Book Review: "When I Fall in Love" by Susan May Warren

I was given a free paperback copy of "When I Fall in Love" by Susan May Warren by Tyndaleblognetwork in exchange for my honest review.

Grace Christiansen can't imagine herself leaving Deep Haven.  When her family surprises her with a culinary retreat to Hawaii, she has to muster the courage to get on the plane.  While she is there, she becomes friends with Max Sharpe, who helps her reach for more than she realizes she ever wanted.  Max suffered through his dad dying from Huntington's Disease and doesn't want to let anyone go through that, so he tries to keep himself from falling in love with Grace.  Can they discover God's plan for their lives?

I had previously read Susan Warren's "It Had to be You" and was glad to be able to read another chapter in the lives of the Christiansen family.  Besides the story line with Grace and Max, Susan Warren also gives us the story of Raina Beaumont, Grace's assistant, and her search for a place to fit in.  I was also glad to be able to spend time with the couples from the previous books, as well.

The characters in "When I Fall in Love" are real and believable.  I've seen Huntington's. I've seen the deterioration that comes with it.  I haven't been as close to it as a family member, but I saw it in the mother of some of my students.  I can relate with how Max felt about not wanting to make anyone go through that.  I really enjoyed reading "When I Fall in Love" and almost wish I had discovered the series after all the books were finished so I could just read them all at once and not have to wait!

"When I Fall in Love" has kissing, hand holding, and one instance of what happened the morning after a couple "hooked up", but nothing is described about what happened.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy Inspirational Romance stories.

Kindle:

• File Size: 3983 KB
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 20, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00GWT9R6G

Paperback:

• Series: Christiansen Family
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 20, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414378432
• ISBN-13: 978-1414378435
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches

I Miss My Garden

When I was a kid, we had a garden.  Everyone was assigned certain rows to weed.  I loved it! Everyone else hated it.  I enjoyed uncovering the bare earth around the plants.  It gave me a sense of accomplishment.  But more than that, I could be alone.  I often went out to the garden to weed just so I would be alone.  I knew no one else would be out there!  It gave me time to recharge.  Now as an adult, we also have a garden and when the kids were younger, I'd work in the garden while they played nearby.  Now, William has turned into a gardener, too.  He loves going with me to check on the garden.  While I'm excited that I'm not the only one who thrills at the new growth and fledgling crop, I also miss the time I could sneak out into the garden and be alone.  I'm sure that I can find a new normal for my time in the garden, it just might take awhile to get it figured out.  In the meantime, I miss my garden.

Happy 10th Birthday, Sarah!

It is hard to believe that Sarah is already a decade old!

Sarah's cake

Close up of the flowers

I like how my niece is looking at Sarah ☺

Sarah's Ear Re-Piercing

We took Sarah to get her ear re-pierced after it had gotten ripped through 2 years ago.  We wanted to give it time to heal.  It was quick with only 1 ear to pierce ☺

Family Reunion Week

This past week was the week my sister and her family were here from Arizona, so it was filled with activities and gatherings.

Lunch at Mom & Dad's:

Unfortunately, my parents' newest kitten was sick and died during the day of our family get together, so we had a funeral for him at the end of the day.

Picnic with my Aunt and Uncle who came over from Wisconsin (I didn't get many pictures!)

The "Triplet Cousins" are 10!!

High School Graduation Open House for Marissa:

My oldest nephew and his girlfriend (how can he be old enough for that!)

Hanging out with Matt & Amy at Camp Concordia:

Dan took the kids on a quick trip out on the lake:

Dan & Matt took the canoe out to do some fishing:

The rest of us swam:

Marissa and Sydney take David for a canoe trip:

More fishing:

Emily took this video of the fishing:

These little birds weren't very scared of us

horseshoes

Sarah's fish

These swans came right up to where the kids were fishing!

My cousin and her kids came in the evening:

Wil and Will playing soccer

Is Matt making a fire or reading the paper?

The fishermen caught a turtle!