Today I thought I’d take a trip down Memory Lane to 2015 and revisit a few of my favorite Valentine’s contemporary romances by Inspy Romance authors.
Secretly Yours by Valerie Comer
Secretly Yours is set in the small fictional town of Riverbend in British Columbia, Canada. Lindsey Solberg hasn’t had an easy life. She returns to Riverbend to help her stepfather care for her stepsister, Madison, following the tragic loss of their mother. Pastor Nick is the reformed bad boy who messed with Lindsey’s heart when they were in high school. Lindsey struggles to believe that he’s a changed man, and she is reluctant to trust him. She’s not looking for romance, and her mother’s relationship history has turned her off the whole concept of marriage.
Lindsey agrees to be the chef for the church youth group’s Valentine fundraising dinner, and she’s drawn into an easygoing friendship with Nick. I have a soft spot for reformed bad boy heroes, and Nick didn’t disappoint me. Nick regrets his actions in high school and comes up with his secret admirer plan to win Lindsey’s heart. His faith is strong and he gently encourages Lindsey to explore her own lukewarm faith.
Forget Paris by Autumn Macarthur
I was intrigued by the story premise for Forget Paris. Zoe is different to the typical romance heroine. Not only is she cynical about romance, she’s doing post graduate psychological research to prove her theory. Zoe is not afraid to share her opinion of romance, and it’s kind of like the author has cast one of the real life female critics of the romance genre as the heroine in her own story.
Zoe meets Gabe in Paris on Valentine’s Day and she asks him to join her in completing her research test. Her theory is they’ll spend the day together and develop romantic feelings due to forced proximity. But, those feelings won’t be real. Instead, they’ll be based on an illusion of romantic love.
Complete strangers when they have a chance meeting on a Parisian bridge, Gabe is fascinated by Zoe and her interesting ideas about romance. His loving parents recently passed and he’s alone in Paris to fulfil his mother’s long held dream. Meeting Zoe is a pleasant distraction from his grief. They spend Valentine’s Day together, working on the assumption they’ll never meet again.
Zoe is a complex and, at times, prickly character who has trust issues. Gabe reappears in her life and she struggles to process her developing feelings for him. I liked Gabe and I thought he was very sweet and patient with Zoe. In one scene her twin sister, Tiff (the heroine in Book 3, A Model Bride), gives Zoe a lecture, and I’m cheering for Tiff, hoping Zoe will finally listen to her twin rather than hiding behind her fears and assuming she knows best.
Zoe and Gabe grow in their love and faith during the story. Zoe’s big spiritual ‘aha moment’ brings the story together, which leads to satisfying and romantic ending. I finished the story believing that Zoe and Gabe’s love was for real and that their relationship would last the distance and survive the challenges of life. I loved the urban setting in Paris and London, and the colourful backdrop it provides for the story.
A Love Song for Kayla by Kimberly Rose Johnson
I first read this book back in 2015 when it was published under a different title. Kayla Russell made the decision many years earlier that she wasn’t going to settle and marry a man who didn’t meet most, if not all, of the items on her potential husband criteria list. She’s single and the co-owner of a flower store and it’s Valentine’s Day – her least favorite holiday.
Derek Parker is a musician who’s hiding away from the paparazzi in the small Oregon town where his mother lives. He is caring for his mother who’s recovering from a stroke, and he wants to simplify his life. His fame and successful music career has made him financially wealthy but it hasn’t brought him happiness.
Kayla meets Derek and she starts falling for him, despite her trust issues and without realizing Derek’s true identity. Derek holds back on sharing his former life with Kayla, and he regrets his decision when his past catches up with him and complicates his life.
Their growing relationship is tested as secrets are revealed and difficult circumstances place obstacles in their path. A fun and satisfying romance develops as Kayla and Derek are challenged by their faith and learn that God’s plan for their lives may differ to their own.
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That’s it – my Top 3 Valentine’s Reads from 2015. All three romances are fun and light-hearted and, at the same time, have a spiritual thread in the story which means the characters are challenged to grow in their faith.
Have you re-read any Valentine’s romance stories this year? Or discovered any new Valentine’s romance books? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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.
HI Narelle, happy weekend:) What great stories these are, thanks for the reminder. JoAnn Durgin’s “A Valentine Verse” and Ginger Solomon’s “Broken Valentine” are two that spring to mind.
