Former Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. … as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.
Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?
Praise for Becky Wade
“I wasn’t ready for this story to end, but when it did, I sighed the happy/longing sort of sigh that romance readers know so well…”–USA Today on Undeniably Yours
“They are a couple you’ll be rooting for to have their Texas fairy-tale ending.”–Romantic Times on Undeniably Yours
“I adored this book. It was hilariously funny, heartwarming, and too cute! I laughed. I cried. It made me smile countless times.”–Will Bake for Books blog on Meant to Be Mine
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4.5 stars A powerful and moving story, this was a wonderful read and I am so glad I read it. There was so much depth to the characters and emotion throughout the book. Though heavy at times, I enjoyed the Christian themes throughout the story and the messages of healing and hope.
Jake suffers from PTSD due to his military service. I was touched by his story and ached for what he went through. Lyndie was such a great fit for him, being his childhood friend and coming back into each other’s lives as adults, her patience and care for him was sweet even though it took a good minute for Jake to get on board and let her in. Their romance was great, I loved their chemistry!
Another aspect I really enjoyed was how Lyndie’s experiences with Jake’s horses paralleled the character’s relationship in some ways. It was neat learning more about horse racing and all that goes into it.
A great Christian contemporary romance, this is a clean romance that I recommend and I look forward to reading more books by Becky Wade.
Had I not been reading what is supposed to be a Christian book, I would have probably given this 3 stars instead of only one. The story was decent enough, if rather predictable. What bothered me, however, was the “romantic” scenes. The male main character is supposed to be a Christian. Why is he getting involved with a woman who isn’t a Christian when the Bible clearly states not to do so? And when he does, and they kiss, I felt as though I was reading a Harlequin novel instead of Christian book. As a Christian, I read Christian books so I will not be subjected to lengthy descriptions of kisses or of the characters finding each other ‘hot’. This book went into way too much detail and turned me off to the rest of the story. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed enough with the story for it to compensate for the negatives.
Loved Lyndie and Jake! First book in this series where I didn’t spend the first half of the book frustrated with the main characters. Jake’s struggle was tough, but real and understandable. The moment his healing began in the stairwell of the hospital was a raw and powerful scene. Loved watching Jake finally begin to see what good things God wanted for him and how much God loved him.
The third and fourth books in this series are my favorite, although very different from eachother. I was glad this one was cleaner than the second.
Lyndie and Jake are the best of childhood friends. Lyndie’s family moves away from Texas and they eventually lose touch with eachother. She goes on to live her live learning more about horses, and he goes off to the Marines. They are now living in the same place again and she is trying to become friends again. He is suffering pretty bad from PTSD and doesnt like to put any walls down.
I enjoy romantic books that are based off childhood friends. I also enjoy ones where you feel the depth and see the flaws and everything is not perfect. Love can be hard and I thought this book showed that beautifully.
It did get a bit too preachy for me at times.
** There were some mild lustful thoughts, but no sex and very mild language (like “your face looks like hell”). Some semi-graphic scenes in his flashbacks. Heavy kissing. He compares her eyes to the color Jack Daniels (kinda weird).
There were a few editing mistakes and I wish I could have changed a conversation about the marines as well. They both asked eachother if they HAD BEEN a marine. Once youre a marine, youre always a marine, there is no past tense. They even say that line afterwards.
A Love like Ours is the second novel of Becky’s that I’ve read, and I certainly was not disappointed! Although I haven’t read the second book in the Porter family series (yet!), I didn’t have any trouble falling back in to their family and enjoying their dynamics. While I typically don’t associate many books with seasons, if ever there was a book that should be read in springtime, this one fits the bill – redemption, renewal and healing are found within these pages, and what better way to celebrate Spring than that?
Lyndia is such a unique character. Becky gave her several quirky yet natural qualities. She is an artist and children’s author, but is also a talented rider and has an innate ability to connect with horses. I loved her sweet spirit and creative imagination. I have always been OBSESSED with fairies, and the fact that Lyndie writes children’s stories featuring fairies, princes and quests just made my heart happy. Jake, or “Tall, Dark and Brooding,” as Lyndie calls him, is exactly that – a brooding but hurting soul that doesn’t see an end to his emotional and mental pain. Suffering from PTSD and quick to withdraw when there is any risk involved, especially when it comes to Lyndie, Jake is a complex and empathetic character. For me, the portrayal of his PTSD felt very realistic and made what could have been a run of the mill romance into something a lot deeper and poignant. Lyndie’s sister is terminally ill, and her family’s faith and determination even in the face of numerous seizures and hospitalizations was really inspiring. Their interactions felt very realistic, and I really enjoyed getting to know Lyndie’s family.
The setting of the novel is also done very well. I don’t know much about horses at all, but was fully engaged in learning the inner workings of a horse farm. It was fun to get a firsthand look at the training and preparation that goes into racing Thoroughbreds. It was interesting how that aspect of the story added a lot of conflict between Lyndie and Jake, with Lyndie’s desire to be a jockey and Jake’s unhealthy worries over her safety creating friction and tension between them and the progression of their relationship.
Overall, this is a really enjoyable read. Though it at first appears to be a typical romance, the nature of challenges that Lyndie and Jake faced gave this story depth and poignancy. For its endearing romance, believable characters and strong redemptive thread, I can easily recommend A Love like Ours for fans of inspiration contemporary romance.
I am also going to give this novel 5 stars. I would definitely recommend to those who are already fans of Becky Wade and those who enjoy romances.