I tend to stay away from strongly Christian romances but for some reason at the library this one jumped off the shelf at me. I am so glad it is. Though I did not realize until I finished it that it was the SECOND one in a series (the first being Her Valentine Hero in the Sisters Series). This series is written by Gail Gaymer Martin. And if you are looking for a heartwarming light romance with lots of heart and faith The Firefighter’s New Family is it for you!

This second chance in love is a slow burn sort of romance where you are privy to the inner thoughts and lives of a widow (husband lost to war) and a divorcee (a firefighter). This story also deals with mental health and touches on abuse. Don’t be too concerned though, the abuse is a generation removed and historical and the mental health is dealt with with a lot of compassion. I just felt I should warn the reader that these topics ARE included.

The heart must heal before it loves again and we are there to see Ashley come back from not only an injury in a storm (which initiated the meeting) but from the loss of her husband who never had the chance to meet their young son Joey. On the other side of the romance we meet Devon, a single father with visitation rights to his young daughter Kaylee. It takes thought, conversation and prayer to bring these two amazing Christians together.

I really enjoyed the speed of this romantic contemporary Christian novel. A second chance at love with adorable kids to add into the mix. The Firefighter’s New Family is a great sunny afternoon read.

I could not resist the combination of a free download AND a  recommendation on the front cover by the very first author I ever met in person as a teenager… Janette Oke. Waiting for Summer’s Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a historical Christian romance based in Kansas at the time of covered wagons and small towns.

Summer is a newly widowed woman from Boston who lost her family (husband and children) to illness on their way out west to find their own farming land. Feeling abandoned and having lost her faith in God and the people around her Summer is at a loss as to what to do. Return to Boston and her inlaws who disowned her husband when they chose to leave it all and head east or her brother and his wife who saw her as a burden or stay and try and make a life where she could visit the graves of her beloved children.

Peter and his son Thomas live with Peter’s deceased wife’s grandmother on their settlement just out of town. Alone but for the 3 of them, Thomas had fallen and injured himself badly enough that he could not make the ride to school. This leads to a change in Summer’s circumstances as this traditional Mennonite man is in need of a learned woman to teach his son until he can return to school.

Having dealt with his own questions in regards to faith and God’s will Peter and his family are the perfect catalyst for healing and restoring of faith and perhaps a little love along the way? The town’s own insecurities are examined as we learn more about how persecuted people were coming from Russia and Germany. German Mennonites came to the United States to find the freedom to express their faith, and in turn feared outsiders and persecution. With a mix of English and Low German this is a lovely romantic journey of faith and growth.

If you enjoy a sweet Christian message and characters you can truly fall in love with and care about Waiting for Summer’s Return is the book for you! As a fan of Janette Oke as a younger reader this brings me right back to my original faith based reading!

Waiting for Summer’s Return

 Cafenova, a Clairmont Series book by S. Jane Scheyder is a lovely Christian romance with a contemporary setting. The story centers on Maddy who has recently had an engagement end badly and moved out to the East Coast to start over with her own B&B. In order to afford such a venture she had to take on an absolute fixer upper which leads us to her contractor – John, single father of  two young boys. With Burt the large and loveable dog it is a recipe for success.

While I love this book, there is a random hyphen (-) issue and I found it a little odd that every time a door in the house closed the author wrote it banged! I mean I understand the emphasis on how it closed (if you can’t tell by my normal script that is italicized), but after a while it was almost like seeing a book title or real life store name. Exclamation point and all. 

The Christian aspect does become more prominent as the story goes on but it is heartfelt. There is some confusion and complication with the romance but, really, is a romance that runs smoothly from start to finish all that interesting to read? Another point in the favour of this contemporary is the lack of sexual scenes. Instead the characters are quite up front about their need to be mature and careful about their relationship (Maddy due to her personal perspective and ruined relationship and John his two adorable sons). 

Forgiveness is a pretty strong theme in this book, as is being responsible with your relationship and how you progress. For some this may seem a little stiff but it felt rather real that they would discuss their wish to be intimate in the right (for them) setting. I honestly enjoyed this book from start to finish. There are moments you worry along with our characters that love may not win out, your heart feels for their struggles and giggles with them as well. If you are interested in a nice Christian message (as it does become more focal towards the end) with a lovely romance this is a definite should read.

Cafenova