One little girl has a very big wish… A mother is all his daughter wants… Might an old love be the answer to her prayers? Struggling to keep his antiques store open, single dad Mark Chatham can’t turn down his high school sweetheart, Callie Hargrove, when she offers her assistance in the shop. But his daughter is wishing for a mommy, and she’s convinced that Callie is the perfect match. As … Callie is the perfect match. As they work to save the business, will their little matchmaker reunite Mark and Callie for good?
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Callie Hargrove has recently returned to Ragland, Georgia, where her sister still lives. She’s also aware that her high school sweetheart is also back in Ragland running his family’s antique market and raising his daughter as a single dad. Callie has a lot to work out – namely how to earn enough money to open her own furniture boutique – but also in her personal life.
Mark Chatham is struggling to keep his life together. Between financial struggles and his daughter’s wild behavior, his hands are full. Then, when Callie walks back into his life, it’s as if his past mistakes are staring him in the face.
What follows is a second chance romance that’s going to become very real the more you read. It’s as if you can picture the characters in your mind and feel their struggles and emotions – Mark’s financial and parenting struggles, Callie’s job struggles and struggles from her past, and their mutual past hurts with each other.
I loved how Callie finally stood up for herself, even though she knew the risks. I loved how Mark confronted those who were behind his financial struggles and was willing to do whatever it took to not give in to their demands. I loved how they were each mature enough to voice their past hurts and mistakes regarding each other. And, most of all, I absolutely loved the ending! It was perfect.
Romance – PG / a few chaste kisses
Language – Clean
My rating – 5 stars
HIS DAUGHTER’S PRAYER by Danielle Thorne is the fabulously well-written story of Callie Hargrove, who has moved back to her home town of Ragland, GA. After living payday to payday and not a step closer to her dream of opening her own boutique, she gave in to her sister’s request to come home. Amanda even got her a temp staging job at the real estate office she worked in. Callie’s goal is to work the summer, get out of debt and find a way to open the business of her dreams. If not successful by the end of summer, she would go back to Nashville and the day to day grind of making ends meet meaning she may have to possibly forego her dream along the way.
Of course she knew that finding pieces to refinish to sell at a profit and for staging jobs would mean going to the Chatham family antique store, but she hadn’t figure that on seeing her first crush, Mark – now the proprietor, would bring back familiar feelings for the man. They are both more mature now and Mark is a widower with a young daughter, Hadley, to raise, but was he feeling the same electricity that she was? She’s determined to keep it all business and her mind on her goal.
Mark is trying his best to keep the family business afloat and be the best Dad he can be, but he feels like he’s failing at both. Bills rapidly piling up and an unruly daughter are making it harder and harder. Even after the bank president’s attempt to force him to sell everything he holds dear, he’s determined to not give up or to lose his business or his home. He’s willing to take advice from the woman he knows – has known for a long time, that he was foolish enough to let go, on how to improve his business and out of the rut he’s in. But how can he risk the hearts of both himself and his precious daughter, if Callie is only going to leave Ragland again at the end of the summer?
Callie sees a little bit of herself in Hadley and seems to be about the only one to make headway with her. It’s not long before one little girl has wrapped her magic on Callie’s heart and they become best buds. Hadley knows what she wants – a puppy and a mother. Will her nightly prayers be answered? Can Callie and Mark open their eyes and hearts to one another to see that maybe they are the answer to each other’s problem? How will the set of antique spoons of Mark’s ancestors work into the mix?
Danielle Thorne does a fabulous job of keeping one turning the pages of HIS DAUGHTER’S PRAYER as we fall in love with Hadley as the romance between Callie and Mark grows. It’s a story of second chances and dreams coming true woven with a thread of faith that inspiringly teaching us to never give up on your dreams, it’s never too late for romance or a happily ever after and that all things are possible through perseverance and prayer. Highly recommend and it gets my 5 stars!
I enjoyed this beautifully written clean story about Callie and Mark. The characters were interesting and easy to root for. I found I was interested from the beginning and that the story moves along at a good pace. There are definite twists and turns with this story that made want to know what happens next.
What a great contemporary Christian love story His Daughter’s Prayer, a Love Inspired book by Danielle Thorne, was! I really enjoyed the second chance love story between high school sweethearts. I love that it was clean, sweet, and inspirational, with a great ending. The characters were well-developed and relatable with their fears and hopes. Wonderful book!
I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and are expressed voluntarily.
Mark and Callie had been high school sweethearts. Callie was devastated when Mark announced that he wasn’t going to play professional baseball but was instead joining the Coast Guard and moving to Florida. She thought they would always be together. Now, Callie has moved back to Ragland, GA for the summer to to hopefully start her own business. In the meantime, she has been hired by a local real estate agency to stage some homes that are on the market. She has big hopes of starting her own boutique.
