The Sweets

Here are a few sweet Christian romances that I read recently. The plots are simple, not too complex, and they were just nice, feel-good stories.


Prevailing Love by Loree Lough

Sealed with a KissJet-setting Ethan Burke had no desire to become a father-especially to his best friends' eleven-year-old daughter, Molly. The shock of losing her parents in a tragic auto accident causes Molly to withdraw into a world of silence, and a frustrated Ethan finally takes his goddaughter to see a Christian counselor named Hope Majors. Will Hope be able to reach the grieving girl-and her heartbroken new dad, as well-despite the haunting tragedies of her own past? The Wedding WishStage IV cancer patient Leah Jordan has only a short time to see her last wish fulfilled-she wants her two best friends from childhood to marry and become the adoptive parents of her beloved two-year-old daughter, Fionna. The threesome was inseparable throughout high school, but they've since gone their separate ways: Jade is a dedicated nurse who was recently widowed, and Riley is a veterinarian who has sworn off women and marriage alike. If all goes according to Leah's seemingly unlikely plan, Jade and Riley will finally be united, and her precious daughter will have a home. Montana SkyBoth of them have lost a loved one while standing helplessly by. Both of them have decided to forgo romance in favor of immersing themselves in their careers. Chet, a successful cattle rancher, is in the business of protecting his livestock, while Sky, a veterinarian, is determined to protect two hybrid wolves whose mother was killed for bounty. But lives that don't leave room for love are often rearranged by God's benevolent hand. When Chet and Sky find themselves involved in a volatile wolf war in the wild Montana woods, more than just gunpowder is ignited.

Sealed With A Kiss
I'm afraid I skipped this story because when I started reading it, a feeling of deja vu swept over me, making me realize I'd already read this story years ago. I don't read books twice, rarely! I do recall reading this book when it was released as a Heartsong Presents novel several years ago.

The Wedding Wish
Single mom Leah Jordan is dying and she needs to find parents for her two-year-old daughter, pronto! Her best friends from high school, Jade and Riley, would fit the bill. Only problem? Jade and Riley are worlds apart and both are not interested in love and marriage. Leah has made it her mission to bring these two lovebirds together before her untimely death. Jade and Riley have always had a crush on one another, so when they finally get together, it's hard to deny the attraction that they share. Add into the mix Leah's doctor, who is an affirmed atheist. Jade shares her faith with him, wanting to change his mind about God. This was a heartwarming story.

Montana Sky
Widowed Chet Cozart finds himself smitten with the town's veterinarian. Sky's returned to Montana to run her clinic, but, she's harboring half-wolf pups in her cellar and an evil townsperson is threatening Sky, wanting her to come clean with her secret. Sky saw the pups' mother being gunned down and she doesn't want the young animals to die in the wild. Sky becomes their mother, and I found this interesting, seeing a woman become the "mother" of pups that were half-wolf. The story tells how she feeds them an unusual diet and shows them how their relatives howl in the wild.
Meanwhile, Chet continues to fall for Sky. They've known each other for years and just recently got reaquainted. Sky was Chet's deceased wife's best friend and she had mixed feelings about falling in love with the widower. Also, Chet's young daughter grows closer to Sky, making Sky an easy choice as a candidate for being Chet's new wife.
Chet gets angry when Sky hides the fact that her life is being threatened. Chet only wants to protect the courageous and beautiful Sky, but how can he do that if she can't trust him?
This book was interesting and good because I learned a lot about the wolves roaming in the wild, and there was a powerful conflict between the young couple.


Love Finds You In Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker

So what if she can't hook a fish? This city girl has a plan to snag something else...and his name is Justin. Lucy Binoche is reasonably attractive, intelligent, and fit. She has French lineage and better-than-average hair. So why is she nearly 30 and still single?
Justin Gerard is the rugged hottie new to her church's singles group. When he signs up for a camping trip in the Ozarks, Lucy loses no time writing her name on the line beneath his. Theres only one problem Lucy's idea of "roughing it" is suffering through a long line at Starbucks. She assumes she can rely on the grace of God and the assistance of her friend to get through.

But at the campsite in Snowball, Arkansas, Lucy bungles everything she attempts as she tries to impress Justin. She can't fish, hike, or ride a horse; caves make her hyperventilate; and hot-air balloons make her ill. Soon, events are snowballing out of control. Will Lucy pretend to be someone shes not just to snag a boyfriend? Or will she discover someone who loves her just as she is?

I enjoyed this book, but was kind of annoyed with the heroine's attitude about love and marriage. Lucy freaks out because she's thirty and still single. I found this a hard pill to swallow since women are getting married later in life nowadays. If I'd written this book, I would have made the heroine older, like thirty-five? Lucy pretends to be athletic while on a singles week-long trip in order to snag Justin, a handsome man who's just joined the singles group. Her life-long best friend Matt is commissioned by Lucy to help her to snag the irresistable Justin. However, when Lucy finds Justin becoming attracted to her, she wonders if her plan was wise. She wants to be a part of Justin's life, right?

This book was a light, funny read, but as I said, I got annoyed with the heroine. I felt she acted like she was about 22 instead of 30. Plus, since she was acting like a totally different person, if she'd followed through with her plan, then her love-interest would have caught on that Lucy was just portraying herself in a false way, eventually.















SPOILER:
This book got me to wondering what would've happened if Lucy ended up with Justin. Would he have been annoyed that Lucy was not an athletic outdoorsy girl? Would the romance have lasted? Would Lucy have continued to go on outdoors trips, roughing it, for the rest of her life just to please Justin? Or would they have found a compromise eventually?

~Cecelia Dowdy~