Subscribers to Hallee’s newsletter get this book free. Go to her website for more information. Can Ian and Calla find love together, or will the secret she is keeping rip them apart? CALLA VAUGHN has spent the last three years desperately trying to get her life in order so that she can go back to culinary school. No matter how hard she works, though, she feels like she is just treading … though, she feels like she is just treading water and can’t see any way out of the hole dug for her by a con artist who stole her identity.
When flowers she sends to her best friend with a dinner invitation accidentally get delivered to IAN JONES, she decides to cook him the best meal he’s ever had. By the time she admits that the flowers were never for him, he is as convinced as she is that God orchestrated the mistake in the first place.
All that’s left is to tell him the dark secret about her father’s widow. She waits a little too long, though, and is carted off to jail for questioning on felony charges before she gets a chance.
Will Ian understand her situation, or will the deception surrounding Calla destroy any trust he has in her?
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Sweet story, novella length and a quick read
Calla has been under her stepmother’s thumb for quite awhile. She works a lot to try to pay the bills that she has.
When her car dies on a rainy day on the way to work, she gets help. It just turns out to be one of the bosses at her work. The one she has always had a crush on. Through a series of errors she accidentally invited Ian to her house for supper. They grow closer, can’t seem to see each other enough. But then Things fall apart. I can’t tell more without spoiling the storyline. Good plot and I liked the no sex and Christian theme without pushing too hard.
I received an Arc from the author through BookFunnel. The opinion is mine.
An enjoyable story where Calla keeps a secret from her new friend, Ian and this causes a rift between them when it is revealed in a most dramatic fashion. I liked the way the story unfolded and Calla followed her desire to develop her ‘new’ self. Ian experienced frustration during this period but stayed true to his promise to give Calla time. A well written story that inspires honesty in relationships. Well done Hallee Bridgeman.
Calla has had a hard life losing her mother at a young age, a stepmother that is very bad & then losing her dad. Her life could become wonderful except she waits a little too long to tell Ian about her financial secret. Does Ian come to understand & forgive her? This is an emotional book that I enjoyed very much.
I really enjoyed reading this book! It ended kind of abruptly but I guess that’s okay. The two stars of the book have a lot of different feelings back and forth but finally, work them out! I recommend this book to anyone who likes romance!
Courting Calla by Hallee Bridgeman
This book starts out with Calla and her car on the way to work has stopped working at the gate to the parking lot.
Others help her move the car and she really appreciates it. While filing-her job at The Dixon Brother Designs Company she calls and wins a flower arrangement so she sends it to her friend Sammy who helped her get it towed away.
Problem is the flowers are delivered to Ian Sam Dixon instead and the note states he has to show up Saturday night for dinner and he does. She doesn’t divulge the mixup til later. He loves her culinary skills as he enter her apartment where herbs are growing.
Thanksgiving plans are changed and she ends up at his grandmother’s and she brings some food that they love. Their meal starts out with prayer and she’s more inspired to like him even more.
She had dropped out of culinary school due to identity theft.
Story follows as Ian and Calla have made the yearly mission trip to Haiti and all that occurs there.
Upon their return she is handcuffed and taken away-her stepmom is the problem again because of all the bad debt. Probably the best thing for her but Ian is slighted and thinks she only wants him to spend money to bail her out.
With the lawyers help she can get a second chance but she’s broken inside and she asks God for guidance. He sends her a verse from the Bible and she has to go with it and make it right.
Excerpts and summaries of the other works in this series is included.
Love charity work they are able to perform and praying at meals-something that is not openly done any longer is so many instances.
Readers guide at the end and also a bonus in this book are the recipes at the end.
More books by the author are highlighted at the end along with a personal note from the author..
Received this review copy from the author via The Book Club Network at BookFun.ORG and this is my honest opinion.
I loved this Christian romance and how things weren’t trite or cliche. I liked the ups and downs and the real ness of the characters and their journey together. I especially liked the mission aspect. I’m super excited to continue reading this series!
Courting Calla is an excellent beginning to the Dixon Brothers series. It leaves you with a deeper understanding on how a person is victomized, and points out important psychological truths of what it takes to get your life back. NOT a spoiler, but the most important truth is your identity and worth in Christ! Lovely slightly suspenceful romance that is definitely a book that will be reread!
This was an enjoyable story. I listened to the audio version and I liked the male narrator. He did a good job with the narration for the voices, both male and female.
I liked these characters for the most part. Both Ian and Calla reacted to things in ways that were strange to me, so I had to step back and just realize that everyone reacts differently to things and view them as the individuals they were written to be.
Calla had to figure out who she was and learn to stand up for herself as the story progressed. She had allowed someone to manipulate her for years without taking a stand, which ended up impacting everything about her.
Ian had to work on forgiving and letting go of his anger about the secrets Calla kept regarding her situation. He had to wait a very long time for a resolution with Calla and the hurt and anger simmered during that time. I would have loved the end of the book to have been longer, maybe with another chapter or two, so we could see these two characters live out their new beginning a bit.
I received a complimentary audio copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own.
Left feeling like the story wasn’t finished.
Hallee Bridgeman develops wonderful characters and story lines and this book is no exception. I will admit to being very frustrated with Calla and at the same time understanding where she was mentally. I love that she relied on God to lead her even when she didn’t understand where he was leading her. I look forward to the next book.
This is not my story, but it hits pretty close to home. I can empathize with Calla and the situation she found herself in, which wasn’t of her own making. Calla learned that there’s having faith in God and then there’s putting your faith in God, seeking his guidance and will. I so loved Calla’s friendship with Sami, a true friend that stuck by her thru her situation and hitting rock bottom. Great characters. A believable story.
I LOVED this book!!! I always love Hallee’s books, and this was no exception. I love how she has strong Christian men in her books, and that the women they fall in love with are also strong. Love that this books has both of them growing, especially Calla, and finding that she can overcome and have good things happen to her. Can’t wait to see how things continue to happen between them in the coming books.