Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Recommended.

Rene Gutteridge is among my favorite authors, so I could not pass up her novelization of Rik Swartzwelder’s screenplay. The movie version will be released February 13, 2015, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The players are Clay: a former frat boy, now “old fashioned” Christian, who is uncomfortable even being in the same room alone with a woman; and Amber: a free-spirit who moves around a lot, and enjoys adventure. They enter into a humorous courtship, emphasized by the differences in their personalities. There is also a more serious side as they deal with their past pains.

The narrative is cute, romantic, and funny. There is not much more to it. I think some of the themes could have been better developed–especially in dealing with their past issues. And the content toward the end felt a bit rushed to me.

I am not actually an advocate of “courting” in general as I think it tends to rush relationships toward marriage prematurely, so this bias probably aids in my not loving the book or the ending. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it for what it was (a light, quick read), and think it has the potential to be a great conversation starter in a book club, or a feel-good romance for those who want something appropriate and fun.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers.