3.5 to 4 stars (rating shown may differ depending on whether site allows half star ratings)

I liked the underlying story more than I liked the romance itself, which as usual for this series--seems a bit rushed. The story itself had many good life lessons.

We like to think we're in control, when really, we're not in control of anything. God is.

We can't run away from our problems. If the problems aren't dealt with in a healthy way, we end up dealing with them in an unhealthy way.

Sometimes God's answer is no. Sometimes God's answer is wait.

There are consequences to our choices and actions.

Dorrie doesn't want Hannah and Gracie to know Karl is their father. I don't remember how old the girls are. I do remember one is older and the other younger. Does Dorrie really think they won't figure it out at some point? How does she explain their Aunt Kellie and their grandparents? I can't remember if in the story they are told that Karl is Kellie's brother but at some point, logically, they're going to figure out it's a possibility. (We aren't told if the girls are told Karl's their father, but at the Thanksgiving dinner one of the girls does ask about Karl.)

I can understand Kellie's fear of relying too much on anyone and of being romantically involved with someone. Both open us up to the potential of hurt. We know that Kellie was a cutter at some point in her life--I can't remember now if she got real counseling to deal with it or if she just kind of used her high school counselor's interest and Christianity to cope. I wonder if she ever feels the impulse to do it now or if she's found healthier ways to cope. Interesting since the author gives us insight into Ryan's thought process on this recovery process, but we don't hear Kellie's--at least not about cutting--we do see some of her insecurities about trusting others and the worry that she'll end up involved with an addict. ( )