that history doesn’t exactly repeat itself. . . but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A Cross-Country Christmas and journeying with Lauren and Will on their road trip from the Santa Monica Pier to their hometown in Illinois. Lauren is a very independent person and she has a successful career in TV set design. She likes to be in control and plan out every aspect of her life. But she can’t say no to her brother’s request to come home for Christmas and the imminent birth of her niece or nephew.
Will is a baseball coach in L.A. who’s still coming to terms with how he messed up his major league opportunity in college and disappointed his family and friends. He says yes to his best friend’s request to drive Lauren home to Illinois for Christmas. Will has had feelings for Lauren for years, but he knows he’s not good enough for his best friend’s sister.
Lauren’s heart took a beating years ago when she saw Will at his worst, and she’s determined to protect her heart and resist Will’s charms. She can endure a few days on the road with Will and leave the past in the past.
The road trip detours on their journey home for Christmas are super fun to read. The characters in the story are adorable and hilarious. Will and Lauren’s bumpy romance journey has a poignant and satisfying ending. I recommend A Cross-Country Christmas to readers who like Christmas rom com road trip stories that include the ‘I-hate-you’ and ‘brother’s best friend’ romance tropes.
Take a trip to Millie’s Boardinghouse this Christmas…
When Walter and Violet fake a relationship for the sake of their families, they find themselves in a surprising situation under the mistletoe thanks to Millie, the inn’s owner.
But just as sparks begin to fly and Walter prepares to confess his feelings, he gets news from his family that will have both he and Violet reevaluating what they really want this Christmas… and for their future.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this short historical romance novella set in the early 1950’s in Alabama, USA. Violet has big plans to travel and see the world. She takes a short term position at Millie’s Inn to help her family financially and save money for her overseas travels. Violet wants to marry for love and she resists parental pressure to marry and settle down.
The story opens with Walter proposing to his girlfriend at the Inn. His public humiliation is on full display when his girlfriend rejects his proposal and runs away. The awkward proposal is Violet’s first impression of Walter, and she’s drawn to him despite the unique circumstances.
Walter asks Violet if she can pretend to be his fiancé because he doesn’t want to disappoint his parents. She agrees, and in return Walter will assist Violet by faking a relationship when visiting with her family.
A fun and charming romance unfolds in first person, present tense viewpoint. I recommend Christmas at the Inn to historical romance readers who like 1950’s era sweet and wholesome fake relationship Christmas romance novellas.
Celebrate the holidays with this sweet contemporary inspirational romance novella (with a splash of humor!) about a woman who is surrounded by Christmas and a man who could – eh- do without it.
Sadie Jenkins lives and breathes Christmas every, single day of the year. Owner of Bethlehem’s Boutique in the tourist mountain town of Gatlinburg, TN, she has no room for the bad boys of her past and devotes her whole life to the struggling boutique and her teenage daughter, Maribelle. She’s perfectly happy with her country-living life until he walks into her store.
Nate Myers travels the globe for his job and has the bank account to prove his success. The former “bad” boy is in town for a short visit with his sister and is determined to not get caught up in all the Christmas hype. But then he falls for the beautiful shopkeeper—quite literally.
Will these two (sorta) opposites be able to find a happily-ever-after together?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A (kinda) Country Christmas novella set in the small Smoky Mountains town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Sadie is a single mother who inherited her parents’ Christmas store. Her parents relocated the family from Indiana to Tennessee after Sadie became pregnant at sixteen to her drug addicted boyfriend. Sadie grew up fast and has raised her daughter, Mari, to share her faith. The Christmas store is struggling financially and Sadie is worried about how they will pay for Mari’s college tuition.
Nate is a well traveled businessman with no financial concerns and no real home. His sister, Kendra, lives in Gatlinburg and he agrees to visit with her and stay long enough to watch her theatre performance. Nate discovers Sadie’s Christmas store and their meet cute is hilarious.
Kendra is good friends with Sadie, and Kendra’s matchmaking efforts are complicated by Sadie and Nate’s initial first impressions of each other at the Christmas store. A fun romance develops as Nate searches for home and Sadie wrestles with finances and moving into the empty nest stage of life when Mari leaves for college. I recommend A (kinda) Country Christmas to readers who like fun small town Christmas romantic comedies with a strong faith element.
New Year. New Resolution. New Love? What happens when the best-laid plans break a friendship?
