All That it Takes by Nicole Dees

 

All That It Takes by Nicole Deese
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Source:  Received to Review

Genre: Christian Romance

Book Description: When the ever-cautious Val Locklier finally agrees to a cross-country move with her nine-year-old son to take a job with her best friend, Molly, everything she had planned for the future unravels within the first week. After pushing aside her anxieties about renting an apartment from Molly's twin brother, whom she barely knows, she accepts an invitation for an elite filmmaker's mentorship. Caught between her insecurities and new possibilities, she feels completely unprepared for the challenges ahead.

Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from abroad to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he's been banished to a ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he pursues a relationship with Val without stopping to consider the timing or asking God to direct his steps.

As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they'll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand. 

My thoughts:  All That It Takes is the first book I have read by Nicole Dees. I have to ask myself, why? I am grateful that I found her books and it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.

This book is about the relationship between Val and Miles. They have a person who connects them, Molly is Val's best friend and Miles's twin sister. They have met before at Molly's wedding. There was attraction, but neither acted upon it.

Val just moved from Alaska to Washington with her nine-year-old son, Tucker. The move was not as smooth as she wanted, the place she had lined up to live fell through. Molly has a bright idea! Let's move Val into the rental above Miles's home as a tenant. Personally, I think it was brilliant.

I liked Miles and his backstory, but it is Val's story that I loved. She has had a difficult life. She was in a skiing accident as a child that continues to cause her pain and problems. She also had a son as a single mother. The love that she has to give is phenomenal. There were times that I wanted to cry with her as she talked about her trials. One blessing she has is her son, he's a really good kid.

Miles lost his outreach ministry and is struggling with her new assignment. He wants to be in Mexico rather than leading the people in his hometown. Both Val and Miles are broken people who become a dynamic duo when they are together. They encourage and bring out the best in the other.

This story resonated with me on so many levels. It is beautifully written and shares a powerful message about God's love and the power of serving others.

I have already added Molly's story All That Really Matters to my list.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Online Purchase Links: 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

About the Author:  Nicole Deese's sixteen humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include the 2017 Carol Award-winning A Season to Love. Her 2018 release, A New Shade of Summer, was a finalist in the RITA Awards, Carol Awards, and INSPY Awards. When she's not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Inland Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two rambunctious sons, and princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

To learn more, visit www.nicoledeese.com.

Book Spotlight ~ For the Love of the Bard by Jessica Martin

 

To go for it or not to go for it? That is the question when two former high school flames return to their Shakespeare-obsessed hometown for a summer of theater and unexpected romance, in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author Jessica Martin.

Literary agent and writer Miranda Barnes rolls into her hometown of Bard's Rest with one goal in mind: to spend the summer finally finishing her YA novel, the next installment in her bestselling fantasy series. Yet Miranda's mother, deep in the planning stages for the centennial of the town's beloved annual Shakespeare festival, has other ideas.

Before you can say "all's fair in love and war," Miranda is cornered into directing Twelfth Night--while simultaneously scrambling to finish her book, navigating a family health scare, and doing her best to avoid the guy who broke her heart on prom night.

When it comes to Adam, the veterinarian with a talent for set design and an infuriating knack for winning over Miranda's dog, the lady doth protest too much. As any Shakespeare lovers knows, the course of true love never did run smooth, and soon Miranda realizes she'll have to decide whether to trust Adam with her heart again. 

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

See what reviewers are saying about this book.  Click on the button below.

You don't want to miss "Not Dead Yet" by Traci Hunter Abramson #RomanticSuspense #BookReview #Giveaway

 

Not Dead Yet by Traci Hunter Abramson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Source:  Received to Review

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Book Description:  Cassidy Edgemont has been dead for four years. At least, that is what the world has been led to believe. After becoming unwittingly entangled in a group called the Coalition, known for using fake news to generate political unrest in the United States, Cas was offered a devastating choice: stage her own death and join her rescuers, the guardians, or risk the wrath of the organization she betrayed. She chose death.

As an invisible government operative, Cas has been living in Paris with no complications—until her family pays an unexpected visit to the European city, changing everything. They think Cas is dead, and she has to keep it that way. But when a bomb is detonated nearby and fake news incites riots in the city, Cas recognizes the mark of the Coalition.

Donovan, a fellow guardian, is summoned to join her in Paris to attempt to untangle the intricate web linking Cas’s past with the recent bombings. But as the threat level escalates, Cas must again make an impossible decision: face possible exposure to her family in her race to uncover the truth or risk the loss of innocent lives.

My thoughts:  If you haven't read a book by Traci Hunter Abramson, you are missing out.

In Not Dead Yet we get to know two of the guardians better, Cas and Donovan. At first, it seems that their pairing is a mismatch. Fortunately, they become a fantastic duo as they try to uncover the mastermind of a terrorist group and find that they have chemistry.

Cas "died" four years ago when she learned too much about the coalition. She joined the Guardians and became a "ghost". She works with an elite organization that protects others with their ability to hide in a crowd, rescue operatives, and have access to classified information from multiple agencies.

This book starts the suspense and action from the start. Cas's cover has been blown and she and Donovan race to shut down the coalition before they cause more destruction and threaten civilian lives. I loved the plot and the characters. Seriously, this book is so GOOD. It pulls you in and doesn't let go until the last page.

This is book six in the series, but it could be read as a stand-alone. You know there is a backstory with the characters, but that doesn't take away from this story.

I highly recommend this book and all of the Guardian books. There is non-graphic violence and a few stolen kisses.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

(I also purchased a kindle copy!  It is a bargain at $4.99)

Online Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Deseret Book * Seagull Book

About the Author:  Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, where she lived until moving to Venezuela for a study-abroad program. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She credits the CIA with giving her a wealth of ideas as well as the skills needed to survive her children's teenage years. She is a seven-time Whitney Award winner and has written more than thirty bestselling novels. For more information about Traci, click here: https://linktr.ee/traciabramson

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