About the Book
When Katherine Herrington was a teenager, she made “The List” and believed God would bring her the husband she desired. That faith helped her to keep life under control just the way she likes it. But then Katherine loses her mother, her job, and her boyfriend, and after years of praying, she accepts the probability that God’s answer is, “No.”
A professional soccer player, Sam Tucker has lived the life of a celebrity in the UK only to discover that, despite all the wealth and fame he has acquired, his life is empty. He returns to the one place where life last had meaning, and goes in search of the one woman he’s loved since he was a teenager—Katherine. He wonders if she’ll remember him after all these years… And fears she just might.
As God weaves together a rejected proposal, a mission trip, and a devastating storm to turn their hearts toward Him and toward each other, Katherine and Sam will have to let go of their fears, find forgiveness and trust, and realize that their future together was worth the wait.
Excerpt
She turned off the lamp and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark. Her body begged to sleep, but her mind replayed tonight’s date. Something about it really weighed on her, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what. After all, it hadn’t been so bad…for a blind date, especially. Sam seemed like a nice enough guy, and he would have been OK looking if he’d had some hair.
But he didn’t match her ideal man. The One. Maybe that was it.
Yes. She breathed slowly to calm herself.
No. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her good night. Hadn’t even acted as if he’d wanted to. While she wouldn’t have let him, of course, just knowing he’d wanted to, that he was attracted to her, would have been flattering.
But then, maybe he hadn’t wanted to go out on the date any more than she had. Maybe he’d gone out of respect for his aunt as she had for her father. Her eyes burned with tears of disappointment. As she rolled over onto her side, she snuggled into the familiar cocoon of Nana Herrington’s lone star quilt and pulled her knees up. Why did she even care?
As a tear escaped down her cheek, she grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and dabbed her cheeks. Well, tonight she and Sam had both fulfilled their responsibilities, The date was over, and she could get on with her life. She’d never have to see, much less go out with, him again.
At least one thing about tonight was certain.
He absolutely wasn’t The One.
Review
“She was still waiting because she hadn’t reached her goals. He was still waiting because he had.”
If you’re looking for a contemporary romance that takes both of its characters on a significant journey of personal growth before they reach their happy-ever-after, then grab yourself a copy of this book. Even better, the hero and heroine begin their journeys from opposite ends of the path. Katherine has had her ideals set out on paper for years, and she’s patiently waiting for God to fulfil them. Sam, on the other hand, has already attained his goals—and found they didn’t offer him the fulfilment he was looking for. Essentially, this is the story of how they meet in the middle, but the journey to get there was definitely not as simple as that makes it sound.
The first thing that struck me about this book was how refreshing it was to have a heroine who was genuinely uninterested in the hero in the beginning. She doesn’t think he’s particularly good looking, and she doesn’t even have a mysterious physical response to him to spite her apathy (a cliché that always makes me roll my eyes). Their date was a non-event on her radar—a favour to her father, who set it up. Not much to work with there, you might say. But circumstances have placed Sam permanently in Katherine’s world for the time being, and that, coupled with Sam’s determination to slowly but surely win Katherine over, is what sets these two on a life-changing course.
I could so easily identify with Katherine, the idealist. Even now, as I pray for my own children, it’s tempting to give God a list of things I want for their future. Like Katherine, it’s easy to forget that our security doesn’t come from ticking boxes and meeting ideals. And how many Sams are there in the world, who’ve ticked all their boxes only to wish they could erase some of those ticks? Their relationship developed very organically, and I loved the way they struggled with the issue of purity before marriage from the perspective of ideals/personal history rather than as a couple struggling to keep their own relationship pure. I can’t think of any other contemporary romances I’ve read that deal with sexual purity from that perspective.
While I wouldn’t describe this as an angsty read, there are definitely some ups and downs for these two as they learn more about one another and are forced to examine and re-evaluate their own expectations. There were a few times when I felt the characters didn’t handle things as maturely as they could have, but overall, this was an engaging and thoughtful contemporary romance.
I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Carol James is an author of inspirational fiction. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell “Terrorist,” Zoe.
Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she’d been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.
Retired from her “real” job, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, volunteering at and serving on the board of a nearby Christian school, and serving in the production department at her church.
She is also a soccer fan extraordinaire and keeps her DVR busy recording Atlanta United and English Premier League games.
And, most days in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.
Connect with Carol: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Katie, thanks so much for your thoughtful and encouraging review of The Waiting. I appreciate your investment of time and valuable support for me and other writers of Christian fiction. Blessings to you!
My pleasure, Carol. 🙂