As the twin sister of hockey’s hottest forward, romance-loving Bree Karlsson is used to being ignored, leading to a New Year’s resolution to not date any athlete in her attempt to find Mr. Right. But what happens when the man who might prove to be her personal Mr. Darcy is her brother’s hockey-playing best friend?
Mike Vaughan might be happy playing in Boston, but he’d be even happier if Bree could one day see him as more than a good friend. He agrees to help Bree with a special project in the hope she’ll finally see him as something more. But when a misunderstanding ends in a Valentine’s Day disaster, Bree realizes that her breakup project may have broken her friendship with Mike in two. Can she ever redeem her mistake?
This friends-to-more romance has plenty of heart, humor, and swoon-worthy kisses in this first book of the Original Six, a sweet, slightly sporty Christian contemporary romance series.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Break-Up Project, set in Toronto, Canada, and Boston, USA. Bree feels like she lives in the shadow of Brent, her hockey star twin brother. She is happy working in a day care centre in Toronto, and her normal life is poles apart from her twin’s life. Bree is concerned that Brent’s current life choices, including a new and glamorous social climbing girlfriend, are at odds with his faith and Christian beliefs. Bree enlists the help of her brother’s best friend, Mike, to encourage her twin to get his life back on track.
Mike plays hockey for Boston, and has long kept his feelings for Bree a secret. When Bree asks for his help with the Brent situation, Mike is happy to assist and rekindle his friendship with Bree. Mike would love their friendship to progress into romance territory, but Bree is determined to avoid dating hockey players and she keeps giving Mike mixed signals.
A fun and engaging romance develops as both Bree and Mike are challenged to consider whether they could become more than friends in God’s timing. They live in different countries, and Mike’s philanthropy includes supporting a child sponsorship charity based in the Philippines. I highly recommend The Breakup Project(Original Six Romance, Book 1) to contemporary romance readers who like friends-to-more romances and brother’s best friend romance stories with a strong faith element set in the sporting world of ice hockey. Many thanks to Carolyn for providing an Advanced Reader Copy. The Breakup Project is available for pre-order at a special pre-order price and will release on December 29, 2021. Pre-order at Amazon here.
Can a return home find the answers they are both searching for?
Interior Design student Ellie Matthews has escaped to New York City, leaving behind her small town of Heritage, and most importantly, the boy who almost derailed her dreams, Kade Paxton. Sure, she’s excited to return home for Christmas, but she’s fixed her gaze on her future. Even when her sister, Olivia begs her to plan the annual Heritage Christmas Ball. And then her partner in planning shows up…
Wanna-be painter, current mechanic Kade Paxton can’t believe the girl who walked out of his life is back…and that in order to keep his promise to his aunt, he’ll have to actually work with her. The last thing he’s going to do let Ellie in to break his heart all over again. But, with the opportunity to showcase his paintings, this might be his one chance to grab ahold of his dreams…But working together stirs up old dreams, and soon they find themselves caught up in the holiday magic…but what happens when the ball is over? Is there a future beyond the small town and snowflakes?
It’ll take some miracles under a Midnight Clear to find the answer. Return to Heritage one more time with this heartwarming Christmas novella.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
Tari Faris’ Restoring Heritage series is one the best contemporary Christian romance series I’ve read this year. I enjoyed reading Upon A Midnight Snow that chronologically follows on from Since You’ve Been Gone (Book 3).
Upon A Midnight Snow is a short Christmas novella that can be read as a standalone story. However, the delightful Christmas novella While It Was Snowing (Book 2.5) introduces Kade and Ellie and the early days of their romance. Upon A Midnight Snow opens a year later at Christmas time in Heritage, Michigan.
Ellie is a small town girl with big New York City dreams. Six months ago she left Heritage and left behind Kade for college at New York University (NYU). She relies on her parents to help pay her interior design tuition and she shares a NYC apartment with her college friend, Rylie. Ellie and Rylie plan to spend their Christmas break in Heritage with Ellie’s large family.
Kade is a mechanic who dreams of earning a living from his art and painting full-time. He’s heartbroken by Ellie’s decision six months earlier to break up with him because she doesn’t want to do a long distance relationship. Kade has applied to colleges in NYC and is collecting a pile of rejection letters. His mother left his father a few years ago to follow her artistic dreams, and Kade’s dad is opposed to Kade following in her footsteps. A small town job as a motor mechanic, or working on the floor at Heritage Fruits, is the future Kade’s father wants for him.
