A Writer's Review of “Undeniably Yours” by Becky Wade

{Dawn’s Review}

After reading (and loving) Becky Wade's first novel (My Stubborn Heart, Bethany House, 2012), I was definitely looking forward to Undeniably Yours. Her true-to-life way of bringing her characters to the page is definitely refreshing. One of my favorite things about her writing is that she doesn’t sugar-coat the real, human emotions and desires of her characters.

This book was quite different than her first. I really wasn't expecting that, and it took me a little time to re-adjust my mind and expectations. Instead of seeing the story from only the hero and heroine, the reader witnesses the story through four characters: the hero, the heroine, another young woman the heroine is helping, and the "bad guy". Personally, I thought that was a lot of character perspectives, but it didn't make me like the book any less. 

Bo Porter and Meg Cole were perfect for each other—despite the differences in life-style, how they'd been raised and that he was technically his employer, just as her father had been before her. There's just no denying the crackling fire between two people when they're soul-mates. And let me tell you, if anyone knows how to write two characters who are soul-mates and who NEED to be together, it’s Becky. She has an amazing talent and intuition for knowing just what it is her characters are looking for exactly in someone to trust their heart with… as well as with what they want out of life in general.

And, of course, there’s a perfectly timed break-up scene in Undeniably Yours—as well as the scene before it—that just rips your heart out (those are the BEST!). You might think me mean-hearted, but I do love to see characters hurt and struggle through broken hearts and damaged emotions… as long as there’s a happy ending in the end.

I definitely look forward to Becky’s future books following Bo Porter’s siblings, Ty, Jake and Dru in the coming years. I was given a paperback copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I give Becky Wade’s Undeniably Yours 4 stars.    

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{More about Undeniably Yours} 

 

When Meg Cole’s father dies unexpectedly, she’s forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of his empire. The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? 

 

Her father’s Thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.

Bo knows he ought to resent the woman who’s determined to take from him the only job he ever wanted. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them and earn her love.

Just when Meg realizes she can no longer deny the depth of her feelings for Bo, their fragile bond is broken by a force from Meg’s past. Can their relationship–and their belief that God can work through every circumstance–survive?

Purchase a copy here.

Watch the book trailer here. 

Read my 5 Star review of Becky's debut novel My Stubborn Heart here.

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{More About Becky Wade}

Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom of three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas. Visit her website at www.beckywade.com.

Find out more about Becky at http://beckywade.com.

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Becky is celebrating with a Kindle Fire giveaway and hosting an Author Chat party on Facebook {5/29}!

One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Undeniably Yours and My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 28th. 

Winner will be announced at the “Undeniably Yours” Facebook Author Chat Party on May 29th. Connect with Becky for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Becky will also share an exclusive look at her next book and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of Undeniably Yours and join Becky on the evening of May 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th! 

 

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{About My Stubborn Heart}

 

Click HERE to read my 5 Star review.

 

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?

My Top 12 Reads of 2012

Well, I did it.  

My goal was to read 48 books this year, and I have. There were a few in there I might have given up on before ACTUALLY finishing, but I did try. Here is a list of my Top Twelve  Reads for the year 2012.  

(They are listed in the order I read them with a link to my review)

 

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

(Contemporary Romance, Thomas Nelson) 

I loved the love-hate tension Denise Hunter created between the two main characters of this book. I really didn't know which side I was on concerning the hurts they both caused one another in the past.

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The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
(Regency Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Julie Klassen always amazes me with her fleshed out characters and flawless plots.
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My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
(Contemporary Romance, Bethany House)

This book came out of nowhere and totally blew me (and all of my friends!) away. I'd never heard of Becky Wade before last spring, but I sure am going to keep my eye on her books in the future!

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Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Karen Witemeyer is another author I can always count on for true-to-life characters and plots that make me sigh all the way to her satisfying endings.
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The Messenger by Siri Mitchell
(Revolutionary Historical Romance, First Person, Bethany House)

Hannah Sunderland and Jeremiah Jones were, quite possibly, my favorite couple of the year. Which is funny, because the story is about so much more than them falling in love. I blame the fact that it was written from both of their perspectives in first person.
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Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan 
by Melanie Dobson
(Historical Romance, Summerside Press

Melanie Dobson was another new author for me. I loved the suspense in this book, even if part of it was not having the hero and heroine meet until close to the middle of the book.   

