Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Book Recommendation – Remember Me by Marion Ueckermann

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It’s almost October and we’re enjoying pleasant spring weather in Australia. There’s an old saying that we always want what we can’t have. In 2020, the freedom to travel overseas is one thing we no longer take for granted. I’m glad we have the ability to armchair travel to distant lands by escaping into a story. Today I’m sharing with you my book recommendation for Remember Me – the first book in the Chapel Cove Romance series set in a fictional small town on the picturesque Oregon Coast.

Book Description:

What she most needed was right there in front of her all along.

At the age of thirteen, Clarise Aylward and her two best friends each pen a wish list of things they want to achieve. Deciding to bury a tin containing their life goals, the friends vow to unearth the metal box once they’ve all turned forty. But as the decades pass and each girl chases her dreams, the lists are forgotten.

Heath Brock has been in love with Clarise for over twenty-seven years and counting. As a young man, he’d plucked up the courage to ask her out on a Valentine’s date, but the couple succumbed to pent-up passions, sending Clarise dashing for the other side of the country.

Years after Clarise’s sudden departure, Heath serves as youth pastor. He’d held out hope of Clarise’s return, but buries his feelings for his childhood sweetheart when he learns she’s married.

Almost penniless, divorced, and with nowhere to go, Clarise returns home to Chapel Cove, her future uncertain. She’s approaching forty with her dreams in tatters. When old feelings resurface, Clarise wonders whether she’s ever really fallen out of love with Heath.

What’s the man of God to do when his old flame returns, seemingly to stay?

With Clarise back in town, Heath is determined not to repeat past mistakes, but if he has anything to say about it, never again will he lose the only woman he’s ever loved.

Welcome to Chapel Cove, Oregon, where life begins at forty. 

Narelle’s Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading Remember Me and visiting with the small town community in Chapel Cove. Reese (Clarise) returns to her hometown a broken woman with big emotional scars. Her high flying days as a supermodel living a luxurious lifestyle are a fading memory. Her cheating ex-husband, who was also her agent/business manager, has left her destitute. Reese pawned her engagement ring to pay for her flight from NYC, and she’s staying with her parents in her childhood home with no prospects and her fortieth birthday looming.

For years, Heath has lived a modest lifestyle in a trailer beside the beach. He became a Christian after Clarise left town, and he’s now working as a youth pastor with a heart for helping people. Like Reese, he has regrets about their past relationship. He wishes she’d never left town to chase her modelling career dreams. He’s watched her high profile career from afar while quietly living his life in the beautiful coastal town. He is the boy next door, and the supermodel is way out of his league.

Reunion romance is one of my favorite tropes, and this story delivers on the promise of a sweet and heartfelt romance complicated by Reese and Heath’s history and misbeliefs about themselves and each other. I like reading romances with older characters who have a maturity and life experiences that can give them a different perspective.

I will confess that I’m not usually a fan of romance stories with heroes who are pastors. A few decades ago, a large number of CCR’s that I read included pastor heroes. I became bored reading the same old storylines. Despite my prejudices, I loved Heath’s character more than Reese’s. His down-to-earth and laid back approach to life, combined with his genuine faith, had me cheering for him to win Reese’s heart. I highly recommend Remember Me to readers who enjoy small town reunion romance stories with a strong faith element.

Full disclosure: The lovely Chapel Cove authors have invited me to write a Chapel Cove romance – releasing in 2021. I’m enjoying getting to know the characters and binge reading the series in preparation for writing my Chapel Cove story in early 2021.

Questions for you: Have you read any of the books in the Chapel Cove Romance series? Do you like reading romances with characters in their late 30’s or older? If you’re a binge reader of longer series, how many books do you wait to release before you start binge reading the series? I’ve love to hear your thoughts.

Narelle Atkins (199 Posts)

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.


Comments

  2. I have read all the Chapel Cove stories so far. They’re all different, being multi author, but the girls (authors) have taken great care to make them all blend in. Welcome, Narelle, to Chapel Cove!

  4. I hope you get to read, Remember Me, Mary. I had fun writing the story and collaborating with Autumn Macarthur and Alexa Verde as our first three stories all had a few scenes in them told from our respective heroine’s viewpoints.

