My Stubborn Heart [NOOK Book]

Becky Wade is the Queen of Emotion. Normally, I am a fast reader

Becky Wade is the Queen of Emotion. Normally, I am a fast reader, but she had me slowing down to absorb each and every word on the page. I didn't want it to end...even though parts of it hurt to read. A lot.

Heroine: Kate Donovan has prayed for a husband and has now come to the town of Redbud, PA for a break from her childrens' services/social work job, which having worked in a simliar position, I can understand the need for a break. She's there to renovate her grandmother's childhood home. She's spunky and quick-witted. She's petite and funny. She has a beautiful, pure heart and someone I would love to be friends with. The one thing I wished differently for her was that she wasn't so down on herself about her looks. Yes, she had been dumped a few times, but even the beautiful people of the world have been. I didn't see any past experience in her life that would make her see herself in this light.

BUT having said that...I suppose when the hero is some beautiful, world famous athelete who could have any woman in the world, ANY simple woman would wonder if she was worthy to be on the arm of that guy.

And speaking of the HERO: Matt Jarreau is all that! I typically don't like jocks, because of their ego, but he is the exception. The story is not so much about his ability, but about his pain. He is wounded and hiding. Yes, he is beautiful, but he is not superficial, and, man, does he know how to treat a woman...when he sets his heart on her. He has a family who loves him and hates to see him hurt. They pray for him. They pray for someone to reach him. And God answers that prayer.

But sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers the way we think He should. And that's all I will say about that. :)

READ IT! You'll be glad you did. My Stubborn Heart is filled with insight and great writing, tidbits to take away and ponder later...and even savor.

Thank you to the publisher for sending this to me for my honest review.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was one of those books I had no doubt I would love from the

This was one of those books I had no doubt I would love from the very beginning. I literally began reading it the moment I received it in the mail.... even though I had weeks before I needed to write a review for the blog tour. I'd never heard of Becky Wade before Litfuse offered me the chance to be on the author's blog tour. I'd never heard of the book either, but something about it caught my attention from first sight. Perhaps it was the cover, which was done extremely well. Or perhaps it was because it was about a rather hot, once-famous, wounded and brooding hockey legend hiding in his small hometown of Rosebud, PA working as a contractor just to stay busy. And btw, Rosebud is sincerely the cutest name of a town I have ever heard of. Oh, and the heroine is also as cute as a button, an Audrey Hepburn-look-alike with long red hair. Oh, and there's a two hundred year old elaborate mansion to be refinished, a seventy-something grandmother reconnecting with her school-hood friends-- and this gorgeous, silent man doing all of the renovations.
I wouldn't say that the book was divided 50/50 between the two main characters-- I think Kate's perspective took up more words than Matt's did-- and I have to say that I liked it. The reader got just enough of Matt's side of the story to understand what kind of torture he was going through.
I don't read a ton of contemporary romance-- mostly historical-- but I must say if there were more there like this one, I would be eating them up. There was never a dull moment, and I just wanted to keep reading and reading and reading-- and I did so although I was sick with a head cold and really should have been getting my much-needed rest! I liked the title-- it described Kate to perfection-- though to her credit, she wasn't stubbornly seeking a romantic relationship with this broodingly handsome Adonis of men, but stubbornly offering him her friendship-- which ended up making all the difference. And I loved Matt's character. As a widow, still deeply disturbed by his young wife's death, Becky Wade did a masterful job in getting him through his grief and to a place where he could love again. He was so well-written!
I also have to say something about the prologue and the epilogue. They were written omnisciently about the two main characters and turned out to be perfect thing for “book-ending” his book cover to cover. I am so looking very forward to seeing what's next from Becky Wade. I love finding new authors to follow!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Great Romance! I really liked this book.  I loved the charact

A Great Romance!

I really liked this book.  I loved the characters of Matt and Kate.  Both are struggling in their own way.  This is a story of deep hurt and loss, broken relationships, and a loss of faith in God.




Does God put certain people in our path to help our healing from a loss and deep hurt?  Does he care about us if we have broken relationships?  Can God restore our faith through love, caring, and just being there for another person?




I really bonded with Matt and Kate and was a cheerleader for them.  I held my breath when things weren't going the way I wanted them to.  I laughed and smiled too with other loveable characters in this book.  I will admit toward the end I cried.  This book really touched me.




Even though this was the authors debut book I must admit I read her second book, Undeniably Yours, first.  Undeniably Yours was also a 5 star book for me.  I am so looking forward to this author's next book. 

Touching!

Absolutely a beautiful story.

Wonderful story

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. The characters really grabbed my heart and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to them. I want to read more by this gifted author. This would make a great book for discussion.

MCS

Great story. Clean romance story.
I loved it, couldnt put it down. I would love it if they made a movie out of it.

Awesome

Great story

Excellent!

A wonderful book about waiting for God's timing. Had a hard time putting it down!

Just LOVED this book!

