Tessa Monroe knows how to do exactly two things: climb her way up the corporate ladder and cheer up her best friend Christian Douglas, the main man in her life since paste was a snack. With the exception of a Ring Pop proposal and a pool-side kiss in college, not much has changed between them in 25 years. Now that they’re all grown up, the two friends find themselves headed down two different paths: Tessa looking for her dream job and Christian looking for his dream girl.

Luckily for Christian, Tessa knows just the girl who’ll mend his heart after a bad breakup. But when things between Christian and his new girl Savannah start to get serious, Tessa isn’t feeling the pride and happiness she expected… In fact, there’s something weird in her heart that she can’t quite name.

With no plans for romance or marriage, Tessa isn’t prepared to confront her true feelings for Christian. After all they’ve been through together, can she risk her heart, his happiness, and their friendship by telling him the truth? OR does she run away from the romance that began in the third grade?

Friendship and romance combine with messy results, but A Previous Engagement celebrates the humor of real-life love in a story that resonates as honest from beginning to end.

The author’s writing is relatively engaging, but I’m not a fan of this particular trope: one character is obviously in love with the other, but it gets dragged out through the whole book before they figure it out. (Seriously, it’s nothing against Haddad — I feel the same way about my favorite authors who use this story line.) I skimmed quite a bit because I enjoyed the author’s writing and wanted to read more, I just would have liked to see something else happen beyond Christian pining for Tessa and Tessa being oblivious. I might pick up another of Haddad’s books (as I technically didn’t read this whole book).

(PG-13 rating; not a Christian novel)

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks her 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 hired to renovate the house. Kate can’t help being 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.

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?

Have you ever discovered an author that you just didn’t click with?

For some reason, that’s me and Wade. I’m a huge fan of clean and Christian contemporary romances, especially lighthearted ones with unique characters. A lot of people who read the same kinds of books as me really enjoy Wade’s stories. This is my third Wade book, however, and it just didn’t click with me.

I can’t really pinpoint why, but I don’t engage with her characters, and when I don’t engage with the characters I don’t care what happens. When I don’t care what happens, I don’t finish the book (though I did skip to the last chapter and epilogue to see how it ended). I know all romance novels are predictable (that’s what fans love about them!), but Wade’s tend to feel too predictable too me.

I think this is just a personal taste issue. If you engage with her characters, I’m sure you’ll enjoy her books.

Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won’t stand her ground to save Mercy either.

The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor’s unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.

Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn’t realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.

Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy’s path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it–and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.

Mercy’s Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith

I had a hard time getting in to this story. It jumps right into the horrors of Mercy’s life and it stays there for chapters. After six chapter I just couldn’t read any more — I didn’t feel any real connection with Mercy other than to share her hatred for her father. There were also a lot of flashbacks; if you’ve been reading any of my reviews for a while you know I’m not a fan of flashbacks.

I don’t mind some drama and realism, but it’s not my favorite. This book is so heavy with it that I couldn’t keep reading. I did read the last chapter to see if the book at least ended with hope. Personally, I prefer to read books that are an escape from the pain and heartache of life, so this book didn’t really appeal to me. If you prefer books that focus on the agony of life, this might be a book for you.