About the Book
Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn’t one of them. When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map–and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah’s mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts–not even her best friend, Luke.
Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. But when the interview process and Hannah’s restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is–and who he was.
Excerpt
Luke pulled a half gallon of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and set it before her.
She stared at the offered gift. “How did you . . . ?”
A smile tilted his lips. No, a smirk. After setting a spoon and a bowl on the table next to the carton, he crossed his arms again and lifted one eyebrow. “Everyone knows Kensington wants that land—not the house. I don’t know why you thought you could talk him into anything else. Did anyone else show?”
“No.” Hannah peeled the lid off the ice cream with a sigh. “I have to convince them not to sell to him.”
“You’re the only Realtor I know who actually tries to talk people out of selling and buying. Might be time for a different job.”
Hannah jabbed her spoon into the ice cream and started to carve out a ball. “I help them understand the history they’re throwing away. Or in this case, wanting to destroy in the name of progress.” She dropped the scoop in the dish and lifted her chin. “But I can be a Realtor.”
“Really? You could sell a house to Kensington, or any other developer, if that’s what the owner chose?”
“It’s possible.”
“Were you even able to finish the meeting tonight without losing your temper?”
Hannah worked at forming another ball with her spoon. “I may have emphasized my position with volume at one point.”
“I’m guessing it was more like . . .” Luke made the sound of an explosion as he lifted his hands in the air.
Ugh! She whipped her spoon at him.
He ducked and laughed as it clanged against the stove. “What was that for? Honesty?”
She bit back the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. She may have overreacted a bit in the meeting. “Yes. Sometimes I’d rather you lie to me. As one of my best friends, your job is simply to feed me ice cream and tell me I’m pretty.”
“You’re pretty.”
Did he have to sound so sarcastic when he said it? She focused back on the ice cream. Shoot. Now she didn’t have a spoon.
“I’m simply passionate about preserving history.” She stood, grabbed another utensil, and then bumped the drawer closed with a smack of her hip. “My great-great-great-grandfather—”
“—helped found the town. I’ve heard. But this town is full of houses with history, and from what I can tell, the Kensington family has plans.”
“Yeah, well, I hate their plans. More than that, I think George Kensington would hate their plans. He loved this town. If he was here to see what his brother was doing with his company, it’d break his heart.” Hannah dropped a final scoop in her bowl, then returned the lid to the carton.
This subject was going to give her a migraine.
Review
“I’m not sure if it’s always the end goal God has in mind as much as our willingness to follow Him on the journey no matter what happens.”
Contemporary romance lovers, rejoice! There’s a new kid on the block, and she knows how to deliver a great read! In fact, you get two for the price of one in this story, because while Luke and Hannah are the primary characters, Hannah’s brother, Thomas, has a story of his own to share, and it integrated well into Hannah and Luke’s story.
Despite a couple of elements that thought could have been stronger, on the whole, this story had everything I look for in a contemporary romance. Lifelike characters, vibrant writing, meaningful character growth, spiritual nuggets, and of course, a healthy dose of romance. For those who enjoy small-town settings, we’re also immersed in the world of Heritage through Hannah’s efforts to preserve the history of the town. I particularly enjoyed the twists and turns in this aspect of the plot and that it wasn’t a straight line from A to B, which forced Hannah to confront some things in her personal life that have been holding her back. Likewise for Luke’s journey to discovering where he really belongs.
As to the elements that could have been a little stronger, I felt the two secondary characters who served as antagonists for different aspects of the story were a little one dimensional, the male antagonist in particular. They don’t have a big on-page presence, though, so that wasn’t as big a deal as it could have been.
I was also annoyed at Thomas for the way he handled his situation. I’ve never liked the whole “be a martyr rather than talking about the issue” approach to relationships. I could sympathise, but I was still annoyed. Luke and Hannah suffered from a similar reluctance to communicate on some key personal matters, which was believable to a point, but occasionally felt a bit forced for the sake of tension. That said, I liked the direction the story went as a result, so I kind of forgave that in the end.
Before I wrap up, I have to give a shout-out to Pastor Nate, who I suspect is going to be one of my favourite characters in this series. I’m eagerly awaiting more of his story! Overall, You Belong With Me was a great debut, and I can’t wait for the next in the series.
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
I have been writing fiction for more than twelve years. It has been an exciting journey for this math-loving-dyslexic girl. I had read less than a handful of novels by the time I graduated from college and I thought I would end up in the field of science or math. But God had other plans and I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything. As someone told me once, God’s plans may not be easy, and they may not always make sense but they are never boring.
When I am not writing or working, I spend time with my amazing husband. We have been married for fifteen wonderful years and have three sweet children. In my free time, I love coffee, rock hounding with my husband and kids, and distracting myself from housework.
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