  5. So glad you’ve enjoyed your time in Chapel Cove, Margaret. Yes, the collaboration was quite intense, especially on those first 3 books. We’ll have a bunch more coming soon.

  9. Hi Narelle and Marion! Fall morning in SW Michigan. I have read all the books in the Chapel Cove series and as a retiree I enjoy stories with older characters, especially the opportunity for second chance at love. As I age and during this time of staying at home, I sometimes wonder what if …. What if I had moved to Canada or elsewhere? So stories lets the reader be an arm chair traveler and for a day live WHAT if. Best wishes and Happy Writing.

  10. I am so happy to see this review, Narelle! I have enjoyed the entire series, and while I do love to binge read, I am reading this series as each one gets released! Excited to see your contribution!

  12. Hi Renate, Yes, stories do provide us with wonderful opportunities to explore a wide range of what if… situations. Lots of fun! Best wishes and thanks for commenting. 😊

  13. Hi Paula, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my post and the Chapel Cove series! I’m looking forward to exploring the Chapel Cove story world. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  16. I love reading romance with older couples. I also love reading stories about pastors, youth directors etc. Chapel Cove series sounds wonderful. Thanks for clean well written stories that don’t evade real issues.

  17. This is a great series! I’ve read all of the books so far! I don’t binge read, unless all of the books are already out by the time I discover them! I love that these have older couples, and actually wouldn’t mind if they were even older. I’d like to visit a place like Chapel Cove, but I find that with quite a few books!

  18. I have not read any of the Chapel Cove Series yet but after reading about them here know I want to! I love reading a series of small town books and ones with more mature characters as well. I don’t wait until a certain number of books are out before I start reading while I can understand those who do. Not having to wait to read the next book has it’s advantages! I haven’t read too many books that center on a Pastor but the ones I have I enjoyed. I think many of us tend to believe a Pastor is ‘above’ us and don’t have the same struggles the rest of us do. I think it helps to see them as regular people with the same faults and challenges we all have and often even more so being under the watchful eyes of the whole church!

  20. Narelle, thank you so much for such wonderful review for the Book 1 in our Chapel Cove Romances series! I am thrilled you’re joining Autumn, Marion, and myself and can’t wait to read your book in the series!

  25. Thank you, Yvonne. Hope you get to read our Chapel Cove series (where life begins at forty). Most of our characters are in that age gap, although we’ve had some stories where they are slightly younger, and some coming with slightly older characters.

  29. Sounds like a good book. I enjoy reading books where the characters are more mature, I think it can sometimes have more depth to the romance because of life experiences and such. Thanks for sharing your review.

  30. Looking forward to reading Remember Me. I am sitting here enjoying the absolutely wonderful fall breezes. I hope they stay around for a long, long time. Feels refreshing.
    Blessings to all

  31. Trudy, I hope you’ll enjoy Adore Me, when I can finally get it publish-ready. 62 and 71 old enough? ;)

  32. Narelle, I am so excited that you’ll be able to join us in Chapel Cove! I haven’t stopped grinning about it since I got online. Your wonderful stories will be a fab addition to our small-but-growing coastal community.
    I love Remember Me, too! A lovely introduction to the series with its theme of second chances.
    For readers who are new to Chapel Cove – I hope you enjoy a visit with us soon!

  33. Hi, I have not read any of the Chapel Cove series, but they sound like great reads. I like reading about different ages for book characters. This series sounds intriguing , Thank you so much for sharing about the Chapel Cove series, I will be adding them to my TBR. Have a Great week.

  40. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Chapel Cove stories available thus far. The first three, were such a good anchor for the extended community and its tales of romance and healing. Thanks to all three of you for your work and an excited welcome to Narelle!

    I do enjoy more mature characters. It’s increasingly hard to relate to early thirty-somethings who seem to know enough about life to talk about forever. The French have a saying, roughly translated, “If youth only knew. If age only could.” Well, they don’t and we can!

    Looking forward to more from Chapel Cove.

  42. I love all the books in the Chapel Cove Romance series!!! They are awesome :)
    Of course I’ve read them out of order LOL …but you can do that too!

