He wants a second chance. She says there’s no going back. Ten years ago, a public disgrace sent Jenna Jenkins running from her hometown. Now, the success of her professional future hinges on joining her hometown church restoration project. Her partner and team leader on the job is William Scott—expert renovator, volunteer fireman, and the ex-flame who ruined her life. William is in crisis, facing … facing the tightening screws of personal and professional failure. When the interior designer on the church renovation project turns out to be Jenna Jenkins, William sees it as a chance to make amends. But Jenna wants nothing to do with him. How much will William sacrifice to redeem his mistakes and prove his love? Can Jenna protect her heart this time or will William break her for good?
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I received this book to read and judge for for an IDA contest, and loved it so much I wanted to leave a review here on Amazon for others who might be looking for this kind of inspiration! The characters were wonderful and realistic, with even the events taking place very plausible. This is a story of past wrongs and hurts and the affects they had on the individuals, and finally, forgiveness, redemption and joy, through the Spirit of The Lord. There were testimonies born, and scriptures recited, but it never felt preachy to me. It did cause me to pause and reflect and feel closer to The Lord, myself, as I was reading, and after.
What I think you should know:
Builder’s Reluctant Bride is a contemporary Christian/ Women’s Fiction by Stacey Weeks. William Scott is trying to land a reality show contract that highlights his restoration talent, however the person he chooses to work with on the project may end up making him wish she were anyone else.
What you might need to know:
Jenna was abused by her ex husband, and suffers panic attacks.
What I think about this book:
I am a huge fan of the home makeover type shows so I was excited to read this book. William was such a great character who is working hard for his family and to show that he is not the boy that he was ten years ago. I am thankful that I am not judged by mistakes of my past. I love how the author used Jenna to show us the contrast between Bill and William. Jenna was a harder character for me to relate to as she was unwilling to look past mistakes of the past and trapped by them, however as the story progressed I was able to understand more about her. I enjoyed this story and look forward to more by Weeks.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
My Thoughts on The Builder’s Reluctant Bride:
First, this cover is so pretty and colorful. It definitely grabbed my eyes and made me want to pick it up. The storyline is fun and fast-moving. Both of the main characters are personable and you really feel like you know them and can sympathize with both at different times. The story is Christian in nature but not overly so.
The storyline revolves around Jenna coming back to town after leaving humiliated over ten years ago. It just so happens that the man in charge of this project that could catapult her to national success happens to be her ex-flame that she never wanted to see again.
Can they work together without killing each other and get a good job done? Or could they maybe become friends again? What about something more?
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed her style. I’ll be checking out more of her books in the future to read. This one read fast and did not confuse me even though we changed back and forth by who was telling the story.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
I enjoy reading books about second chances. We all make mistakes and hope that we can get another chance to make things better. I was quite intrigued by Jenna and her past. The author gives us a little bit at a time of her past which had me wanting to find out what had happened to cause her to stray from God. She is very successful, but coming back to her hometown will be a challenge for her.
William is a very very gifted builder and has landed a project that hopefully will help get him out of financial trouble. I thought it was interesting that he and Jenna would work on the project together. There is a history between them that I couldn’t wait to find out about. I loved the idea of renovating the building and all the work it entails into to make it a beautiful place. A reality show could be in the works for William if he can work with Jenna and somehow talk about their past.
I loved the message about fear and trusting God in the story. William is struggling with pride and can’t seem to reach Jenna. What he really needs to do is pray for her and let God take over. The emotions are strong in the story and I could feel the struggle both characters had about letting go and forgiving each other. Sometimes we try so hard to fix things that we get in God’s way. It is a nice story that reminds us to forgive and trust God.
Love is always a risk, but worth taking.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
A touching story about forgiveness and second chances. A wonderful reminder about how, with God’s help, you can overcome anything that was done to you in the past. You won’t regret getting this book, it will hold your interest from beginning till the very end. I received this book as a gift and enjoyed every minute of it. This is my honest opinion.