A fun and charming reunion romance unfolds as Ellie and Kade are thrown together to organise the annual Christmas Adam dance on December 23. Otis, the brass hippo who mysteriously moves around town, also makes an appearance in the story. I recommend Upon A Midnight Snow to contemporary romance readers who enjoy small town Christmas romance novellas with a light and relevant faith element.
Two virtual strangers, one teen, and the worst rental car in the history of mankind…
Let the road trip begin.
Avery Weston is a journalist and mom to teenager Eli. Gavin Eastly is an enigmatic photographer.
A botched schedule lands them all in a rental car for Christmas. With everything that goes wrong, it’ll take a miracle to get them anywhere. But miracles come in surprising packages – like a bait shop owner moonlighting as a mechanic and a deputy whose family can’t agree on how to remove a skunk’s stink.
It’s the perfect recipe for romance.
Join Avery, Eli, and Gavin as they learn that reaching the destination doesn’t mean the journey’s over. God has so much more in store for them.
After all—anything can happen on the road to Nowhere.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Nowherefor Christmas and journeying with the characters on their crazy and hilarious road trip to Nowhere, Oklahoma. Avery is a single mother with a 15 year old son, Eli. Avery works at the local newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is sent on an assignment with a photographer to write a Christmas feature on Nowhere, Oklahoma.
Gavin is a successful photojournalist who walked away from his career for reasons that are not in the public domain. He has been hired by the newspaper and will be working with Avery on the new syndicated assignments that require travel. Gavin is not impressed when Avery arrives to collect him for their road trip assignment in an ancient hatchback rental with her teen son.
The road trip is one disaster after another, and both Avery and Gavin see each other at their worst. Desperate circumstances can be bonding, and the group of three gets to know each other as they face many unexpected challenges on the road to Nowhere. I loved the heartfelt moments and character vulnerability exposed as they all worked together to survive the road trip and somehow celebrate Christmas. I recommend Road to Nowhere to readers who like fun and laugh-out-loud rom com Christmas novellas underpinned by a solid faith message.
Roots are overrated, at least to someone like Adrian Stewart, preacher’s kid, who has never lived anywhere longer than six years. That’s why her job with MidUSLogIn Inc., is so perfect for her—lots of travel, and staying nowhere long enough to have it feel like home. But when work takes her to Memphis, closer to her family for the first time in years and in the same small office as Grayson Roberts, she starts to question her job, her lack of home, and even her memories of her rocky past with the church.
Gray is intrigued by Adrian from the moment he sees her, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of why this girl, who loves old movies and hums when she works, won’t go to church with him. As they grow closer, he wants more too, but how can he convince her to stay in Memphis when she doesn’t believe in home—or God? Can he use his own broken past to break through hers?
People can’t be trusted, but she’s forced to take a chance.
Animals always made more sense than humans did to marine biologist Skye Youngblood. After her mother’s suicide, she left Alabama and never looked back. These days, she pours her heart into protecting nature’s sea creatures. When she returns to Dauphin Island, Alabama, for a temporary manatee migration study, her dark past is much too close. She can’t let her guard down. But how can she keep her heart hidden when a kind man with a genuine smile makes her want a fresh start?
Charter fishing pays the bills for widower Pete Thompson and his little girl, but like his father, a pastor, Pete can’t help but fish for men. Only, after growing up under constant scrutiny as a preacher’s kid, Pete’s ways are a bit more unconventional. And the bulk of his life revolves around raising his precious daughter.
When he witnesses the car wreck of a new marine biologist on the island, it doesn’t take a genius to see that more than just her physical pain needs tending. Pete feels called to help Skye find true healing, but he’s navigating dangerous waters. And he’s not at all sure he’ll walk away unscathed.
Two broken hearts. One lonely Christmas. And a love dare that changes everything for two new friends.
As Head of Security at Freedom Lodge, MacGyver Spark is used to protecting people. Since losing his fiancée in a car accident, he’s gotten good at protecting his heart as well. Determined to focus on his health and recovery, he’s kept himself busy with work and AA meetings and also far, far away from the opposite sex. He was content with living the life of a bachelor, until his cousin asked him to play tour guide for a gorgeous female friend.
Romance book blogger Amy McCormick isn’t one to wallow in self-pity. Born blind, she’s always tackled challenges head-on and been grateful for both the peaks and valleys of life. Except for her current valley—getting dumped by her first love—that has her questioning her faith and the future. Escaping to Colorado for a snowy, guy-free Christmas sounded like a good plan, until Mac shows up and challenges all her beliefs about men.
