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.
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My Thoughts
This book was amazing! I absolutely hated putting it down and had it finished in less than 24 hours, despite being entirely busy that day. The story was just so completely amazing and totally had me sucked in from the first page until the very last! Of course that always happens with Susan May Warren's novels!
I loved Grace! She was so like me in a lot of ways and it was so cool to watch her blossom as the story progressed. And Max, Max was so stinkin' awesome! I loved the way he brought Grace out of her shell, they were the perfect mix. My heart broke for what he had to face and the life he forced himself to live because of it (trying to avoid spoilers here!).
The whole cooking aspect of the story was really fun even though I probably wouldn't eat most of the things that were being prepared!
It was also great to hang out with the Christiansen gang again and to see Derek and Ivy, and Jace and Eden's relationships progressing! I loved the look we got into Casper's story and I absolutely cannot wait for his book to come out! He's kinda been in the background until now and he is promising to be a fantastic hero!
So yeah I totally adored this book! I stayed up late, read while riding to church, and skipped my Sunday afternoon nap just so I could read more! If I hadn't of had church in the morning I'm pretty sure I'd have read it in one sitting! It's that good! You should definitely check out this series but make sure you read them in order, they're better that way!
Tour Landing Page
Meet the AuthorGrowing up in Minneapolis and attending the U of MN, I learned to love city life, although I'm a woodsy girl at heart. Or maybe I'm an adventurer -- having lived and traveled all over the world, including Siberia Russia as a missionary for eight years. Probably that's why my characters can't sit still, and seem to get into one scrape after another -- they're too much like me! I love God, my family, my country, my church, and feel privileged every day to be able to write stories, that I hope inspire and entertain!
Find Susan online: website, My Book Therapy, Twitter, Facebook
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Susan has teamed up with some amazing food bloggers for a fun food challenge and a KitchenAid Mixer giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A KitchenAid Mixer
- The first three books in the Christiansen Family Collection.
- Melissa Ringstaff’s Kitchen Planner
- Jackie Brown's Freezer Inventory sheet
Hurry, the giveaway ends on August 10th. All winners will be announced August 13th at Susan's blog.
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