One Thing I Know

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RANDOM RETRO READ DAY

ISAAC, KARA

ONE THING I KNOW

A fresh, heartfelt romance involving a case of mistaken identity when a ghostwriter masquerades as a relationship expert and the man who is determined to expose her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart...

Rachel Somers is America's #1 relationship coach -- American just doesn't know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Afraid of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care of her father.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio and set on achieving his dream of syndication. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch -- the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and -- he begins to suspect -- his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

My Review:

published in 2019

Rom/com with a twist of angst. Complicated characters with difficult backstories caught up in deceptions of their own making. All while falling in love... 

It's a richly layered story that highlights the very real struggles of broken people. I'd be laughing out loud one minute and tearing up the next. Because Rachel and Lucas are on a collision course that's destined to rattle their lives in a messy heap of real, raw emotion. They can either free themselves from their pasts and look towards a fulfilling future together...or they can continue on in the same dysfunctional patterns. And I love the way the author provided this hero and heroine with Christian friends/family who could speak truth into their lives. 

I did struggle with the amount of deception -- just the premise made me antsy. Rachel's been living a very public lie for a decade! There's definitely growth and freedom by the end but it just made me so anxious all the way through. And then Lucas's duplicity just made it that more difficult for me. So, not a huge fan of parts of the plot but I still enjoyed the read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of One Thing I Know, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 18 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Can't Help Falling

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ISAAC, KARA
CAN'T HELP FALLING

She's moved to Oxford looking for a new start. He's only interested in chasing his dreams. But when they discover a shared passion, they can't help falling for one another...

Emelia Mason has spent her career finding the dirt on the rich and famous. But deep down, beyond her fearless, tabloid-reporter façade, there's a nerdy Narnia-obsessed girl who still can't resist climbing into wardrobes to check for the magical land on the other side. When a story she writes produces tragic results, she flees to Oxford, England -- home to C. S. Lewis -- to try to make amends for the damage she has caused.

Peter Carlisle was on his way to becoming one of the Great Britain's best rowers -- until he injured his shoulder. He's determined to fight his way back to the top even if it means risking everything. It's the only way he can honor the memory of the one person who never stopped believing in his Olympic dream.

When Peter and Emelia cross paths on her first night in Oxford, the attraction is instant they find common ground in their shared love of Narnia. But can dreams of a fantasy land be enough to hold them together when secrets of the real world threatened to tear them apart? Cobblestone streets, an English manor house, and an antiques shop with a curious wardrobe bring the world of Narnia to life in this inspiring and romantic story about second chances.

My Review:

Sqqqueeaaallll!!!! Kara Isaac has taken my favourite ever children's series and incorporated it into a contemporary romance. I'm beside-myself-giddy!!!! Do you love all things Narnia? Yes? Then this book is for you. No? That's okay, you might not thrill at every literary reference but you'll still thrill at Peter and Emelia's complicated love story.

The Narnia tie-ins are fantastic! Love Emelia's obsession with wardrobes...and I guess now is as good a time as any to confess that I share that same fascination. So, of course, I love the pivotal role a wardrobe plays in this story. And I'm thrilled that Reepicheep makes an appearance in an impactful way. :-)

Infused with humour and witty dialogue this almost reads as a romantic comedy except for the shadow of secrets looming in the background. So even as I laughed over pithy comments and situational slap-stick, I felt the weight of those secrets bearing down on Emelia and Peter...and me. Deliciously conflicting and made for an anxiety-riddled read.

A clever first meet had me grinning...and quickly falling for a certain Oxford rower. Brilliantly done. But did I mention it's complicated? Really, really complicated. And Isaac doesn't let us know exactly how complicated right at the start. She dangles delicious tidbits that we have to slowly piece together until we get the whole awful truth. That's when my laughter turned to tears -- some of them angry as I railed against stubborn ol' Peter. Gah!

I thrilled over the faith thread Isaac has woven into this story. Because, well, as Reepicheep would say, "We have nothing if not belief." And Emelia has been living with nothing for a long time but learning to believe in a loving God -- and in her own self-worth -- is so hard.  I got shivers up my spine and at one point!

A poignant, funny and tender romance that inspires hope in second chances.

Giveaway Opportunity:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Can't Help Falling please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you post a comment and add your email address please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so it's easier for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday February 5 2017.  Offer open to international readers. Good luck!

Close To You

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ISAAC, KARA
CLOSE TO YOU

A disgraced scholar running from her past and an entrepreneur chasing his future find themselves thrown together -- and failing in love -- on a Tolkien tour of New Zealand.

Allison Shire is a former academic who is done with love. Her belief in 'happily ever after' ended the day she discovered her husband was still married to a wife she knew nothing about. She finally finds a use for her English degree by guiding tours through the famous sites featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. By living life on the road and traveling New Zealand as a luxury tour guide. Allison manages to outrun the pain of her past.

Jackson Gregory was on the cusp of making it big. Then his girlfriend suddenly left him -- for his biggest business competitor -- and took his more guarded commercial secrets with her. To make matters worse, the Iowa farm that has been in his family for generations is facing forclosure. Determined to save his parents from financial ruin, he'll do whatever it takes in convince his wealthy great-uncle to invest in his next scheme, which means accompanying him to the bottom of the world to spend three weeks pretending to be a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan. The one thing that stands between him and his goal is a know-it-all tour guide who pegged him as a fake the moment he walked off the plane.

When Allison leads the group through the famous sites of the Tolkien movies, she and Jackson start to see each other differently. Neither expected to fall in love again, but can they find a way beyond their regrets to take a chance on the one thing they're not looking for?

My Review:

Seriously, how can anyone resist a heroine with hobbit feet? I certainly can't! A delightful mix of comedy and drama in the exotic (to me) locale of New Zealand.

I'm not a huge Tolkien fan -- don't speak Elvish and wouldn't know how to outsmart a troll under the direst of circumstances. I read The Hobbit in my teens but never could get into the Lord of the Rings and...gasp...I haven't seen the movies! BUT I still loved this book. I think the media has played a huge role in keeping Tolkien's imaginative realm in our minds and hearts all these years. So I was never floundering during this read. Even if I didn't get the reference, I understood it in context. All that to say no worries if your aren't familiar with Tolkien's works or the movies. You'll still love this story.

Because of my lack of true Tolkien fervor I completely related to poor Jackson. His circumstances are already dire and then to be thrust into the midst of true Tolkien fan-atics...well, it's no wonder he's out of his element. Delightfully grumpy and disgruntled as a matter of fact. :-)

And then there's Allison -- a wee bit jaded, running from her own unhappy problems while dealing with the eccentricities of an eclectic tour group. She might just be a tad short on patience and quick to judge when Jackson steps off the plane. Jackson and Allison settle into a "mutually disdainful relationship" that works well for them until some tour hijinks begin to change their point of view. Sparks vie with pure hard-headedness and culminate in an incredibly funny and poignant (and at times infuriating) rollercoaster of a read. This is one book that I would really love to see made into a movie!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of  Close To You please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 22 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!