When faced with their greatest fears, Mac and Amy must learn to lean on each other and discover if love can really save the day.
Return to Freedom, Colorado and enjoy the faith, friendships, and forever-afters of the Heroes of Freedom Ridge in this Christian Christmas Romance.
Training avalanche rescue dogs with his best friend’s sister, Felicity Winslow, was never in Stone Keller’s plans. But after a reckless motorcycle accident ends his rodeo career, he has nowhere to go but home to Colorado. Working with the dogs—and Felicity—could be exactly what he needs to put the pieces of his life back together.
From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.
Opposites attract—and repel. But which is more powerful?
Callie Steele might be a bit…focused on work, but despite what her employers say, she enjoys her well-ordered, productive life.
When she’s sent to meet the owners of an estate requiring post-hurricane landscaping, Callie meets their son, Kai Brody, a super-chilled pro surfer, who is as opposite from her as they come. Though initially smitten, Callie knows a relationship with Kai is a bad idea—a very bad idea.
Kai, however, can’t help but be intrigued by someone who challenges him to make something of his life again. He’s determined to pursue her, if she’ll give him half a chance.
The more time they spend together, negotiating the challenges of work, illness, and family, the more their opposing outlooks clash and connect. What do these unlikely friends really want from life? Is it best to focus on work or recreation?
As Kai and Callie seek answers from the Lord, they also must consider if such complete opposites have enough in common to make a relationship last.
Reclaiming Hope concludes the Hooper Island stories of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.
New Year. New Resolution. New Romance? What happens when the best-laid plans break a friendship?
As the twin sister of hockey’s hottest forward, romance-loving Bree Karlsson is used to being ignored, leading to a New Year’s resolution to not date any athlete in her attempt to find Mr. Right. But what happens when the man who might prove to be her personal Mr. Darcy is her brother’s hockey-playing best friend?
Mike Vaughan might be happy playing in Boston, but he’d be even happier if Bree could one day see him as more than a good friend. He agrees to help Bree with a special project in the hope she’ll finally see him as something more. But when a misunderstanding ends in a Valentine’s Day disaster, Bree realizes that her breakup project may have broken her friendship with Mike in two. Can she ever redeem her mistake?
This friends-to-more romance has plenty of heart, humor, and swoon-worthy kisses in this first book of the Original Six, a sweet, slightly sporty Christian contemporary romance series.
As her plans unravel, can she give her children what they truly need?
Foster mom Rae Girard’s determined to make her children’s first Christmas with her the best they’ve ever had—and she’s shocked when the town scrooge, attorney Cole Heinsohn, offers to pitch in. Rae’s young charges have melted Cole’s heart, and he wants them to experience the special day he never had. But when disaster strikes, an imperfect holiday might bring them something better: a family…
Recovering her missing memories could be the key to solving a murder.
Searching for her best friend’s remains could help forensic anthropologist Melanie Hutton regain her memories of when they were both kidnapped—unless the killer gets to Melanie first. For her safety, Melanie must rely on Detective Jason Cooper, who still blames her for his sister’s death. Can Jason set the past aside to solve the cold-case murder…and shield Melanie from the same fate?
A December ice storm destroys Rebekah Kingston’s Christmas plans. With the power out and the West Texas roads closed indefinitely, she’s forced to spend Christmas at her brother Braden’s ranch instead of at home with her parents.
But Rebekah and Braden are not alone. Also stranded is an annoyingly chatty ranch hand, Dirk Sims. While Rebekah is certain she’s met him before, Dirk insists she’s mistaken.
However, when Rebekah inadvertently eavesdrops on one of Dirk’s phone conversations, she discovers his lie. Dirk is not who he seems. This Christmas just got interesting.
How do you persevere when you have no more will to fight?
Jennifer and Chad Taylor had dreamed of opening a coffee and cocoa shop since before they said, “I do.” When Chad is sent to prison for murder despite claiming innocence, that dream—along with their family—is shattered.
After years of fighting for Chad’s release, Jennifer finally breaks free from her shame, anger, and hopelessness, and forges ahead with the dream the two of them once shared. With the help of their college-aged twins, she begins to move forward.
Without Chad.
When their lawyer arrives with news of evidence that may prove Chad’s innocence, a strange mixture of emotions overtakes her. Does she want Chad to return home? He isn’t the same man he once was, and she certainly isn’t the same woman. She’s worked hard to piece the remnants of their family back together, and his coming home could fracture the family once again.
It all comes down to one question. She loves her husband enough to fight for his release from prison, but does she love him enough to fight for their marriage?
