Book Review: Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

By Andrea Grigg

Amazon summary

Hospitality consultant Andrea Sullivan has one last chance to snag a high-profile client or she'll have to kiss her dreams of promotion good-bye. When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef James MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leave buried.

For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell. Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives-and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.

My Review

If you handed me another book by Carla Laureano I would ignore housework, emails and even social media, and start reading it immediately. Let me tell you why.

For a start, it’s a contemporary romance, my favourite genre. Added to that, the main setting is in a unique part of the world and beautifully described. But it was the well-crafted characters that had me hooked. Of course, it was a bonus to find the female protagonist has the same name as me!

I think it’s fair to say that Five Days in Skye is not your typical Christian romance – there’s barely a church scene in sight – yet Andrea and James are most certainly on their journeys with God. As their romance grows (initially unwanted on Andrea’s part), two damaged people reach out not only to each other but to God, and discover what the power of love can do.

I’d never heard of a hospitality consultant, so Andrea’s occupation intrigued me from the start. And who wouldn’t fall in love with a hero who can cook, let alone a handsome celebrity chef? The secondary characters also captured my interest and it’s through their interactions with James and Andrea, we learn of secrets and uncover the layers that make our hero and heroine authentic and heart-warming.

After my initial reading of Five Days in Skye, I emailed Carla Laureano to let her know how much I’d enjoyed it. I’ve included this quote from her reply with her permission:

'When I wrote Five Days in Skye, I really wanted the feel of the general market romances I enjoy, without the objectionable material and with a subtle faith thread.'

And in my opinion, that’s exactly what Carla has achieved.

For some, the ‘subtle faith thread’ may be too subtle – there are a number of conflicting reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads – but for me it was just right. If you are a reader of Christian romance, I hope you will enjoy Five Days in Skye as much as I did.

Andrea Grigg grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, but has lived more than half her life in Australia. She lives with her husband on Queensland’s Gold Coast, where they have raised their three adult children – two daughters and a son. Recently retired from teaching ten-year-olds, if she isn’t being a domestic executive or socialising, Andrea can be found in her cave, writing stories. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter or at her website.