Tracy Cassidy a self-reliant ER nurse has to choose between pursuing her dream job in another city or staying to help support her mother’s faltering ministry…Even if it means falling in love with the kind of man she said she’d never marry.Tom Delaney a hyper-vigilant cop and single father to an adolescent son is happy to keep his wounded heart protected behind his Kevlar. But he can no longer … no longer deny his growing love for Tracy. Problem is she’s not looking to be the community’s next cop widow. Like her mom.
In order to free his heart to answer God’s call to love again he’ll need to dump the years of bitterness he’s carried toward his ex and offer her forgiveness. And should the call come to pursue Tracy’s heart will he answer?
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Call to Love is more than a contemporary Christian romance, it’s a story filled with relatable characters and situations. loved the friendship that develops between the main characters, Tracy & Tom, before they give in to their mutual attraction. Each carries enough scars from past relationships to make them hesitant to jump in to a new relationship but through patience and grace they each learn to trust in each other and more importantly in God and eventually answer the Call to Love again. The author tackles real-life topics such as unwed pregnancy, single parenthood and the juggling act between work life and home life with grace, authenticity, and a touch of humor. Mary Felkins has penned a memorable debut complete with vivid descriptions, relatable characters, and a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Call to Love will stay with you long after the story ends.
What an emotional journey this story took me on! I enjoyed the thorough development of these characters and the attention to detail regarding their jobs in both law enforcement and emergency room nursing.
Tracy and Tom were captivating characters. They felt so real to me and their emotional struggles impacted them both a lot. Just when it would seem that one or both of them had a good handle on their past issues, something would occur to make them question themselves and whether a relationship together was possible. This seemed very realistic to me, as it is so easy to try to take too much into our own control and forget to hand it all over to God. But, Tracy and Tom had quite the journey in Call to Love, and they both learned how to really allow God to be in control of their lives. This was a very interesting and enjoyable novel.
(4.5 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
A well-crafted romance with deeply layered characters and touches of humor. A story about moving beyond loss; choosing forgiveness; and finding the happily-ever-after God has for each of us. A must-read.
In this contemporary romance, we’re introduced to Tracy Cassidy, an ER nurse facing life-changing decisions. Unwed and pregnant, should she hope for the promotion at the local hospital or accept a new job opportunity in another town? Should she marry the father of her baby or stay true to her belief that she needs to do life on her own? And what about the ministry for women in crisis that she helps run with her mother? It’s struggling financially and could still use her help.
Tom Delaney is new to Laurelton, and although he’s attracted to Tracy, he’s determined to not be hurt again. Several women have betrayed him in the past, so he has a few trust issues when it comes to love. However, his fourteen-year-old son yearns for a “real” family and a mother.
Even though Tracy is attracted to Tom, her father was a cop who died in the line of duty. She still grieves his loss, and with her brother also in law enforcement, there’s no way she’s going to put herself in the position of worrying about someone else dying on the job.
The author handles the situations single parents run into with authenticity. They must balance family and work—sometimes with the help of family and friends—but other times, on their own. When bringing a “love interest” into the mix, children need to be a huge consideration, as is the case with Tom’s son and Tracy’s baby. Stephen Delaney is portrayed as a realistic teenager—a young man who can be challenging but also funny and endearing.
I appreciated that Tracy and Tom’s friendship brought out their strengths and gave them opportunities to be supportive of each other aside from any romantic relationship. That helped create believable scenes and an urge to cheer them on to possibly opening up their hearts to each other further.
Mary Felkins presents readers with a heartwarming debut about two people who have suffered significant heartbreak and struggle to accept the call to love again. It’s a winner!
Call to Love by Mary A. Felkins is the charming, heartwarming love story of Tracy and Tom. It is a story of redemption, forgiveness and faith. Tracy is an unwed pregnant mother and Tom is a police officer who both struggle with heartbreak. Even though this is the author’s debut novel, she did a great job in creating captivating likable characters and in creating a fast-moving, sometimes suspense-filled, yet emotional storyline. I received a copy of this book in the mail and the opinions are my own.
A heart-warming story of facing and overcoming some of life’s great struggles.