When faced with impossible choices, how do you decide what matters most?
For ten years, the incorruptible Tribune Titianus enforced Rome’s laws. He’s four days from leaving the Urban Cohort to teach at his brother-in-law Kaeso’s school when Emperor Hadrian and the Praetorian Prefect draft him to secretly investigate and thwart an assassination plot…one that might involve his own commander. He can’t refuse, but if Hadrian’s enemies discover his Christian faith, will it mean death for everyone he loves?
Titianus’s cousin Sabina returns as a widow to her father’s house after six years of misery in a marriage that sealed a political alliance. She’s dreading the next marriage Grandfather will arrange with someone seeking his support. When her brother’s best friend Kaeso offers the encouragement and friendship she’s longed for, can she escape the chains of society’s expectations to gain what her heart desires?
The new tribune Glabrio wants two things as Titianus trains him: to discover for their commander who Titianus is investigating and to gain the support of Titianus’s powerful relatives. Marrying Sabina would secure the backing of her grandfather, but because of the teacher, she’s making choices no noblewoman should. As he gets closer to both his goals, will he realize in time what matters most?
Dangerous times, difficult friendships, lives transformed by forgiveness and love
What Matters Most is the eleventh volume in the Light in the Empire series, which follows the interconnected lives of six Roman families during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. Each can be read stand-alone. The twelve novels of the series will take you around the Empire, from Germania and Britannia to Thracia, Dacia, and Judaea and, of course, to Rome itself.
Loving her is a risk he can’t afford . . . and can’t resist.
When acclaimed Bible study author Genevieve Woodward receives an anonymous letter referencing her parents’ past, she returns to her hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains to chase down her family’s secret. However, it’s Genevieve’s own secret that catches up to her when Sam Turner, owner of a historic farm, uncovers the source of shame she’s worked so hard to hide.
Sam has embraced his sorrow, his isolation, and his identity as an outsider. He’s spent years carving out both career success and peace of mind. The last thing he wants is to rent the cottage on his property to a woman whose struggles stir his worst failure back to life. Yet can he bear to turn her away right when she needs him most?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I usually recommend books that I enjoyed reading. Stay with Me is a compelling read that I couldn’t put down, and the characters in the story challenged me to go places with them that I wouldn’t necessarily describe as fun or enjoyable.
Every reader who opens a book will bring with them their emotional baggage, life experiences, and values and beliefs that influence how they connect with the characters and the story. The reader’s unique lens will impact how they experience the story. The best stories will engage our emotions, both positive and negative, and bring the characters and events in the story to life in our hearts and minds.
Stay with Me opens with Sam finding a late model Volvo SUV parked outside his guest house cottage on his farm near the small town of Misty River in the north Georgia mountains. He discovers a beautiful woman asleep on a bare mattress on the bed inside his guest house. She’s sleeping on her own pillow and has covered herself with a mismatch of clothes as a makeshift quilt.
When Sam fails to gently wake her, he needs to find out who she is and why she’s trespassing on his property. He discovers the prescription drug, OxyContin, and his stress levels spike. Sam has experienced firsthand in Melbourne, Australia, the pain of losing a loved one addicted to opioids, and old feelings of grief from that time in his life on the other side of the world resurface.
Genevieve is a hot mess and she feels like a fraud. At the age of twelve she miraculously survived being killed by an earthquake during a mission trip in El Salvador, and she became known as one of the the miracle five. Genevieve believes she owes God, and she also believes God must have saved her in El Salvador because he has big plans for her life. Her celebrity status from the earthquake, combined with a failed romance when she was only twenty, inspired her to study the Bible. This set the foundation for her to traditionally publish her best selling Bible studies and nurture her celebrity women’s ministry speaking career.
A year earlier Genevieve was prescribed pain killers for an ankle injury, and it kicked off her shameful and out-of-control hidden struggle with OxyContin. Her perfect and wholesome good girl Christian public persona hides the painful truth of her real life. She has returned to Misty River to find answers to the mystery fan mail she has received concerning her parents’ past, and to detox at her parents’ home. Her mother’s suffocating love and Genevieve’s refusal to share her addiction problems with her parents derail the detox plan, and Genevieve asks Sam if she can detox in his cottage.
Fiction can be a safe place to explore the “what if…” that’s too scary to contemplate in real life. At this early stage in the story, I wanted to tell Sam to run and never look back. It was Albert Einstein who said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. After Sam’s experience in Australia that resulted in him avoiding romantic relationships, why would he take on Genevieve and her problems? And the whole idea of detoxing outside a medical setting without professional support in place is frankly terrifying.