When she steps into the Antique “Junk” store in town, to look for some pieces that she can use in her staging, she sees Mark for the first time since he left to join the Coast Guard. He is just as handsome as he ever was but she is determined not to have her heart broken again. She is her to start her business or she will be moving back to Nashville.
I really liked the progression of Callie and Mark’s friendship/relationship. They both had some baggage and broken dreams that they had to wade through before they could see a happy ending. Hadley, Mark’s little girl, was a handful but helped to forge a stronger bond between Callie and Mark.
This is a sweet, clean contemporary romance about second chances and forgiveness and going after what you really want most. I have read several books by this author and I look forward to many more. They leave me with good feelings and always a happy ending.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
I received an ARC of this book from the author, Danielle Thorne, and this is my voluntary and honest review. I loved this book and of all the books I have read by this author, I think this one is my favorite. Mark and Callie dated in high school in small town Ragland, Georgia. After they graduated, Mark went to Florida to enlist in the Coast Guard and Callie went to Nashville, TN to learn interior design. Their relationship ended but was renewed after they both returned to Ragland years later. Mark was a widower with a five year old daughter, Hadley. He was the owner of the antique shop his parents left him. Callie came home for the summer to work with a realtor staging homes. When she and Mark see each other for the first time since high school, they both realize their love for each other is still there. When Hadley starts praying for a Mommy after meeting Callie, the relationship between Mark and Callie is renewed. The antics of lively five year old Hadley made me laugh, and the ending of this book is what made this book special. I highly recommend this book.
Callie and Mark’s story will take you on an emotional roller coaster. Mark seems to be a good guy who is constantly sabotaged. His main concern as a single father is his daughter. He and Callie continue to butt heads and create roadblocks. They both made me want to pull my hair out. Callie took a little getting used to but in the end she showed her real self as a caring person. I read an arc and voluntarily c hose to review.
Not gonna lie – when I first started reading this book, the heroine, Callie, really annoyed me. Her personality seemed, to me, to be obnoxious and selfish. Her initial behaviour made me think that she didn’t have a care for other people, she was only interested in what she wanted and was determined to get it. I thought I was going to have to fight with myself to finish reading it. How wrong I was. Although Callie does have her faults, it wasn’t too much further into the book that I started to understand what her true character was like – she’s actually very caring and is quite hesitant and insecure about herself. She works hard to please others while still trying to hold on to and achieve her own goals and dreams. She’s not afraid of hard work or helping others when she can.
The hero, Mark, is also an intriguing character. He’s made mistakes in the past and now is working hard to try and make the future better for himself and his daughter. He’s honest and not hesitant to put himself out to help others – he works hard to keep his daughter happy and he’s doing his best to keep the family business running, despite having his efforts impeded constantly (by one character in particular – no spoilers I promise). This aspect of the story actually made me quite cross (with the characters, not the story lol)… in fact, there were a few places in the story where I had to stop reading because I felt quite angry on behalf of both Mark and Callie. It’s realistic to be sure but I’m an empath and I’ve always had a heightened sense of what’s fair and just – so when things go against that, even in a fictional story, I’m gonna get cranky haha
Happily, things all work out well for Mark and Callie in the end.
I really enjoyed this story. It’s clean and wholesome with a feel good ending.
I receive an ARC from the author. This has in no way influenced my opinion and I am under no obligation to leave a review.
Such a sweet second chance love story! Callie moves back home for the summer and runs into her old high school sweetheart Mark. Since it is a small town, they cannot avoid each other and she soon realizes he is the one that got away.
I love how their relationship slowly develops from one of tentative friendship into something more as they realize that have so much in common and are happiest when they are together. Their willingness to sacrifice and help each other without expectations is very sweet. I also appreciated that they were both willing to own up to past mistakes. I enjoyed the fact that Mark’s daughter is not an unrealistically well behaved child but is very real and some of the scenes with her are very tender.
This was a fun, easy read that made me smile over and over. If you enjoy Hallmark movies, this book is for you!
I received a complimentary copy from the author but all opinions are my own.
Rating: 4 stars
What engaged me:
• My interest was immediately caught by Callie. At first, she seemed very self-centered and pushy. But I’m glad to say, my first impression about Callie was wrong. She really had a troubled, caring heart.
• The author painted a crystal clear picture of Ragland, Georgia with her words. I could envision this rural city with its downtown main street.
• I enjoyed getting to know the main characters Mark and Callie. The precocious five year old, Hadley, added an extra dimension to the plot.
I was given an advance copy of this book by the author. My review was voluntary and my opinions were my own. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy clean romances. I will be reading more books by this author.