Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her heart a very different type of discovery.Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cynical, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is … that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.
When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grave salvage their unexpected romance?
Humor, love, mystery, cute kids, crazy families, and culture clashes make this Britallachian Romance a unique and delightful romantic comedy sprinkled with adventure.
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Oh. My. Stars. I first became introduced to Pepper Basham’s writing with Charming the Troublemaker. Ever since that book, I have become an avid follower. Reading Just the Way You Are totally sealed the deal. And, boy, have I missed a lot waiting this long to read this book. I am totally behind the times here. Now I need to go back and read the historical romance trilogy and A Twist of Faith (which takes place before Charming the Troublemaker chronologically). Anyone who loves well-written contemporary romance will absolutely fall in love with this book and the characters.
Pepper Basham weaves a fantastic tale. She infuses laugh-out-loud moments with the gentler “chuckle” moments into her plot and her humor is unforgettable. The storyline is wonderfully laid out and there is even a hint of mystery in the book, which is quite exciting. The thread of faith found in the book is real, heart-breaking, and soul-stirring. The way Wes approaches God his Savior is admirable and remarkable. And the characters!!! Wes is incredible in every way…..even with his terrible past that unfolds one bit at a time and keeps the reader guessing. Dreamy, swoon-worthy, romantic, loyal and passionate with a changed heart for God and a British accent?!?!?! How can there be a better hero? And Eisley is so lovable with her gracious and generous heart and down-to-earth personality complete with absolute clumsiness and a crazy family to boot. I totally fell in love with both of them and will be thinking about them for days to come, even though I finished the book hours ago.
I cannot wait for book #2 of Pleasant Gap Romance. Will it be about one of Eisley’s siblings? And which one? There are so many to choose from…..
I borrowed the book through Kindle Lending Library. All comments and opinions are solely my own and subjective.
Just the Way You Are (2017) by Pepper Basham is the first book in her Pleasant Gap Romance series. This book comes in all forms including eBook, and is 308 pages in length. With a full-time job and a very busy six-year old at home, this book took me two days to read. I purchased this novel from Amazon on October 21, 2018 to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this book 5 STARS. Just the Way You Are is a Contemporary Christian Romance.
So you know how you binge-watch TV series? Yeah, I just binge-read the Pleasant Gap Romance series by Pepper Basham. LOL!
I recently read and LOVED When You Look at Me, book #2 in the Pleasant Gap Romance series. WYLAM is so amazing that I put my entire review schedule on hold so I could devour book #1 in this series, Just the Way You Are, because I could not bear to part with the characters from Pleasant Gap. I am officially Pepper Basham’s #1 fan because JTWYA and WYLAM are fabulous stories. The Pleasant Gap Romance series is without a doubt binge-worthy and should be read by all immediately. Now, I need a 3rd book on Sophie!!! Is that something I could look forward to Pepper?! Maybe?! Hopefully?!
I love the premise to Just the Way You Are — a regular girl meets a handsome, popular, out-of-her-league boy. I wholeheartedly enjoy this premise because the girl really is the one who is out-of-his-league, but the guy doesn’t realize it at first. I love watching as the hero of these stories figures out just how wonderful the girl really is. And, being totally honest, I really enjoy the satisfaction I feel when the real girl turns out to be “the one” for the guy who can get any girl he wants. There is something so special about being that one unique person. This premise is so romantic and sweet to me, and Pepper Basham does this premise good! This may be one of the most romantic and sweet Contemporary Christian novels I’ve ever read.
The best part of this book, for me, is the theme of forgiveness that is weaved throughout the entire narrative. What I really appreciate is the discussion about how hard it is to forgive ourselves and let go of the negative ticker-tape feed in our heads. I generally do not struggle with forgiving others, but forgiving myself is really hard. I will sit and stew over my mistakes and blunders. I will engage in debilitating self doubt, worry, and self-recrimination. I wonder things like, “How could God EVER forgive me?” or “How can I ever measure up again?” I logically know all of this is not good for me, but sometimes it is really hard for my heart to get on board. My most favorite moment came when Eisley speaks some real truth to Wes who is still struggling to forgive himself for mistakes and choices he made two years prior. Eisley confidently proclaims, “God loves you just the way you are. It’s amazing and humbling, and oh so wonderful for those of us who fall flat on our faces most days … and He forgives completely.” What a SMART woman! Eisley totally understands Psalm 103:12 — “As far as east is from the west, so far does [God] remove our transgressions from us.” What a great reminder for me today. I need to believe this truth like Eisley does!
