Review: Somewhere, My Love by Susan May Warren

Pre-order Somewhere, My Love for only 99 cents! Release date is May 26th!

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

We’d all like to believe that there is someone out there, waiting for us. The perfect one, who is exactly the right fit. But sometimes the wait – and the fear of launching out to find that special someone -- keep us from leaping out in faith. From saying hello, accepting that cup of coffee, saying yes to a romantic walk on the beach.

Sometimes it just takes a providential moment to change everything. RITA and Christy award-winning, ECPA and CPA best-selling novelist, Susan May Warren brings you three delightful novellas about leaping out into the unknown only to discover that yes, somewhere, my love is waiting.

"This Little House of Mine"
When they said "missionary," Interior Decorator Ellen White expected, well, not the hot, tall, and sweet Paul Stoneman, fresh from the backwoods of some Russian village. And sure, she'll help him redecorate his cute missionary home. After all, clearly the confirmed, rough-around-the edges bachelor needs a woman's touch. But when she falls for him, she discovers that loving a man with a heart for God requires more from her than she's willing to give.

Paul Stoneman longs for a wife to share his life wife. Sure, he loves his life as a missionary, but admittedly, he's lonely. Beautiful Ellen White is exactly what he's prayed for - right down to her ability to turn his life into something beautiful. But Ellen isn't interesting in leaving the comforts of America for the rustic life of a missionary, right?

"Measure of a Man"
The last person Calli Deane expects to find trapped in an elevator in Siberia at 2.a.m is Peter Samuelson—the man who broke her heart. Besides, she has a life she loves now - as a missionary in Russia. But Peter is not the man she remembers, and suddenly, she has to take another look, remeasure the man she once knew. But can love be reignited, or will the fears – and mistakes – of the past drive them apart again?

"Proof of Your Love"
Investigative Reporter Justine Proof knows she doesn't belong in the small, backwater town in East Tennessee...not only is she a Yankee, and hasn't the foggiest idea what grits are, but she's pretty sure someone is out to get her. And yes, it might be because she's investigating a murder, but someone is making it personal. Certainly it can't be cute, but redneck, coffee shop owner "Wild" Pat Bells, right? Still, every time she has car trouble, Pat "seems" to show up, raspberry latte in hand. Is he a rogue meaning her harm - or a friend trying to help?

Patrick Bells can’t believe he heard a woman plan a murder into her tape recorder. And not just any woman – cute and sassy Justine Proof, a woman he’s been scraping up the courage to meet since the first day she ordered a raspberry latte in his coffee shop, the Right Cup. But Pat isn't going to let anyone get hurt in his town. . .

Justine has finally found someone she’d like to trust -- someone who has suddenly become more than just an early morning ray of sunshine in her life. But her suspicious mind stands between her and true love. She’s about to learn that trust is a choice, and that only God can help her make it.

My Review

This book is a compilation of three novellas Susan May Warren published early in her writing career. Each has a preface from the author describing what inspired her to write the short story and how it influenced her later writing. The first two stories have a heavy missionary theme, each with one of the characters questioning their path in life and what God's will for them is in regards to spreading the good news and serving in His kingdom. The romance is sweet but there are also some angsty-dramatic moments to spice things up. The third story has more suspense with a quirky journalist/mystery writer and the southern town she is trying to assimilate into. I felt like things moved a bit quickly and I was missing some details in the mystery that would have rounded out the story better if it had been full-length rather than a novella. I enjoyed the stories and while they are not as high quality as the author's current writing, I appreciated her perspective on missionary work in remote places.

(Thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)