True to You - Becky Wade

True to You by Becky Wade
            (Bradford Sisters Romance #1)

Genre:  Fiction; Chick Lit; Christian Romance

Pages:  368 pages

Publishing Date:  May 2, 2017

Rating:  2.5 out of 5 stars (It was okay.)

Synopsis from Goodreads:
After a devastating heartbreak three years ago, genealogist and historical village owner Nora Bradford has decided that burying her nose in her work and her books is far safer than romance in the here and now.

Unlike Nora, former Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient John Lawson is a modern-day man, usually 100 percent focused on the present. But when he's diagnosed with an inherited condition, he's forced to dig into the secrets of his past and his adoption as an infant, enlisting Nora to help him uncover the identity of his birth mother. 

The more time they spend together, the more this pair of opposites suspects they just might be a perfect match. However, John's already dating someone and Nora's not sure she's ready to trade her crushes on fictional heroes for the risks of a real relationship. Finding the answers they're seeking will test the limits of their identity, their faith, and their devotion to one another.

My Thoughts:

I had read the novella to this book and loved it.  It was written completely in epistolary form giving the background of the Bradford sisters parents.  So when I saw the first book was available as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley, I requested and received a copy.

Nora is the middle Bradford sister.  She runs a historical village and helps people with genealogical research.  That is how she and John become connected.

There are many story lines present:  the genealogical search, Nora’s only transformation, dealing with individual characters’ backgrounds, even the two other Bradford sisters’ potential and past romances. 

The spiritual aspects were well done; presented through the natural character development and thoughts.  This did make it a pretty introspective novel.  Many truths were presented in an understandable way.

Wade tried to keep the epistolary feel of the novella going with having texts or Facebook messages at the end of each chapter.  This seemed a little clunky to me at times.  At other times, they were a great addition.

It was a quick, easy read.  I wouldn’t say it was really absorbing or super engaging though. 

There was a surprise I didn’t expect.  So that really earns it a 2.5 instead of a straight 2.

A lot of the issues I had with the book – the very speedy romance ramp up and the not quite edgy but almost emotions and scenes – made a lot more sense when I read the author info and learned Becky Wade wrote secular romance before turning her pen to Christian romance.  So if you’re a reader who likes secular romances, I think you’d enjoy this book more than I did.

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Runion - Fanny Flag

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction; Historical Fiction

Pages:  347 pages

Publishing Date:  November 5, 2013

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads


Goodreads Summary:
Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.
Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family's filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

My Thoughts:

This is a hard book for me to decide on a star rating.  For the first portion of the book, I was thinking one, maybe one and a half, stars.  I just was having a hard time getting into the narrative, seeing the connections, and being invested in the characters.  Especially Sookie, she just annoyed me.  The filling station doesn’t even show up until you’re quite a bit into the novel…much less the “all-girl” part.

But I am glad I stuck with it.  Around the middle the story really picked up.  Plus, I started seeing character growth/change in Sookie that made her character more relatable. 

The narrative jumps back and forth between contemporary and history.  I will say the history storyline was far more intriguing to me.  It has sparked some additional reading that I want to do around that time period on topics that were introduced. 

So I would say, the novel taken as a whole, is probably a solid 3.  I liked it.