Love's Providence

I enjoyed this one. Anytime I see the word "Christian" attached to a book I cringe a little. That's a personal thing because I grew up attending a very strict Baptist church that followed the Bible in a very literal sense. I many times find that when things are labeled Christian it's because the content is generally not relateable to those outside the Christian faith. Not so with Love's Providence.

I think the author really did a fantastic job of writing characters of faith and strong convictions and showing their struggles in a very genuine way. The situations are authentic and are similar to situations I myself faced when I was in college. Lily's struggles are honest and real. Nothing here is sugar coated and although there is a happy show more ending, the characters take quite a journey to get there.
The author does a really great job of fleshing out the characters and giving insight to their thoughts and actions. I loved Lily. She has strong values and stands up for them and yet, nothing here sounded "preachy."

As for the plot, although never boring, I thought it was a little slow at times. The first half of the book is about Lily meeting Alex and getting to know him. There is some action and a little bit of mystery in the second half of the book and the pace picked up a bit. This was a pretty quick read for me so the pacing wasn't really a huge issue for me.

I give this 3 stars because I enjoyed it but it's not the type of book I will read again or would recommend to everyone. Fans of Christian Fiction and clean romance will love this and would probably rate it even higher. This was a wonderful debut from Ms. Westall and I would be interested in reading more from her in the future. show less

Lily Brennon and Jackson Carter have been childhood best friends for twelve years, and have dated from their late high school years into their college years in Birmingham, Alabama. Lily always thought that they had a relationship that was going to last forever, but when Jackson suffers the tragic loss of his father and a blown knee sidelines his dream of joining the NBA, he slides down the slippery slope of depression and pushes everyone away including Lily.

While on a family vacation to St. Simons Island, Georgia over the fourth of July holiday, Lily meets handsome local policeman Alex Walker. Alex helps Lily see that she can move forward with her life without Jackson being in it.

Back home in Birmingham, Jackson realizes that he has show more messed up and wants Lily back in his life, but there is an attraction between Alex and Lily, and this love triangle will take all three of them on a journey that will bring their secrets, hopes, love, faith, heartache, choices, decisions and compromises to the surface, it will test their principles and beliefs, and ultimately change their lives as well.

Love's Providence is a YA Christian romance story that delves into the struggles of young adults making decisions of the heart while maintaining their faith and principles. Written in the third person narrative, the storyline alternates between the perspectives of Lily, Jackson and Alex. The setting of the story flips back and forth between Lily and Jackson's hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and Alex's hometown of St. Simon Island / Brunswick, Georgia. While the storyline mainly deals with struggle to make choices and decisions of the heart, it also has an intriguing addition of mystery and suspense thrown into the mix with enough twists and turns that will keep you guessing.

The author has created an intriguing cast of complex characters that easily draws the reader into their individual stories. I really enjoyed getting to know Lily, Jackson and Alex, and reading about their individual personal issues that they had to deal with in addition to their love triangle / romance issues. The author weaves a thoughtful tale about maintaining one's faith while navigating down the tricky path of life and the ups and downs that happen along the way.

Love's Providence is an inspirational story about the bonds of friendship, the choices one makes in the matter of the heart, and maintaining your faith and prinicples. This is a wonderful story that young adults and adults can share with each other, it can open up the lines of communication and provide much food for thought for the young adults as they go through the transitional years from teen to adult.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

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