Call to Love hits at the heart of real trials, personal and professional, faced by single parents in nursing and law enforcement service work. Felkins weaves a story that not only deals with the struggles but shows how they can be overcome. Take the call and settle in for a heart-warming read.
Congratulations to Mary Felkins on crafting a lovely debut novel. A Call to Love is a moving story of two people, Tracy and Tom, who overcome past hurts to take a chance at love again. Both have made mistakes in life and love. Both have sworn off romantic relationships. Both are struggling to move beyond their past pain and to redeem their brokenness. I loved the characters and found myself rooting for them from the very first chapter. I can’t wait for more from Mary Felkins.
Call to Love is Mary A. Felkins debut novel. This is a story of Tracy, an ER nurse and Tom, a new cop in the city. Tracy lost her father at a young age and vowed to not marry, especially a cop. She is expecting a child and continues to turn down the father’s proposal. Having not been offered the job she applied for locally, she lists her home and plans to move a couple hours away.
Tom has recently moved to Laurelton from Texas to start over. He is a divorced father of a teen boy who is struggling in school. On his few off hours, he takes on the job of painting Tracy’s home to prepare it for sale. While he is working on her home, she tutors his son.
I enjoyed reading this story, it is an easy story to just get lost in. I really like the characters. I enjoyed the closeness Tracy’s family has and how they are looking out for each other. I liked that when Tom decided to move, he moved to be closer to his sister but has strong ties to his father and a grandfather. I also liked how both Tracy and Tom struggle with their past but still have faith and are learning to trust God.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Tracy can’t open her heart to love after her father was murdered while on duty. Tom is focused in his job as a cop and raising his son after his bitter divorce. Can these two souls find love and happinness? They need to face their fears with the help of God and faith. Good audiobook
I found myself torn with Call to Love. This is Mary A. Felkins debut novel so I tried not to be too hard with my assessment, but there were some issues with this story that I couldn’t get past.
My heart went out to both Tracy and Tom, and the situations they both find themselves in. Their development throughout the novel was commendable, but the pace of the entire book felt off. I honestly think this story would’ve been better as a short story, as it all felt drawn out, but it definitely was true to life, and life can sometimes go at a slower pace.
My favorite part of the novel was hands down the ending which, to me, redeemed the entire book in my eyes. The conclusion is what you expect, but it’s the how that is so incredibly charming, and left me with a goofy grin on my face.
For a debut novel, Call to Love is a good start, I just wish it would’ve been a tad shorter, and had an overall better flow.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
A second chance romance for two people who had stopped believing in love.
For lovers of fast paced contemporary romance.
A beautiful story of redemption and restoration with a sweet dose of romance. Intriguing story with beautiful characters.
Debut novel of this author and a wonderful one at that. The story portrayed characters trying to make sense of the situations around them and opening up their hearts to second chances and new starts.
Recommended to anyone who loves a good story.
I received a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.
This story has good bones and is a fine debut. The characters become real through their struggles, dialogues, and connections with one another. One of my favorite things about the book was the growth that Tom and Tracy, the main characters, experience in their individual lives. I enjoyed that they were important to one another, but they didn’t necessarily change to please the other. They were two people being pursued by a divine love and this book really did a great job of capturing that.
Honestly, though, I finished feeling like I just wanted more from this book. The ending was beautiful and I’ll remember the characters, but the pace felt inconsistent and there were times when it felt like Tom and Tracy were picking fights just for the sake of it. But there were plenty of characters in this book that provided a well of emotional depth and it’s very clear that the author is talented.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All expressed opinions are my own.
Call to Love by Mary A. Felkins is the author’s debut novel. And although I liked the premise of two imperfect and broken people finding each other and helping each other to heal, this story fell a bit short for me.
I felt like it took me half of the story to feel like I was comfortable with all the characters and their situations. But once the action started in the second half of the book, I found myself flipping the pages faster to see how it all would end!
I enjoyed Stephen and Cate’s characters the most. I loved Stephen’s honesty and wit. And I loved Cate’s unshakeable faith and the grace she extended to others. It is fun when secondary characters try to steal a scene!
