💗🌸🌺 "Stay With Me" (A Misty River Romance #1) 🌺🌸💗 (2020) - Book Review #SWMPrism
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Stay with Me(A Misty River Romance #1)
By Becky Wade
Christian Contemporary Romance
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
May 5th 2020 by Bethany House Publishers
Loving her is a risk he can't afford . . . and can't resist.
When acclaimed Bible study author Genevieve Woodward receives an anonymous letter referencing her parents' past, she returns to her hometown in the Blue Ridge mountains to chase down her family's secret. However, it's Genevieve's own secret that catches up to her when Sam Turner, owner of an historic farm, uncovers the source of shame she's worked so hard to hide.
Sam has embraced his sorrow, his isolation, and his identity as an outsider. He's spent years carving out both career success and peace of mind. The last thing he wants is to rent the cottage on his property to a woman whose struggles stir his worst failure back to life. Yet, can he bear to turn her away right when she needs him most?
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Take a Chance on Me(A Misty River Romance #0.5)
By Becky Wade
Christian Contemporary Romance, Novella
ebook, 97 Pages
February 25th 2020
When baker Penelope Quinn steps in to help her brother's family through a medical crisis, she's forced into close proximity with charming Air Force fighter pilot Eli Price.
Penelope has one iron-clad dating rule'she does not date airmen. Months ago, she relaxed her rule with Eli and immediately lived to regret it. After a long deployment, he's now back in Misty River and, to her dismay, she finds him just as tempting as always.
Eli's spent months thinking about funny, feisty, creative Penelope. He once leveraged his focus and drive to become a pilot, his childhood dream. Now he's set on leveraging that same focus and drive in order to convince Penelope to give him one more chance.
This romantic prequel novella introduces readers to the quaint mountain town of Misty River and a brand-new series from Christy-winning author Becky Wade!
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One winner will receive:
- A $100 gift card
- A paperback copy of Stay with Me
- A hand-knit scarf
- A pair of earrings
- A package of Georgia Blues coffee
- A package of apple oatmeal muffin mix
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My Review
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Bethany House, as well as Prism Book Tours for sending me a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
Stay With Me is the first of Becky Wade’s new Misty River Romance series. However, she also has a prequel novella Take a Chance on Me, which I haven’t read yet.
This book definitely rocked me in more than one way. I’m left shaking a bit, much like the earthquake that Genevieve and her sister Natasha went through in their teens which is part of a plot in this story.
Right off, let’s start with the trigger warnings: opioid addiction, potential domestic violence, suicide. Those who have battled opioid addiction, related or know of someone who has, or have lost someone to the battle might take caution when reading this. Although I have little to no experience with it, I can say that Wade wrote this to be painfully realistic.
With that out of the way, I can honestly say this is not for the faint of heart. As Becky Wade is a new to me author, I can’t say what her previous works are like, but this was definitely a controversial, contentious, poignant, breath-taking, eye-opening, and overwhelming read.
The realism of addiction, and its effects cannot be underscored. The author definitely does more than “wade” in at the deep end of the pool in this subject. She slams it head on, full-force with such beautiful, emotional writing. The writing is so beautiful that it can bring tears to the eyes. The powerful emotions of love, trauma, and faith grab at the reader and take hold.
She is brutally graphic and realistic when it comes to the withdrawal symptoms from trying to stop an addiction without medical intervention. A bit of a spoiler, Gen’s addiction had nothing to do with chronic pain. This is where the source of contention might be between those in chronic pain who are unable to get relief, and those who have battled or lost someone to the battle of addiction for unrelated underlying reasons.
It is the heart of the subject that Wade uses to drive us on the journey that Gen is on and the one that Sam doesn’t want to be on; but one that God has put them both on.
But, that wasn’t why I was drawn to the book. What initially drew me to the novel was the mystery surrounding Genevieve’s parents. What could they have done to warrant someone bringing up their past after all this time? They’re telling Gen there is nothing going on, yet she suspects more.
Gen’s secret is revealed right away in chapter one, and it is one that Sam has seen before and doesn’t want to see again. It’s one he’s moved half the world away to avoid, and for a heart-wrenching reason. As the reader learns the two have met for a reason – and it is for both of them to see the path that God is leading them as they both need each other.
As Gen is a bible study author and speaker; and the book is distributed by Bethany House (a Christian/Faith-themed publisher); there are strong references to God and faith. These do play a crucial role in the story and are at times the heart of it. Strong faith themes, redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and trust are other key parts in this gorgeous novel. It is told in present day from Sam and Gen’s POV in third person.
I will admit that I was taken back that this book dealt with not just drug addiction, but had a shocking and disturbing secret to it. The reader won’t see that coming until almost the end of the story – chapter 21. It isn’t until two chapters before that the suspense builds, and it is one I wouldn’t have guessed. I didn’t see that coming at all.
The progression of Gen’s “recovery” and her relationship with Sam is not only awkward, but clunky. I felt conflicted about this part of the story and it was at times uncomfortable, which I am sure is realistic.
This is where I felt it was unnaturally forced, yet I saw why it was there and how it all played into the big picture. It was a true leap of faith for not just the two characters, but the reader as well. It was a message of true faith and even love. Watching them struggle while near each other was almost painful to read. However, this was a message and test for both of them, and perhaps the reader in being there for those who are reaching out at their time of need. Both Gen and Sam needed each other, which becomes apparent.
Gen’s need for Sam deepens after learning the secret that an anonymous letter writer has been referring to. And, it is this secret that almost throws Gen off a cliff and plunging back down with no safety net. I’m very interested to see how this plays out in the second story.
The story also goes back to the “Miracle Five”, which Gen and her sister Natasha are part of. Between each chapter, Wade has short flashbacks in first person POV (Luke, Ben, Genevieve, Sebastian, and Natasha), to tell about the earthquake that five middle school kids survived.
There are times the reader might wonder where this is leading, as I did. It serves as character background to not only show the different paths the youths took after the miracle of their rescue, but also God’s miracle in saving them. This is what the reader learns that is the driving force behind Gen’s work. But, it is that work which is also causing her to lose herself.
I admire the author for her fearless (or it seems that way) approach to a hotly debated, contentious subject. This is a book that will stay with me for quite a while, and not just sitting on my bookshelf. It is one that after reading it, it paves the way for an open and honest dialogue into what we’re all made of, finding the courage to ask for help, and how we can all make a difference.
As of note, in Chapter 20, the author sets up the events that will likely be the subject of the next book – “Let it Be Me”.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
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