Friday, April 30, 2021

Let It Be Me

 


Becky Wade's Let It Be Me tells the love story of pediatric heart surgeon Sebastian Grant and math- prodigy-turned-teacher Leah Montgomery.  Several obstacles stand in the their path to true love, however; Sebastian's best friend has been in love with Leah for months, Leah  professes not to believe herself capable of romance or attraction, Leah finds herself distracted by a quest to discover how and why she was evidently switched at birth, and Sebastian admittedly holds himself apart from others as a result of his troubled childhood.  In the end, predictably, the problems resolve and the happy couple waltzes off toward the Georgian horizon.  

After reading in the afterward that Wade is a fellow Baylor Bear, it pains me to profess that I am not at all a fan of this book. Before you accuse me of disliking the novel because it isn't historical fiction, bear in mind that there have been several contemporary romance series from Bethany House that I've enjoyed, like Liz Johnson's Prince Edward Island Dreams, Susan May Warren's Montana Rescue, or Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor.  First, there were simply far too many unrelated plotlines.  The love triangle issue and the whole "switched at birth" saga were unnecessary, distracting, and borderline bizarre.  Second, I may have been able to overlook the first issue if I had found the love story compelling or even believable.  I'm honestly not sure why either Leah or Sebastian managed to even like each other.  Despite physical attraction, which Wade described at one point as "a pleasurable menstrual cramp," the characters didn't seem to have anything in common or any reason to find themselves in love.  Sebastian, despite being a rich, handsome heart surgeon, regularly deliverers cringe-inducing lines like, "I want to make out with you" and sometimes behaves like a maniacal stalker.  Which brings me to my final point, the characters' actions simply don't make sense.  Sebastian goes to great lengths (mostly spending inappropriate amounts of money) to get Leah to go on a date, but has no intention of maintaining a long-term or serious relationship with her.  If it weren't Christian fiction, I'd assume he just wanted to get in her pants then dump her.  It was all very confusing.  I won't be reading any other Misty River books.  

I received a free copy from the publisher.  No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.

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