In my opinion, the lengthy descriptive passages and police lingo slowed the pace of the story and interfered with the dialogue, which distracted me from the story. But I know others may appreciate the descriptions with such attention to detail.
Overall, I thought the story and the characters interesting but found the delivery a little off for me. I did finish the book and was touched by the events surrounding the ending. Although it was not a favorite for me, the trials the characters encounter may speak more personally to others.
I was given a copy of this book with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own.
What if, when we tell God the one thing we do not want or will not do, He takes it as a dare—and that’s exactly the one thing He asks of us.
Well, maybe not. But it sure feels like it sometimes.
That’s just what happened to Tracy Cassidy. Growing up with a father cop—and a brother who followed in his footsteps—Tracy knew more than she wanted to about the profession. Especially the killed in the line of duty bit. And she vowed to never let that happen to her like it did to her mom.
Such promises, though, are thin veils of control over our own lives. The harder Tracy tried to manipulate her life into a manageable lump, the more it eked from her control.
Falling for Tom Delaney was definitely not in Tracy’s plans. Nor was falling for her in his.
Tom had his own to deal with, and fought it at every turn. Ultimately they both realized that only when they let go of what they thought life was supposed to look like, did they really see what life—and love—truly are.
ROBIN’S FEATHERS
FOUR FEATHERS
I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.
#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, Call to Love, Mary A. Felkins, JustRead Publicity Tours
Talk about an emotional roller coaster! Call To Love had me smiling one minute, holding my breath the next, and reaching for tissues the next! The good and the the bad, it certainly had all the feels.
In Call To Love, we meet ER nurse Tracy and police officer Tom. We learn very early on that Tracy is expecting… with a man that she has no desire to marry. In fact, she has made a promise to herself to never to fall in love and marry, wanting to spare herself the loss that she had experienced when her father passed away. She especially didn’t want to fall for a cop. Tom had just moved to town with his teenage son Stephen and was working to balance work and single parenthood, also with no desire to open his heart back up. In true romance novel fashion, I suppose you can tell where this is leading…
Still, Call To Love is far from your typical romance novel… while in those they might have their fair share of struggles, you can pretty well rest assured that they will follow the typical patterns and end up together in the end. This one, I must admit, kept me guessing to see whether or not that would be true. Just when I’d think things were going to work out, something else was thrown into the mix. Like I said, it really kept me on an emotional roller coaster throughout. I actually really enjoyed the realness of this story and the characters-flawed as they were, as it seemed very authentic to real life romance. It also allowed us as readers to see God working on their hearts to forgive the past hurts that held them both back.
This is the debut novel from the author, and she is certainly one I will be watching for in the future. There were a few moments where I could perhaps see that parts of the story weren’t quite as fleshed out as you’d expect from a more seasoned author, and a few places where there was a bit too much technical cop speak that slowed the otherwise fast paced story down for me a bit… but overall, it was a really good read with great characters that I enjoyed getting to know. If you enjoy a good inspirational romance story that is sure to tug at your heartstrings, this one is certainly one worth checking out.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.
Fans of contemporary Christian romance will be delighted with “Call to Love”, the debut novel by Mary Felkins. The well-crafted plot quickly draw readers into the lives of Tracy Cassidy, RN, Tom Delaney, police officer, and their extended families and friends.
Both Tracy and Tom are Christians who have previously experienced devastating personal pain & loss. Those experiences strained their faith in God & others. Neither of them believe they can depend on anyone else.
Professionally both Tracy and Tom are mature and highly trained, with fast paced, absorbing careers. Tracy routinely assesses & intervenes in patients’ health crisis situations in a busy Emergency Department. Tom has similar weighty responsibilities as a patrolman working the streets of the community.
Privately, Tracy is facing a very personal, life changing crisis herself. However, she determinedly refuses to accept any help. At the same time Tom, who is a single parent, is blindsided by his son’s sudden, life-threatening health crisis. As he attempts to care for his son’s acute & long term needs, can he learn to accept his own limitations?
As these independent thinkers navigate the highly demanding challenges of their personal and professional lives, they continue to ruthlessly shield their already scarred hearts from additional heartbreak. Even as these protective defenses prevent Tracy & Tom from willingly opening their hearts to each other or anyone else, their professional aspirations are set to take them in different directions.
