My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade. BethanyHouse, 2012. 343p. (9780764209741)

I loved this book. So hard to believe that this is Becky Wade’s debut novel. My heart was pounding and my stomach was aching right alongside the main character.

Back cover:
Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks Kate to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Upon her arrival in Redbud, Kate meets Matt Jarreau, the man her grandmother has hired to renovate the house. From the first moment she meets Matt, Kate can't help but be attracted to him, drawn by both his good looks and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. He’s clearly wounded – hiding from people, from God, and from his past. Yet Kate sets her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light…whether he likes it or not.

No, Kate's not looking for love. She knows better than that by now. But when the stilted, uncomfortable interactions between Kate and Matt slowly shift into something more, is God finally answering the longing of her heart? Or will Kate be required to give up more than she ever dreamed?

My review:
I really enjoyed this book. The two main characters were fun and real, the supporting cast was supportive, caring, quirky and had their own important part in the story. Kate at thirty-one has had her share of dating relationships and is determined to guard her heart against the immensely good looking and attractive Matt.

All Matt wants to be able to do his work in peace as far from people as possible and then go home to more solitude. But Kate is persistent and does her best to draw him out of his shell and her grandmother is a warm, welcoming, wise woman.

Kate smiled to herself. Poor, poor Matt. He may once have been a warrior on the ice, accustomed to body-slamming giant men, but he wasn’t equal to the coming onslaught from Gran. He was going down. pg.48

The book is full of that straightforward writing that just makes you smile or laugh. There is one scene around a dinner table involving a baked potato and extra spoonfuls of butter or sour cream that keep appearing when Kate looks away. It’s so quirky and funny that it must have been something that the author experienced or witnessed.

This is a clean romance although it does have quite a bit of kissing. The spiritual aspects are subtle and believable. The struggles that Kate and Matt go through are quite realistic. It isn’t an easy lesson to learn, but God is always in control and His plan is always best.

There was lots to love and very little to dislike about this book. In my opinion a little less description of clothes at the beginning, not quite so many kisses, and a bit more inclusion of Kate’s friends at the end would have eliminated all there is to dislike.

If you enjoy contemporary clean romance do yourself a favor, go buy the book, curl up in your favorite reading spot and prepare to spend several wonderful hours with Kate, Matt, Gram and friends.

Go read it!!! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from B&N; Buy it from ChristianBook (You won’t regret it!) (Updated 9/9/12: Buy it from Amazon)

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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