There is so much more I could discuss about this book, but I’m so in gush-mode that I know I would spoil something accidentally. Suffice to say, the plot is wonderful — highly engaging and thoroughly entertaining. Some of Eisley’s words and actions had me laughing so hard I cried a little. The characters are excellent. Eisley is strong, intelligent, unique, and so good. Wes is swoonalicious, loyal, and determined to be the man God and Eilsey need him to be. And the Jenkins family is AWESOME. They’re big, loud, tough, and so loving. And, the romance in this book is perfect. It never goes too far, but definitely leaves the reader satisfied. Overall, I adore Just the Way You Are. I cannot recommend this book enough. Get this book and When You Look at Me today — I know you will love every minute spent in Pleasant Gap!
Pepper Basham has done it again! I went ga-ga over her last contemporary romance, A Twist of Faith, and this latest release was just as oh-so-entertaining! Swoony British hero? CHECK! Hilarious heroine? CHECK! I just loved watching Wes in how he handled temptations through his new heart changed by God. And Eisley was super relatable. Can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!
Eisley takes a dream trip to England in search of clues to a relative from the distant past. Having been invited by a friend of the person, Lizzie, her Uncle Joe had been conversing with, she’s totally taken by the father figure of Mr Harrison, while trying not to worry about her children whom her parents are taking care of while she’s gone. Mr. H’s wife, Eleanor, is slower on the uptake of this, but their son is very wary. Little does she know, until she meets him, that he is a movie star. Wesley determines to ferret out if Eisley is true to her word or just a very good actress. The two are plagued by pasts that have hurt them, and the book goes through their journey to learning to trust and move forward with the gift of forgiveness offered by Jesus. Beautiful story, with delightful, sassy and engaging characters.
The characters are just superb. I don’t know how Basham does it, but I even felt a connection to the secondary characters, especially Eisley’s family. But maybe that’s because I’m from a Southern family, so I understand the atmosphere very well. In fact, I have an uncle who is quite similar to Nate Jenkins. I can relate to that mixture of love and embarrassment.
Even though I didn’t enjoy Just the Way You Are as much as I did Jane By the Book, I still liked it. It was good, the romance was sigh-worthy, and while Wes slowly worked to win Eisley’s heart, he won mine in the process.
(Check out my full review at https://justjenniferpurcell.com/2019/07/12/just-read-just-the-way-you-are-and-when-you-look-at-me-by-pepper-basham/)
History
Eisley arrives in England on a trip for her uncle to connect family and to finish getting possible information about there family. He accidentally trips and falls into the gentleman who’s family will be putting her up. Little did she know that his son was a famous actor and overcoming portrayal in his past. She is a single mom of 3 from Virginia with a close loving family and is an actor with a loving & supportive family that helped him find God and peace and a little bit of love.
I fell in love with this story from the first paragraph. The characters are dynamic, realistic and seem to come to life. This book is packed full of wonderful discoveries. Beginning with a trip across the pond to England. Come along and explore a century old mystery, enjoy discovering secret passageways and try not to get lost in the maze, all while uncovering long-lost love letters. You will enjoy moments that will have you laughing out loud, and reaching for your chocolate stash. The perfect meet-cute and of course swoon worthy kisses. I didn’t want this story to end!
(I received a free copy of this book. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own)
One of my favorite new authors, Pepper Basham, knows how to win her readers over with her unique, descriptive prose and special gift of making characters come to life. In her new contemporary series, Just The Way You Are (A Pleasant Gap Romance), she offers up a plate of fun with a dreamy hero, a clumsy heroine, good Appalachian humor, a delicious romance, and a healthy dose of faith. Her American character, Eisley Barrett is delightful with her mountain accent; love of chocolate, and perchance for accidents. She falls into a creek, falls onto an unsuspecting grandpa, falls into a hole, and yet, she’s refuses to fall in love. But as God works to win her heart, so too does Wes Harrison, a cynical actor who is in need of someone genuine and joyful in his life. I loved the way these two characters dealt with their past mistakes and took a risk to make lasting, positive changes in their lives and learned to trust one another. I laughed out loud, had to grab some tissues for a few tears, and fanned myself over the attraction between Eisley and Wes. This story is so good and left me smiling happily and longing for more in this series.