Monday, December 22, 2014

12 Days of Christmas (Day 9): When I Fall in Love

ISBN: 1414378432
Pages: 400
Source: Tyndale Publishing
Appearance:
19320758

Summary:
Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.
Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.
Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires. If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith will face its toughest test yet.

Hello everyone! Welcome to Day 9 of 12 Days of Christmas! I can't believe it's almost over, it's happening way too quickly! Anyway, I am finally FINALLY doing my When I Fall in Love review. I was sent this in July by Tyndale Publishing for review and my only excuse for taking this long is this: It's the third book in the series so I read books 1 & 2 first and got a bit tired of the characters so I took a pretty long break...anyway, I have finally read it so let's get into my thoughts!!

When I Fall in Love follows Grace, the quiet third child. She's had dreams of becoming  a chef ever since she was little, but never had the courage to step out of her little protective circle. Then, she's gifted a ticket to Haiwaii to join a cooking retreat and her partner is none other than Max Sharpe - pro hockey player. 

As the third book in the series, it is no different from the other two. It starts off with Mrs. Christiansen's letter to her child, which is beautiful and super inspirational. It gives a little peak into the personality of the main character along with a mother's hopes and dreams. For Grace, her mother wishes courage and a world of unexpected possibilities for a soul as gentle and kind as Grace's. Watching Grace grow out of her shell was definitely a really uplifting journey. She has this hidden passion within her that slowly burns brighter into a full fire as she cooks and experiments with different ingredients. Her personality is truly golden and she was a beautiful person.

Max takes the role as the mysterious hockey player who has a distinct charm. Susan May Warren is not afraid to shy away from topics that might be uncomfortable or hard to write about. On the contrary, she creates a pretty accurate depiction, or at least one that is very real, about Max and his disease. She outlines his fears and what holds him back from taking a chance and being with Grace.

This book was a beautiful story of two different people - one who learns to break out of her shell, and the other who learns to not let a disease control his life. It's very uplifting as with the other books in the series. It was really bittersweet to see all the other characters together and the big Christiansen family together. Even Owen, with his anger moods and frustrating character. Out of everyone, I think he is the one whose story I'm most excited to read about because God's going to do some amazing things in his life.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book. It had its ups and downs, but it definitely had the overarching theme of God's unabounding love for His children. 
3.75 out of 5 stars
 

Foreverly Obsessed,





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