I received this book from a friend--I think after she read it, but I'm not sure. I did debate a bit on how to rate it. Most of the time I reserve ratings of 1-2 for books that I DNF or ones that I feel have serious flaws that prevent me from recommending it. 3 is my average rating for books I finish. 4-5 are reserved for books I really like, really feel are worthwhile, or would consider rereading. Since I did finish this book, it should rate a 3 but there are some issues I have with it (detailed below) that made me wonder if I should rate it lower. (It's rare that I rate a Love Inspired Book more than a 3, but it has happened.)

WARNING: REMAINDER OF ENTRY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS: READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Likes:
*Charity--after she mellowed out from her first meeting with Rick.
*Rick--seems like a Godly man even though he chooses not to attend a church.
*Charity's realization that her works aren't what saves her (in the Christian sense).
*That both Charity and Rick go through rough patches in their lives, showing that Christians don't get a free pass on the world's problems. They just know who to turn to for help and assurance. They know the One who won't let them down.
*Andrew and Bob, both pastors, both of whom also seem to have had rough patches in their family lives but who still walk the walk that they talk.

Dislikes:
*Charity's behavior early in the book. It came off as holier-than-thou. Also, her treatment of Andrew and Serena (hinted at in this book) wasn't entirely Christ-like either (though I do understand her disappointment when Andrew chose another woman over her).
*Charity's viewing Rick as a "project"--trying to get him to attend church or thinking God wants her to bring him into church attendance.
*The whirlwind romance--this is one of my common complaints for most romantic fiction (Christian or otherwise). The couple hasn't known each other for very long before they end up engaged and married. I do worry that readers may start thinking that real life will play out like the fictional stories the genre espouses and marry someone they don't know well because they think they're in love, only to find out later that there are warts to the person and then not want to work through the rough patches to keep the marriage intact.
*Laura--very deceitful, manipulative, and controlling.
*There is one scene in the book where it might have been easier to understand Charity's assumption if I'd been listening to the book rather than reading it and been able to hear the inflection the character gave to the statement. It's when Laura tells Charity about someday wishing a man she loved might die. I just took it as more of Laura's manipulation and controlling nature and that she was spouting off because Charity wasn't falling under the control as she had prior to this. UNTIL suddenly Charity is at the construction site claiming she thinks Laura killed him. Charity's reaction just didn't fit how I envisioned the scene had played out. ( )

If you haven't read Corbit's first book, A Blessed Life, you should before reading this book. Charity's story starts there, and you will see how much she has changed at the end of this book...I LOVE the way the author changed her over time. I didn't like her at the end of A Blessed Life, and didn't care for her too much at the beginning of this one. But somewhere along the way, I figured out she was a good person.

I think her meeting Rick McKinley was the best thing that ever happened to her. It always amazes me that people can go to church their whole life and never realize they are not actually saved. The scriptures they heard their whole life held no meaning, but then it slaps you in the face and wakes you up to reality that faith by works is dead...your heart must be in it!!!

The story that comes out near the end is so heart-breaking. I felt for Charity, and loved the way Rick stayed at her side and helped her through the whole ordeal. Very, very sweet! If ever a couple deserved each other, it was them. And I also like how the relationship remained strained between mother and daughter - in real life, a few words doesn't fix everything right up... ( )