Since this is a fiction story and not real life, and is a romance story where the main characters definitely won’t die, I could put aside my thoughts on these issues and keep reading. And I’m glad I did!
The friends-to-more slow burn romance was complicated, the family mystery intriguing, and the faith element satisfying. I calmed down and settled more into the story when Genevieve starting seeing a counsellor and receiving the professional medical care she desperately needed.
Both Genevieve and Sam grew as people during the story despite the temptation for Genevieve to switch her co-dependency from the pills to Sam. I recommend Stay with Me to contemporary romance readers who are prepared for a wild ride that may challenge their thoughts and ideas on a range of issues.
One woman, five husbands and the weary rabbi at the well who knows everything she ever did.
The day after they bury her husband Leah Marcellus loses her baby. A widow and childless, what man will want her now?
Her father arranges a second marriage—a profitable business arrangement—sealed on Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain where every true follower of Yahweh worships, but Leah’s heart belongs to another. Her passion only brings trouble – jealousy, murder and lies.
Leah’s skill at the loom and the secrets of dye –the woad, the murex and madder—brings her renown among the Roman women of wealth.
Yet death and betrayal soon steal her security. In desperation, Leah sacrifices her peace of mind and risks everything to protect her family.
From the olive groves of Samaria to the bloodied sand of a Roman stadium to the exquisite silks brought from the East, The Silk Merchant of Sychar weaves colour into the biblical account of the woman at the well.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Silk Merchant of Sychar and learning more about life and culture in Samaria and the Roman Empire during Biblical times. The story explores a fictional background for the woman who Jesus meets at the well. How has this woman reached a point in her life where she’s had five husbands, and is currently in a relationship with a man who is not her husband?
The story follows Leah’s life, starting when her first husband passed away and Leah miscarries their only child. We walk with Leah as she struggles with the limitations of a patriarchal society where women gain status from marriage and children, and need the legal protection of their father, husband, or male relative.
Leah is a descendant of Joseph from the tribe of Mannasseh. She is disillusioned with the legalism and practices of the priests at the temple. Leah’s husbands and their families believe in a variety of religious practices, including idol worship. Death is never far from Leah’s door, and desperation drives her to make both wise and unwise decisions in her search for love and security and a place to belong.
We are given an insight into married life through Leah’s eyes, and issues of lust and passionate romantic love are explored in the story in the context of Leah’s relationships. As a result, the level of sensuality and explicit detail in the story is higher and more detailed than the typical Biblical fiction story. Descriptions of sexual situations are tasteful, but the bedroom door is open and this content may be too graphic for readers who prefer clean reads. I recommend The Silk Merchant of Sychar to readers who like Biblical fiction that explores the dynamics of family relationships and faith issues in different cultural contexts.
When an injury sidelines college swimmer Anna Callaway, her dreams are crushed. She pours herself into her sports marketing practicum, helping a local special needs organization promote their athletic event. What she doesn’t expect is a swim team ripe for the Special Olympics—and their handsome but stubborn coach.
Craig Holt has dealt with eager and ignorant volunteers before. No matter how determined or persuasive uptight Anna might be about coaching his team to the Special Olympics, he has no intention of allowing her to raise the hopes of his swimmers, his sister, or his guarded heart.
Then Anna herself gets a second chance at becoming a champion. Will she pursue her lifelong goals or make room for a new dream?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Spring Splash and learning more about special needs swim teams. The story is set in Georgia, USA, where Craig is the coach of the local special needs swim team. Anna is a college student and swimmer who was injured and missed out on qualifying for nationals. Anna starts working on her sports marketing college project with the special needs swim team and Craig is her supervisor.
Craig and Anna are drawn to each other, but Anna is Craig’s student for the duration of the college project placement and that makes everything complicated. Craig is very protective of his sister, Margo, who is a gifted swimmer on the autism spectrum with sensory issues. He’s reluctant to let Anna encourage Margo to step outside her comfort zone in the pool.
A fun and beautiful romance unfolds as Craig and Anna fall in love while preparing the swim team for the Spring Splash Meet and potentially qualifying for the Georgia Special Olympics team. The supporting cast of characters in the swim team family were delightful and true to life. I loved the focus on health and fitness in the story. I recommend Spring Splash to readers who like contemporary romances in a sports setting with special needs athletes.