  46. Hi Deb, I think you’ve touched on one of my reasons for my bias. In the stories I’d read many years ago, the pastor characters were often too perfect. It was the heroine in those stories who had the flaws that needed to be redeemed/saved etc. In Remember Me, Heath was willing to acknowledge his faults. He wasn’t pretending that life was rosy all the time, and that’s why I found him relatable. I hope you’ll have a chance to read Remember Me. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  48. Hi Megan, I agree, the additional life experiences of older characters can add more depth and a different perspective to the romance. I hope you’ll have an opportunity to read Remember Me. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  49. Hi Sandra, Fall (autumn) is my favourite season. Spring is pretty, but I don’t enjoy the hay fever that comes with spring where I live. I hope you’ll have an opportunity to read Remember Me. Enjoy your fall breezes. Blessings and thanks for commenting. 😊

  50. Hi Autumn, 2021 will be the year my writing drought is broken! I’ve learned patience during this long season where other priorities filled my schedule. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to write a Chapel Cove story. 😊

  55. Hi Natalya, I used to read continuity series (eg. Love Inspired series books) out of order because of the difficulties in buying the paperbacks in Australia. I’d also jump around in series books that I borrowed from the library. Now ebooks and Amazon/The Book Depository have fixed that problem, I can indulge in an orderly series binge read starting with book 1, LOL. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  57. Hi, all. Yes. I do enjoy characters beyond 25+ best, somewhere past those first post-college angst years. Young drama exhausts me. ;) Characters after 40 can be fun, as long as they haven’t forgotten that zest for life and don’t act like their best years are gone. Remember Me sounds good. I moved it into my TBRs with 2 other Chapel Cove titles, so I guess I better get busy reading! :D

  58. I’ve read the all that have been released in the series so far and enjoyed them all! I’m excited to read yours when it comes out.

  59. Hi Penelope, Mature characters who are ‘young at heart’ are fun to read. Yes, definitely bump the Chapel Cove Romances up to the top of your TBR list! Happy reading and thanks for commenting. 😊

  66. Congrats on writing a book in the series.
    It depends on the series sometimes I will read as they come out but there are times when there is a long gap between books I will wait til a few are out. (Especially if I know the author has cliff hangers where it feels like the book is missing some chapters)

  67. You already have me hooked with an Oregon coast setting because I live there! What town did you base Chapel Cove on? I’d love to know!

    I have read “Marry Me” by Autumn Macarthur and it was really good! So, of course I want to read the rest of these book, plus since I have Kindle Unlimted I can borrow them. I also love reading about older couples since I am not a 20 or 30 something anymore and feel I can relate to the life these characters live out in a book. Though, I don’t mind younger couples either….I just wished there were more stories with older folks in them :-) As far as series, I usually wait until they are all out (or maybe go ahead and read them as they come out, if it’s only a month or so between books) and do a binge read…I don’t like it when I have to wait 6 months or more for the next book to come out. I read way too many in between & will forget the storyline or characters. It takes me too long to get caught back up again & I can feel a little lost at first.

    That’s just my take on it! I do also love reunion love stories, those are the best in my opinion, especially if the couple were childhood friends :-)

    I’m adding every one of these books to my very long, massive want-to-read list!

  75. Thank you for your comment, Trixi. Remember Me (Chapel Cove Book 1) is a second chance, reunion story. I hope you get to read it soon, as well as the rest of the books we currently have in the series. Each story is a stand alone, although of course, the series is better read in order. We are constantly adding to the series and each have story idea for still many, many books to come.

    Chapel Cove is a fictitious coastal town, slightly south of Portland. We did sort of base our aerial layout of the town on Brookings and used it as reference for size vs population, but that’s about as far as any resemblance to an existing Oregon town goes.

  79. Thats good to know I haven’t found a lot of cliffhangers but Cindy Woodsmall is good at it and it was like she just stopped at the end of a chapter. There was not real closure with the cliff hanger it was just like a tv series that has a ending where you are not sure what is coming next. She had a 3 book series with each book released once a year If I remember right.

  80. I haven’t read them and personally prefer stand alone stories even if interconnected. Not much reading as Sydney’s spring has hit hard and hayfever makes reading a challenge for me this time of the year. Sounds wonderful though.

  81. Hi Dianne, I’m empathising with you on the hayfever issues. Not a good start to spring but I am appreciating the rain. I hope you’ll have a chance to read a stand-alone Chapel Cove book. Thanks for commenting. 😊

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