Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move … move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.
Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But, in the past, his failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He’s determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.
When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?
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Kara Isaac is a new author to me, and I’ll be seeking out more of her work! Her characters leap off the page, and the world she creates is rich. She made Australia real to me in a way I hadn’t experienced before, and her handling of the faith issues was intimately woven into the story, not–as sometimes happens–an add-on to draw a larger audience. It was crucial to the story yet not stilted in any way. An emotional romance I enjoyed thoroughly.
Good story. I was instantly repelled when I realized it revolved around a megachurch pastored jointly with a man and his wife, but it was worth the read despite my initial misgivings.
There were some minor typos, but nothing that distracted too much from the story.
I enjoyed the way the author kept key details from the reader until the book neared the end… it added the suspense that is often missing in romance and women’s fiction.
This is the first book that I have read by Kara Isaac and it won’t be the last. This one has been on my TBR list for quite some time and I am trying to find time to knock some of them out, so I have started listening to audio books to help. I loved the narrator’s voice and felt she did a phenomenal job with this book.
Paige is a fantastic character. She has a great sense of humor, says whatever comes to mind without thinking it through, and despite the hardships she has endured, maintains a positive attitude. She has to confront many of her prejudices/stereotypes in this book and finds that things are not always what they seem.
Josh is another great character. While he seems like the perfect preacher’s son, he has secrets of his own, and these are a stumbling block in his friendship with Paige. Will they be able to overcome the issues they both have, or are they destined to be frenemies forever?
I lost count of how many times this book made me laugh out loud. It was the perfect audio book for a long drive. It was engaging, witty, original, and you could physically see what the author was saying (which is not my strong suit)! She painted vivid word pictures throughout the story. There are some deeply emotional scenes in the book as well which are also brilliantly and tenderly done. The chemistry between Paige and Josh is sizzling and swoon-worthy! From the witty banter, emotional poignancy, swoon-worthy scenes, and faith seamlessly woven throughout, this is a story not to be missed.
Such a fun read!
I listened to this book through Hoopla for my own amusement, so obviously, all thoughts and opinions are my own
Delightful! Humorous, sweetly romantic, solid spiritual message.
Quotes . . .
“See, that’s the thing. The church at its worst is ugly. It’s corrupt and self-serving and destructive. But the church at its best? It changes the world. It defends the oppressed, cares for the poor, and walks alongside those who need it most.”
“Sometimes people are so caught up in what they want to see, they can’t accept reality when it’s right in front of them.” Paige spoke. “People convince themselves they can make all sorts of things work because they’re blinded by physical attraction and refuse to see all the other things that make them completely incompatible.”
He ran his hands through his hair, tried to find the right words. “At its core, the gospel is offensive. We are all sinners. We all fall short of God. No matter how good a person we are, how nice a life we lead, we all need Jesus to bridge the gap for us. No exceptions. I’d be more worried if we weren’t offending anyone. Then we’d have a real problem.”
He closed his eyes and let the music sweep him away. Notes that picked up every nuance of the song. Regret. Redemption. Painful endings. New beginnings. It didn’t need the words. It was all there, raw, haunting, ethereal. The final notes lingered, settling around him like a shroud. He grasped at the past, wanting to return to four minutes ago, and start it all over again.
His tenor rippled across her and to her toes. When everything is broken, still I will trust in You. When there are no words to be spoken, still I will trust in You. The tears streamed down her face. When was the last time she had trusted God, really trusted Him, thrown herself at Him without reservations, without a backup plan or a safety net?
I enjoyed this romance. Paige and Josh’s first meeting sets the stage for a comedy of errors when false assumptions are made. There were times when I just wanted to shake them both for jumping the gun on things but they did finally manage to get past their wounds and look to the future. Full review is at my website lorainenunley(dot)com
I received this book in a giveaway. I was not required to give a review. All of the opinions I have expressed here are my own.
I’ve heard so many good things about this book, but had no idea it would move me so much! I love how much Josh and Paige have to go through to figure out what their true direction was, and the final scene in the book was nothing short of breathtaking! (No spoilers!) I laughed, I cried, and rejoiced right along with every tiny little relationship victory. I especially loved how much this book—the setting, the language (and the koala)—reminds me of my best pal in Australia…Absolute perfection!
Loved this book so much that even though I am in the middle of a humongous work project, and know I’ll have to be back working in the morning, I just couldn’t put it down. Finishing at 3:00 a.m. Great characters, believable storyline (especially for ‘church’ people), and eventually a “swooningly” romantic ending. I’m expecting (and hoping for) several characters to appear again in future novels by Ms Isaac and I’ve already ordered her next book.
