My Stubborn Heart: My Review

About the Book:

A Sensational CBA Debut in Contemporary Romance!  This summer author Becky Wade makes her CBA debut with a fun -- and funny -- contemporary romance.  Amidst the light-hearted banter and laugh-out-loud moments is a compelling spiritual journey of one woman's choice to listen to God and wait on him.  Filled with humor and authentic romance, My Stubborn Heart is shaping up to be the hit of the summer.

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When Kate's grandmother asks Kate to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Yet, she discovers a different kind of project upon meeting the man hired to renovate the house.  Matt Jarreau is attractive and clearly wounded -- hiding from people, from God, and from his past.  Kate can't help but set her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light... whether he likes it or not.

My Comments:

As Catholics, we believe marriage is a vocation, a calling from God, and that like other callings such as those to the priesthood or religious life (convent, monastery etc.) that call is not given to all, but for those to whom it is given, it is a way to holiness, a way to God.  As spouses united in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, we called to help our spouses get to heaven.  That's what it says in the books, but for many people, marriage is seen as a right, not a calling, and it is lived as a way to gain personal happiness, not as a way to help our spouses to heaven.  That may be the reason there are so many broken marriages.

Kate Donovan in this book wants to be married, but she wants to be married to the man God picked for her.  She's not completely abnormal--Kate has dated, she'd had serious relationships, and she's  had her heart broken.  Kate doesn't want to be hurt, but when she feels God telling her to befriend Matt, she puts herself on the line and does so.  As they grow closer, she still holds back, she still can't believe someone like him would want someone like her.  She listens to God and even obeys when she doesn't like what she hears.  

If you don't like religious books, this one is too religious for you.   Matt has to find his way back to God before they can live happily ever after, and Kate has her moments of questioning Him too.  While much more a romance novel than a book about religious faith, the two are very intertwined, though I wouldn't call the book preachy.  

One interesting facet of the book is that besides the romance between Matt and Kate, there was also a romance between a couple of senior citizens.  I liked the way the woman told Kate that once you realized you could be happy alone, you could become very picky about the guys you dated.  

I enjoyed this book and would like to think the publisher, Bethany House, for making a review copy available.  I was not obligated to provide a positive review.