As soon as I heard about this book, I was anxious to read it. It did not disappoint. I found the characters so endearing and I loved their little circle of friendship and how they were always there for each other. The relationship that developed between Kate and Matt was so sweet and held a great lesson for overcoming life's challenges, listening to God and those He sends to help nudge His message along. I could picture in my mind the beautiful home they were restoring, the charming town and the antique treasures. All of the components of the story blended together so well. Don't miss this book!

Soooo Good

You know a book is good when you turn the last page and sit there grinning as you replay the story in your mind. This was a really great read with excellent characters. I experience so many emotions while reading this book. I laughed, I got teary, I was apprehensive, I had uh-oh and ah-ha moments. There's also a great lesson about being obedient to the voice of God and being in position.

Excellent quick read!

For those that are truly romantic at heart, this book will keep that hope alive.

Recommend

This was a quick read for me and it has so many good twists. Definitely a great summer read!

Kate is accompanying her grandmother to Pennsylvania to help her

Kate is accompanying her grandmother to Pennsylvania to help her restore a home that has been in the family for generations. Kate loves antiques and needs a break from her job, so this is the perfect opportunity. She's been praying for a husband for years, but never suspects that this trip just might be the answer to her prayers. Nor does she expect to find the contractor, repairing her home, to be as broken as the house.

This book was a wonderful surprise. I thought it would be good, but I didn't expect it to be so good that I kept reading late into the night. It was fun, refreshing and sweet. The characters were realistic and loveable. While you assume they will get together in the end - it is a romantic story after all - it had some twists that I didn't see coming. It's a story about listening to your heart and God.
I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Very heartwarming story

Very heartwarming story

Compelling, romantic, unforgettable

I hope to see more from this writer!

WHAT A GREAT FIRST NOVEL!!!! I couldn't put it down! The story

WHAT A GREAT FIRST NOVEL!!!! I couldn't put it down!
The story is about Kate and her grandmother who come to Redbud, Pennsylvania for three months in order to oversee renovations to Chapel Bluff , her Gradmother's childhood home from the 1800s that’s been in Gran’s family since it was built. While Kate & her grandmother are there they enlist the help of carpenter Matt Jarreau, who was once an all-star hockey player, married to a real-live Miss America winner. But, tragedy has left Matt a shell of a man, and after Kate meets him she truly believes that she can bring him back around. Over the course of those three months, Matt and Kate both undergo an amazing transformation, and God shows Kate that it’s always better to trust His lead than to follow your own plans. & that when he says no...it is sometimes no, not yet. I loved that Kate’s faith was smart, and not pushy. She felt God lead, but was also intuitive to the needs of those she was in relationship with — she held off at times, and other times knew to push a little more it was the perfect combination. I also loved the romantic tension between Kate & Matt. Very well-done, and kept the story moving at a good clip. The little love-triangle didn’t hurt, either. It really helped you see how much Matt cared for Kate. I loved the romantic scenes in this book....Matt was absolutely perfectly romantic. I also loved how Mrs. Wade described everything in such detail that i felt like i was there. There was so much to love about this book! The seniors!! Who wouldn't love them?!?! They provided comic relief, and they were too cute. And, I loved how the sensitive topics of grief and loss were handled throughout the book — very realistically. It was a perfect book!! I will be looking for more of her books in the future.

P.s. Thanks Bethany House A Division of Baker Publishing Group for sending me the free copy!

A wonderful Christian contemporary novel

I loved everything about this book. The main characters are fantastically written and seem like people that I would be friends with if they existed in real life. And the secondary characters and storylines are just as great. This book has romance and laughter and friendships and stories of forgiveness and living life after tragedy. I especially like that, even though this is a Christian novel and has strong elements of faith and discussions of God, the characters never came across as fake or "holier than thou".

If you're a fan of Christian contemporary romance novels, definitely check out My Stubborn Heart. And be sure to not start reading it until you have a large block of free time ahead of you- you're not going to want to put it down!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review for myself. All opinions posted here are mine and mine alone.

Wonderful storyline and strong characters. Would love to read mo

Wonderful storyline and strong characters. Would love to read more from this author.

I do not usually read modern stories. Historical fiction is my f

I do not usually read modern stories. Historical fiction is my favorite. However, when I read the synopsis of My Stubborn Heart I was drawn to it. I am so happy I got it. I could not put it down. Becky Wade did a great job in the emotions and overall story. I will be keeping a lookout for her future work. I thank Bethany House for supplying me with a free copy to review the book.

Excellent writing style. The story develops smoothly and satisfa

Excellent writing style. The story develops smoothly and satisfactorily. The characters are well developed and honestly written. Unlike other Christian romance fiction I've read lately, I never felt the book was lacking, and the Gospel is very present (as opposed to having a few mentions of God to qualify the text as Christian). New authors tend to disappoint, so usually I avoid their debut novels, but I am extremely glad I picked this gem off the shelf.
--The opinion of a 24-year-old copy editor/proofreader/book manager