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The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Atmosphere. Dark and gothic. And real.

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Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

I blazed through this book so fast, I wished it was twice as long! Actually, I wish any of Jody Hedlund's books were twice as long.

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A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman
(1920's Historical Romance, Revell)

AMAZING wrap up for the O'Connor Family. I think Steven was my favorite of them all... but that might only because his was the last book. I think that every time I read any of Julie's books. 

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Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
(1920's Historical Romance, First Person, Bethany House)

This was such a touching story written from first person perspective about a young woman finding her true place in the world.   

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Against The Tide by Elizabeth Camden
(Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Translating foreign codes for the Navy, bringing down drug rings, and going undercover at a secluded, palatial mansion. Oh, and Alexander Banebridge. Lydia Pallas's heart never had a chance. 
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The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen
(Regency Historical Romance, Bethany House)

Oh, how I love a good, sigh-worthy Regency! And this one had it all! A Country House, masters and servants--and everyone in between, the sea-weathered cliffs and bluffs off of the coast of Cornwall, and a brooding hero who saves the heroine from certain death! (yes, I love the melodramatic...)
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I hope you enjoyed my list and will look these titles up in the coming months! I'd love to hear what you thought of them!
  

A Writer's Review of “My Stubborn Heart" by Becky Wade

{My Review}

My Stubborn Heart was one of those books I had no doubt I would love from the very beginning. I literally began reading it the moment I received it in the mail... even though I had weeks before I needed to write a review for the blog tour. I'd never heard of Becky Wade before Litfuse offered me the chance to be on the author's blog tour. I'd never heard of the book either, but something about it caught my attention from first sight.

Perhaps it was this cover, which I thought was done extremely well. Or perhaps it was because it was about a rather hot, once-famous, wounded and brooding hockey legend hiding in his small hometown of Rosebud, PA working as a contractor just to stay busy. And by the way, Rosebud is sincerely the cutest name of a town I have ever heard of. Oh, and the heroine is also as cute as a button, an Audrey Hepburn look-alike with long red hair. Oh, and there's a two hundred year old elaborate mansion to be refinished, a seventy-something grandmother reconnecting with her school-hood friends—and this gorgeous, silent man doing all of the renovations.

I wouldn't say that My Stubborn Heart was divided 50/50 between the two main characters—I think Kate's perspective took up more words than Matt's did—and I have to say that I liked it. The reader got just enough of Matt's side of the story to understand what kind of torture he was going through.

I don't read a ton of contemporary romance—mostly historical-- but I must say if there were more like this one, I would be eating them up. There was never a dull moment, and I just wanted to keep reading and reading and reading—and I did so although I was sick with a head cold and really should have been getting my much-needed rest! I liked the title—it described Kate to perfection—though to her credit, she wasn't stubbornly seeking a romantic relationship with this broodingly handsome Adonis of men, but stubbornly offering him her friendship—which ended up making all the difference. And I loved Matt. As a widower, still deeply disturbed by his young wife's death, Becky Wade did a masterful job in getting him through his grief and to a place where he could love again. He was so well-written!

I also have to say something about the prologue and the epilogue. They were written omnisciently about the two main characters and turned out to be the perfect thing for “book-ending” this book cover to cover. I am so looking very forward to seeing what's next from Becky Wade. I love finding new authors to follow!

Bethany House Publishers gave me a paperback copy of this book for the LitFuse Blog Tour featuring the wonderful and talented author, Becky Wade, in return for my honest review.

I heartily give My Stubborn Heart 5 {bright and sparkling} stars. 

{About the book}

My Stubborn Heart | Becky Wade

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?

{About Becky}  

During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a fan of all things romantic ever since. 

Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical romances with Avon Books, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her kids, then recently returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She felt led to move to the genre of contemporary Christian romance and couldn't be more thrilled with it.

These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Learn more at: www.BeckyWade.com.