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My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing
Synopsis
Hawaii was the last
place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in
love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in
paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe
life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.
Max
Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he
feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the
three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being
paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to
her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to
dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.
Wrestling
with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he
knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn
between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires.
If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith
will face its toughest test yet.
My Review
I've fallen in love with this series! Since it is about one family I started with the first book, even though they can be read as stand-alone novels. Each book in the series is full of emotion, romance, drama, faith, and redemption. If you plan to read the whole series, I'd recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate the secondary characters, since each older sibling is the main character in a previous book.
Grace is a classic homebody, but she takes it to the extreme by being too afraid to even have dreams outside of her small comfort zone, let alone follow them. I couldn't relate to her fear since I love going on adventures, but the author did an excellent job of portraying her anxiety. I admired that she dug deep and allowed herself to reach out and make a new friend in Max as well as experience the Hawaiian vacation, cooking school, and contest. The chemistry between Grace and Max was great, but the fun banter and compassion showed how right they are for each other despite the personal trials they faced.
The subplot of the book was about Grace's brothers Owen and Casper, and the new girl in town they both "befriend" in different ways. Everything comes to a head during Eden's wedding, and I can't wait for the next book to release to see how their story plays out!
(Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)
Set on the north shore of Minnesota, the series features the
Christiansens, a family readers can identify with as they try to figure
out how faith meets real life.
Darek Christiansen, heir to the historic Evergreen Lake Resort is
angry since the loss of his wife. After a charity auction connects him
with assistant county attorney, Ivy Madison, Darek begins to believe
there might be love again in his future, but he’ll have to overcome his
painful past – and Ivy’s secret connection to his wife’s death.
Eden Christiansen’s job as handler for her NHL rookie brother, Owen,
leaves her little time to focus on her own career. If only team
enforcer, Jace, would mentor the young man. When Owen’s carelessness
leads to an injury, Eden and Jace are thrown together and begin to
wonder if they belong on the same team after all.
Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d
vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with
a cooking retreat in the Aloha State, she is pulled away from her
predictable life and thrown headfirst into the path of hockey player,
Max Sharpe, and the romantic adventure of a lifetime.
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