The story reveals God has a different plan however. The slow but steady way God brings Tracy and Tom together, alters their circumstances, reveals truths to them, and heals their hurting hearts is very believable. The intimate dialogues between Tracy & her mother are particularly moving.
Call to Love’s diverse cast of secondary characters are well-developed and move the story along steadily. Together with exquisite attention to details, realistic dialogue, and numerous plot twists and turns, the story captures and holds the readers’ attention throughout.
Congratulations to Mary Felkins for an excellent debut novel!
I received an advanced readers copy of this book. My review is voluntary and reflects my own opinions.
Mary Felkins’ debut fiction is a romance filled with twists and turns. The story opens on a surprise and just keeps going through a maze of traps and walls blocking the path to the peaceful and joyous respite at the center.
When a career medical woman is willing to leave her childhood home, her family, friends, and boyfriend since high school for a risky new position, you have to guess she’s running from something. Tracy is not only fed up with being passed by for a promotion at the hospital, she has a secret that she refuses to let interrupt her plans to stay independent. She’s never needed anyone or anything, to the point that she’s not interested in sharing her life or her house or her heart.
Career cop Texan Tom Delaney moved his teenaged son out of San Antonio for a new job in North Carolina. He’s out to prove himself the best of the best, even if it means butting heads with a fellow officer who already claimed the spot. But Tom has to wrestle with more than his self-determination when he crosses paths with a woman who refuses his help in his official capacity as a policeman. When her brother sets them up in the role of handyman and homeowner who needs repair work, sparks begin to fly. Even Tom’s son Stephen feels it and does all he can to help his dad find a new wife.
Both Tom and Tracy have issues of faith and ego to deal with during their lengthy, tantalizing warm and cool relationship. Tom has to decide how much he wants to help Tracy leave, and Tracy must come to terms with her pride when life throws her another curve.
Call to Love is a faith-filled tale on the old-fashioned side where adults are still referred to by Mr and Miss, and morality is taken seriously in spite of the mistakes we make. Second chances and forgiveness are at the heart of this love story.
Told through Tracy and Tom’s interweaving viewpoints, readers of chaste inspirational romance will enjoy following this contemporary love story between two hard-headed lovebirds. It’s a romance filled with a lot of internal quick choppy insider comments that may take a bit of time to adjust to reading. A favorite quote comes near the end: “Living alone on Tracy’s island…had lost its appeal. Courage to risk her heart in love breached her lead apron.”
In her debut novel, Call to Love, author Mary Felkins has created an inspiring story with a well-crafted storyline filled with plot twists which keep the reader turning pages to discover what will happen next. The main characters are Tracy Cassidy, an ER nurse and Tom DeLaney, a police officer, whose careers have always been about responding to calls. When they meet coincidentally in the hospital, their lives become inextricably interwoven as each realizes there is a higher call for both of them – a call to love. They learn that this is a much higher call, one that will involve letting go of past hurts and fears about the future that have served as walls around their hearts to protect them from further hurt.
The author has obviously researched the work setting of both a hospital emergency room and inside the car of a policeman on a beat, as both are depicted very realistically. She interweaves the lives of both characters, as they each struggle with issues of unforgiveness. As they learn to forgive, they discover that the barriers to love are broken down.
Throughout the novel, there are subtle references to the value of faith and to trusting God in difficult situations. In the end, the prince comes riding on a white horse for his bride, calling to mind the account in the Book of Revelation of Christ returning to the earth to meet his bride.
In conclusion, Call to Love is both an inspiring and yet down-to-earth portrayal of the main characters and the most important issues they face in life. With Call to Love, I believe that Mary Felkins has established her place in the market of Christian novel-writers. I definitely look forward to reading future novels by this author.
Stayed up too late last night to finish this exciting, lovely book. Couldn’t stop until I finished!
What a nice journey with 2 very independent people, who struggle to find love.
Written from a realistic perspective of life, yet always with hope of good things to come.
I found this a great read & was sad when my journey with these 2 families ended.
Keep writing Mary. I’m ready for your next adventure in print!
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. The opinions are all my own.