Helen Gray

My original Show Me Love audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Show Me Love has a really great premise with a love story that was broken four years ago due to interference on the part of outsiders unbeknownst to Jared and Dara, whom are at the center of this love story. Now as they meet up again, they begin to work through everything that happened and how they may have misperceived what occurred during their first chance at love. As the set of circumstances come to light on their separation four years ago, they also face new complications with Dara's soon to be adopted son, Chad, and other family and friends issues. Dara's dad, Loren, and Jared's brother, Jarvis, played a big part in their separation four years ago and continue to be an issue of contention with the relationship today. Dara does have a really great support system in her sisters and friends and I really enjoyed their scenes of fellowship.

For those who may be interested as this is tagged as a contemporary Christian romance, the relationship moved really slow in terms of physical contact in line with traditional Christian values as there was only hand holding, kisses to the forehead, and things of that nature as they move through their courtship. There is quite a bit of deception by some of the characters in the book, but they do look to their faith for answers.

I believe I really would have liked the story and I was intrigued at the beginning, but the writing style didn't have a continuous flow. There seemed to be a lot of forced adjectives to describe a scene or moment that were distracting. The most distracting part of this audio book was definitely the narration. It was choppy and slow. The narrator, Amanda Fugate-Moss sounded bored and it was often difficult to differentiate the characters aside from that of the children. I would consider another story from this author if there was a change in the narrator or I heard a vast improvement in a sample listen.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.… (plus d'informations)

This is a fun Christian romance where Heather, a ventriloquist, meets Gage, a police officer, when he comes to investigate if Heather's family's theater has played a role in a series of credit card scams. I liked that they made time for each other despite having odd schedules (Heather performing on weekends and Gage having different duty shifts). I also liked that Gage made attempts to learn about ventriloquism because he knew it is something Heather likes.

The set up for the next book was a bit obvious in that it came out of the blue and didn't seem to tie in with the rest of the book.

This is the first book in this series that I have read and the first book by this author I have read. I would read more books by this author. You do not have to read the first book of the series to be able to follow this one.… (plus d'informations)

I've said this before but I'll say it again. This is my favorite Helen Gray book so far! The story of a most unlikely romance between Gabe, the cotton farmer, and Jessie who raises watermelon to survive, is so poignant and real, I read it all in one sitting. Gabe has a heart for others, showing mercy, offering help where needed, and putting others needs ahead of his own. When he meets up with his long-ago neighbor Jessie, he sees through her independent nature and distrust for all men but her brother, to the sweet caring person she tries to hide from the world. Jessie and her brother Jason endured a tough childhood and coming home to restore the family farm after the death of their abusive father proves to be a hard task emotionally as well as physically. Gabe is there to help them with the hard work as well as the healing of their hearts.
Gabe's faith is strong, but has he misconstrued God's plans for his life in believing that he will never marry? Jessie's faith, buried long ago within the fear and hatred of her father's abusive ways, begins to shine through once more when Gabe offers her a clearer vision of how to seek God. When Gabe and Jessie's pathways merge, they will discover they are headed in the same direction, fueled by hearts of devotion to God and love for one another.
This is a beautiful story of grace and mercy showered upon the undeserving, and of finding peace enough to right the wrongs of the past. Helen Gray's superb story-telling abilities and her unique understanding of depression era settings make this not only an enjoyable read, but uplifting, inspiring and unforgettable. Whether this is your first Helen Gray book or if, like me, she has become a favorite author, Bootheel Bride will not disappoint.… (plus d'informations)