Loved the characters and the clean story. Highly recommend.
Another sweet romantic comedy by Kara Isaac!
This is not a book to read in public if you can’t hold your laugh while keeping a normal face.
Looooooooooved <3
Now I understand why Paige and Josh were one of people’s favourite characters from last year. This book is all kind of adorbs.
Paige, feisty, loyal, lovable, cute Paige. She’s waking up. Or better yet, finally opening herself up. Daring to live out of a sheltered life. She’s off on an adventure to the other side of the world. But once she discovered her cousin’s idea of a perfect job is actually Paige’s worst nightmare, she might question her sanity here and there. Especially when she keeps making a fool of herself in front of one Josh Taylor.
Josh Taylor. Worship leader, overprotective, caring, and, usually, a gentleman. He has a life he loves, which includes traveling the world and leading people in praise to God. There’s a lot of pressure, expectations, and challenges that come with the field, but his family has learned to be stronger despite the trials. Doesn’t mean Josh likes it when a rumour starts, gossips are spread, or people show up only trying to gain something from them, with no real interest in them. And he’s sure the blonde American is just one more person who’ll end up disappointing them.
Once these two have to spend time together without killing each other, both will have their preconceptions confronted by reality. And they’ll learn that to be given grace amongst trials is truly a balm to the spirit, a shake to unworthy foundations, and healing from the deepest regrets.
Here's one more reason to pick up this book: it's set in AUSTRALIA
Then There Was You is a heart-stirring, belly laugh inducing story from award winning author Kara Isaac. In her first indie release, Isaac offers return readers another glimpse of her homeland (New Zealand) as well as a 6-month stay in Australia. This ends up being the perfect amount of time for Paige McAllister to build her resume, take in the sights, and overcome a bad first impression.
Kara Isaac has a knack for making me feel like I’m in the moment with her characters. This was especially true with Paige, who frequently left me smiling or cringing. In every embarrassing situation she faced I found myself thinking I’ve been in her shoes—the clumsy one stumbling over myself, or saying something inappropriate because I was nervous. Fortunately, I was reading at home when she encountered the drop bear. Otherwise, I would have suffered odd looks from strangers for laughing-in-public-while-reading, again.
Intermingled throughout the story are a few deep and emotionally stirring exchanges. Through them readers witness these characters overcoming fears, working through grief, and reconciling with their pasts. Although some may not relate to Paige and Josh’s professional successes, they do come across as genuine and relatable people. Then There Was You would be a special treat for anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy, modern worship music, or dreams of one day visiting Sydney.
The writing in this book is as beautiful as the cover design! This is the first book I have ever read from Kara Isaac. Truthfully, it was the cover design of Sydney Harbor that caught my attention and then the story synopsis sold it to me.
I loved the main characters of Paige, a violinist who leaves Chicago to move to Sydney and Josh, who fronts a top-selling worship band, but sometimes I just wanted to shake them. That’s a good thing. The author made me “feel!”
The overall plotline of loss and grief was written in a very compelling way filled with depth and emotion. Interspersed with humor, and sometimes idiocy, and the healing began. I very much enjoyed the secondary characters as well. No snarkiness, jealousy or pettiness – just a beautiful book written in a time where we could all use this in our everyday lives today. It is truly a book full of “Grace!” Well done, Kara.
Wow! This book was fantastic! I was scanning my ereader for a contemporary romance to read that would be uplifting and fun. What I got with this story was not only uplifting and fun, but also deep and thought provoking at the same time.
I blazed through this book because it was just so good. It made me laugh, but also tugged at my heartstrings. I absolutely loved the setting of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the setting of the offices of a mega church. Having Josh be the famous lead singer of a worship band was a real treat, too.
The building up of attraction throughout the story between Josh and Paige was perfect and very believable. All of these characters felt so much like real people that it was hard to finish the last page and have to walk away from them! This is a book that I anticipate re-reading many times.
This book deals with broken people who try to hide that they are broken. They are stuck in the past and can’t seem to overcome their guilt and grief and cannot heal from their pain. The writer takes us through those events that caused the pain and shows us that redemption is real and the hurts can be overcome. It is a beautiful story of good people that aren’t perfect. I highly recommend this story!
Loved the characters in this book. Not very predictable. YOU WILL LOVE THE ENDING!!!
This was an easy read that tried to tackle some faith issues, with genuineness though not in great depth. I appreciated the humor, the setting in Australia, and the development of the main character. However the ending was predictable and bit too tidy for me to rate highly.
I have read everything this author has published and this is my favorite book so far. Loved the story and the characters! Great read.