The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck

This is a book you would not have seen published ten or more years ago. Probably even less than that. Why? Because Christian publishing wasn't really ready to "go there" in terms of the content. I mean, a book about how even Christians struggle with holding off on sex until marriage? About how not every hero and heroine in a story find it easy to carry on a pure relationship? Yeah, that's what this one is about, and let me tell you, it was a fast flowing, fun read. The characters, especially the main character Sarah is a hoot! She's witty, clutzy at times, funny, and so, so insecure. She's pretty real.

When she meets the hero in one of those "cute/meet" kind of ways, and then finds out he's her new pastor, that takes the cake. Both of the main characters come with a boat load of baggage, and in today's world that's about as real as it gets.

Thank you, Revell, for publishing a book that gets real about relationships.

If you like flawed, interesting, totally human Christians in your fiction, you will enjoy The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck. ( )

After divorcing her cheating husband, Sarah somewhat accidentally winds up writing a romance novel. Two more novels follow.

After Sarah admits her real name in a moment of weakness, she just as suddenly becomes a born again Christian.

Soon she falls for the new pastor. Needless to say, her past as a romance novelist is not an easy thing for a pastor to deal with the repercussion of.

Even though Sarah has changed her life, others aren't as forgiving of her past.

Funny at times, kind of sweet. A little bit overly so, I guess. I'm not someone familiar with Christian fiction, so maybe that's on me. It just didn't love it.

I got to read an early edition on NetGalley. ( )

This was a fun read about a writer who wrote steamy romance before she became a believer. Now she is trying to write a cleaner novel while falling in love with the new widowed pastor she just met. ( )

Surprisingly witty and humorous, but open to some steam in the romance department. I thoroughly enjoyed this page turning adventure where a non-Christian suddenly discovers faith, and embraces it in every way. Told in the first person, Sarah truly reveals her deepest thoughts and desires, and lays them out in a truthful and amusing manner. I loved the fact that I could just relax with this book and relate to her life stories. Great story of love and new found faith. ( )

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck, a novel by Bethany turner, tells an unconventional story. Sarah, newly divorced, finds she is quite good at writing steamy romance. She was so good at it that she penned a trilogy which made her very wealthy. Soon after, she found faith and her life became very interesting, especially after she fell in love with her pastor.
This is a witty, funny, poignant and heartfelt story. It is well written and readers will laugh, smile and remain engrossed throughout the entire story. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through LibraryThing. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )