Book Review: Undeniably Yours

Recently I read Becky Wade’s lighthearted novel, Undeniably Yours, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. In an entire sunny afternoon on the porch. It was glorious, and I am so glad that Bethany House Publishers has this awesome book review program.

Here is a description of the book from the publisher:

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 an empire she’s never wanted. Can the handsome manager of her father’s Thoroughbred farm help Meg face her fears and embrace new hopes for the future?

And as usual… my five point review:

• This is Becky Wade’s second book, and since her first, My Stubborn Heart, remains one of my favorite contemporary Christian books of all time, this one had a tough act to follow. But it was absolutely glorious! And not just because I read it outside in one afternoon. Just as I was writing this post, I learned that it is the first in a series–and I am super excited for more to come! This isn’t your average Christian romance. It is fun, flirty, and just plain ‘ole cute. I love Becky’s style!
• One thing I appreciated about this story was that the main male character, the handsome manager of the horse farm, Bo Porter, is just SO well written. He is not the average romantic one-dimensional character. Though he is the sort of guy who would probably be swoon-worthy in real life, his depth of character, love of family, and protector of all really comes through in the book. So often romance novels follow just the female character, but Becky does a great job balancing between the pair. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a Texas cowboy! 🙂
• Overall, this story has a theme of overcoming challenges–romantically, professionally, and ultimately, spiritually, as Meg learns to trust God despite those in her past who have hurt her. Meg is likeable throughout the entire book, but her weakness makes her kind of annoying at first, until we learn more about her past. I loved rooting for her to overcome the obstacles in her life to move on in her future.
• Continuing on in that vein, I did appreciate the faith-based perspective of many of the characters in this novel. There was a bit of drama involving Meg’s past [okay, if you’ve read the book… more than a ‘bit’ of drama] and I liked how that allowed Meg to grow in faith. However, apparently the faith-based portions may be a response to Becky Wade’s first novel that was criticized as not being Christian enough as related to language, content, and themes. [See this and this for more details… this is the first I’ve heard of it, and one of the things I liked about My Stubborn Heart was that it was so atypical Christian.] So while I didn’t find anything wrong with either book, I can see why some people are concerned. Moving right along…
• I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, quality read. Yes, it is a Christian romance. Yes, it is a bit sappy and cute. But it’s not completely predictable and it is well written, which is more than I can say for some Christian fiction. It might be in a different vein than her first novel, but I still loved it and will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!