Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

I’ve heard it said that a hurricane brings people together like nothing else…  In this book, Wingate does that in the literal sense with her characters!

Kai, a cruise ship worker, is surprised to wake up and realize that her ship has left without her!  With a hurricane on her tail and a convicted conscience, she struggles to make it far enough inland to remain safe.  Along this journey inland she makes several friends.  When her friends take her into their hometown, Kai finds something she didn’t know she was even missing…a place that feels like home.  Will there be a reason to stay in this town when the weather is clear?

Kemp, an injured pro-baseball player, had to return home to heal and rest.  When the town is overrun with hurricane victims, he does whatever he can to help.  When he is introduced to Kai he begins to think that maybe this hurricane is a blessing in disguise!  Will love prevail over the storms of his life?

Wingate did a great job of helping you understand her characters and why they do the things they do.  She pulls you into the story so that you can feel the hurricane raging around the characters.  This was a great read.

Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols

This book was a wonderful read.  Nichols creates her characters using “real life” personality and religion.  It’s refreshing to read a Christian romance novel with characters who aren’t perfect from the start.

Mary, a woman who is running from the demons of her past, stumbles upon the greatest blessing of her life yet…a family who needs her.  She struggles daily to reconcile who she was with who she is becoming.  How much should she tell this family of her past?  What will they think of her?

Alasdair, the perfect ideal of what a christian man should be, is starting to wonder if God is playing jokes on him.  He’s lost his wife, possibly his family, and now his career is in jeopardy!  How much can one man handle?  Will Alasdair be able to save his faith and his family?

How often does God send a beacon of hope in the form of a nanny?

Nichols intertwines the lives of her characters in a way that is realistic and draws you into their story.  This is a fantastic read for those who aren’t looking for a story about the perfect lives of Christians…but are searching for a story that demonstrates the perfect love of God.