I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: Banister Falls #2
Published by Harper Collins on March 8th 2016
Source: BookLook Bloggers
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Women
Pages: 320
Planning and Post-It notes are the epitome of Evie’s life. But when she meets Jack, her life gets more than a little complicated.
Thirteen years ago, Evie's firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, leaving her to raise their young son, Cody, alone. Now, Cody is marrying the love of his life, and as he packs up his belongings, the house feels as empty as Evie's heart. But for all her planning and mad organizational skills, Evie could never have anticipated the dramatic shift her life is about to make.
Tattooed, rough-around-the-edgesJack raises quite a few eyebrows in the tight-knit community of Banister Falls. Where Evie's life is stream-lined, Jack's approach to living is moment-by-moment. But as Evie gets drawn into Jack's world—a world that isn't as safe or predictable as the one she's worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems outside the walls of the church.
Jack doesn't make Evie feel comfortable, but he definitely makes her feel something. Something she hasn't felt since Max passed away—or, maybe ever. Because even though Jack isn't anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.
Suggestion age: 15+
Mention of a pregnancy out-of-wedlock. As always use parental discretion but I felt this book was fine for older teens.
The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer is the second book in the Banister Falls series and though I didn’t realize this when I picked it up–I was able to follow the story without any problem.
My first thought when I picked up this book is to not judge others by their appearance.
Second: Don’t be afraid to let go of the past. Take a step of courage and move on.
Third: Don’t give up on God. He is always there to listen to His children.
I really enjoyed this book. Jack is a rough, biker looking kind of guy but he had a big heart for everyone–especially those down on their luck. He never wanted someone to go hungry and he genuinely had a tender heart for others.
Evie was afraid of the past and was terrified to let go. She had to learn to trust God in letting Him direct her path.
This was a very inspirational story that I really enjoyed and I would love to read more by this author.
About Kathryn Springer
Kathryn Springer, winner of the 2009 ACFW Carol Award (Family Treasures), grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent many hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books – which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own. After a number of busy years, when she married her college sweetheart and became a stay-at-home mom, Kathryn rediscovered her love for writing. An unexpected snow day from school became the inspiration for a short story, which she submitted to Brio magazine. She went on to publish over a dozen more short stories for Brio, but it wasn’t until her youngest child started school that she decided to pursue her dream to write a novel. In August 2004, her Love Inspired® debut novel, Tested by Fire, was published. Encouraging women in their faith journey is the reason Kathryn loves to write inspirational fiction. She hosts a women’s Bible study in her home and volunteers in a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry. When she isn’t at the computer, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, spending time with family and friends or walking on the trails near her country home.
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