C Jane Read : The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

Series: Banister Falls # 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Zondervan
Released: March 8, 2016
320 pages

About the Book:

Planning and Post-It notes are the epitome of Evie’s life. But when she meets Jack, her life gets more than a little complicated.

Thirteen years ago, Evie's firefighterhusband was killed in the line of duty, leaving her to raise their young son, Cody, alone. Now, Cody is marrying the love of his life, and as he packs up his belongings, the house feels as empty as Evie's heart. But for all her planning and mad organizational skills, Evie could never have anticipated the dramatic shift her life is about to make.

Tattooed, rough-around-the-edgesJack raises quite a few eyebrows in the tight-knit community of Banister Falls. Where Evie's life is stream-lined, Jack's approach to living is moment-by-moment. But as Evie gets drawn into Jack's world—a world that isn't as safe or predictable as the one she's worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems outside the walls of the church.

Jack doesn't make Evie feel comfortable, but he definitely makes her feel something. Something she hasn't felt since Max passed away—or, maybe ever. Because even though Jack isn't anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.

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Kathryn Springer's Website

My Rating & Thoughts: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

This is book two of the Banister Falls series, and could be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading book one, The Dandelion Field, first in order to fully understand the back story of these characters.

Evie is in a transition period in her life, her son has just gotten married and has moved out. She has been a widow for so long but her son kept her busy she didn’t have time to realize how she had kind of been frozen in time since her husband’s passing. She didn’t realize how much this affected all her decisions. I was drawn to Jack right from the first introduction of him, then as I got to know him better and witnessed just how much he put others first I grew to love him. Jack and Evie meet through work, and from the initial meeting there was an attraction between them, but neither knows wants to acknowledge it for various reasons. Through various events they end up spending more time together and naturally a friendship forms. Jack’s life is very different from Evie’s, but as Evie witnesses more of Jack’s nature and his service to others she begins to realize how she has been holding herself back and learns to trust God to guide her forward. I loved Jack! He put his one needs and wants aside to be there for everyone else.

I wasn’t a big Evie fan in the first book, but this one let me get to know her more and watch her learn to step out of her comfort zone. I grew to really like her and was cheering for things to grow between her and Jack. There were a few scenes I absolutely loved, but nothing was better than the moment Evie makes a bold move in front of so many people.

In addition to the characters carried over from the first book - Gin, Dan, Cody, Raine; there were a bunch of secondary characters introduced. Each one was unique and added something to the story. Little Lily brought so much cuteness and pulled on my heart-strings with what she was going through. I loved how even though the story focuses on Evie & Jack, there was time spent with the other four characters and seeing the progress in their lives. This was a story about community and family.

There is humor and romance mixed throughout the overall message of learning to let go of your fears, trusting God for your future and how to be a witness of God’s love with others.