Review by @CarolynMAuthor
Famously
beautiful model Willow Bradford is taking a temporary break from her hectic
schedule to work as the innkeeper at her family's small-town bed-and-breakfast.
She was enjoying the peace of her hometown, Merryweather, Washington, right up
until she came face-to-face with Corbin Stewart, the man she loves to hate. A
thoughtful rule-follower by nature, Willow threw caution to the wind four years
ago when she entrusted her heart to Corbin--and suffered the consequences when
it all fell apart.
Former NFL quarterback Corbin is forceful, charming, and accustomed to getting what he wants . . . except where Willow Bradford is concerned. Unable to forget her, he's never stopped regretting what happened between them. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, he's determined to make her give him a second chance.
When a decades-old missing persons case finds Corbin and Willow working together, they're forced to confront their past and who they've become--and whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.
Okay, full
disclosure here: I’m a Becky Wade fan. Ever since reading My Stubborn Heart she’s an auto-buy for me, so I was fully
expecting to enjoy her latest novel. So it took
me by surprise to take a while to engage in Falling
For You. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to being extremely beautiful or
extremely rich. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to the culture surrounding
NFL players. It took almost a third of the book before I could start to care, then
wow, a revelation about Willow’s past that demanded attention, as it’s a topic not
often discussed in books released by major US Christian publishers.
I do like
that about Becky Wade’s books; they feel real, and she’s not afraid to touch on
issues that give a grittier substance to both the character’s faith and
subsequently the romance portrayed. This is the second novel in the Bradford sisters series, and we see the interweaving of her sister's stories giving hints as to what those novels may be about. (But I’d love to see her write something
that doesn’t involve anyone rich!)
If you
enjoy books with clever narrative prose and touches of humour, with characters
that ultimately experience relatable challenges, then check out Becky Wade’s contemporary romances. As for me, I can’t wait to see what happens in Britt’s story!
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New
South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has
pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school
English and Learning and Support teacher.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and
Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and
loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace
in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The
Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, and Winning Miss Winthrop, all available
from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
yes, this is one of my pet peeves about CF - too many Dukes and rich, beautiful people. I'd like authors to write about ordinary people. But yes, Becky can write.
ReplyDeleteI think that’s the challenge with writing romance, to balance a reader’s desire to escape with reader’s ability to relate. Becky writes so engagingly and did this to perfection in her novel My Stubborn Heart :)
DeleteI also enjoyed the first book in the series more than this one - I related better to the librarian who does family history research for fun more than the supermodel. Can't imagine why ...
ReplyDeleteBut I did enjoy this one, especially the struggles Willow and Corbin went through, and I loved the addition of the slight mystery/suspense thread.
And I'm definitely hanging out for Britt's story!
I think Becky has built up Britt’s storyline well in the first two books - we already have sympathy for how this plays out :)
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