Blessings:)
Hi Narelle! Last year I enjoyed reading The Valentine Quest: Love at the Chocolate Shop by Melissa McClone. A sweet Valentine romance with delightful characters and fun twist and turn plot. The intriguing Valentine contest was not only about romance, but helping the community by providing food to the needy and at the animal shelter. Another inspiring aspect of this story was the play on the main character’s names and how Nevada and Dustin overcame a fear. A delightful out of the box Valentine romance. Besides, who doesn‘t enjoy chocolate? Best wishes and Happy Valentine’s Day!
I actually read The Valentine Verse by Joann Durgin, which was a good read. I’m not really into Valentine’s Day but enjoy books around the theme .
I have not yet read any Valentine’s romances, but I want to read The Cupcake Dilemma by Jennifer Rodewald when it comes out on Valentine’s Day. I really enjoyed A Love Song for Kayla, so I may re-read it in a couple of days. I do want to read Forget Paris and Secretly Yours. Have a great weekend!
Good morning, thank you for your thoughts on these books. I love light and fun stories. No I have not read any valentines books. I would like to read JoAnn Durgin’s Valentine Verse
Like my character Kayla in A Love Song for Kayla aka A Valentine for Kayla I don’t care for Valentine’s Day–although I am getting better about the day. In fact that’s her story was inspired–on Valentine’s day when I was feeling less than happy about the whole thing. All that to say, no I haven’t read any.
Thanks for the shout-out for Secretly Yours!
I can’t even remember the last time I reread a novel. Back when my reading was limited to the paperbacks I had on hand, including those from the library and local small-town bookstore, I used to reread a lot, but now I have more books on my e-reader than I’ll get to anytime soon!
While I love reading romances (you’d hope that would be true, wouldn’t you?!?!) I’m not a big romantic about Valentine’s Day. We rarely exchange gifts or cards, but it’s often a good excuse for a nice dinner out!
I’m with Valerie on this. I used to reread back in the day but now I have too many in my TBR list to do that. I have one exception. When a book I’m about to read is in a series and I can’t remember the prior books, I may reread those. As far as Valentine’s stories, I have read Secretly Yours but it was quite a while back. Forget Paris is on my TBR list. And after looking at A Love Song for Kayla, I’ve put it there also. Thanks for adding to my list. I needed that! ;-)
Thanks so much for including Forget Paris, Narelle!
I loved sweet Gabe, a hero persistent enough to deal with the challenge of prickly anti-romance Zoe. Just letting anyone thinking of reading it know it will be free next week from Monday to Friday for Valentine’s Day!
In real life, I tend to feel that my husband and I aren’t really romantic. He’s not a flowers and chocolate kind of guy. But his love language is acts of service, and he shows me how much he loves me every single day through that. And he writes me cute little notes with doodles. I’ve saved every one, right from when we were dating. We went to Paris for our honeymoon, and back to Paris for our tenth anniversary. Much of Gabe and Zoe’s walk through Paris is inspired by places we visited – thankfully unlike them, not including the police station!
Hmm, so despite not planning more than exchanging cards on Valentine’s Day (probably home made), maybe we ARE romantic, after all!
I was so into the question I forgot to thank you for the shoutout. Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed A Love Song for Kayla. :)
I have not read any of the books in the blog, but they do sound interesting.
After reading this post/blog on title comes to my mind and that is “Sophie’s Heart”, by Lori Wick.
I haven’t read these, but they sound good. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Wemble, Happy weekend. :) I worked all day in my day job yesterday, and I’m starting my weekend today (Sunday). I have Ginger and JoAnn’s Valentine’s books in my Kindle. I think it’s time for a Valentine’s reading binge. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Renate, The Valentine Quest sounds like a fascinating story. I will look it up! Yes, I rarely say no to chocolate in books or real life, lol. Happy Valentine’s Day! Blessings to you. :)
Hi MH, I’m going to have to read JoAnn’s book soon since you’re all recommending it. :) The Valentine’s theme provides a wide scope for authors to explore different story lines with characters who have a range of views on the value of celebrating Valentine’s Day. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Becky, I have The Cupcake Dilemma on preorder, too! I hope you’ll have a chance to read Forget Paris and Secretly Yours, plus reread A Love Song for Kayla. Enjoy your weekend and blessings to you. :)
Hi Lori, You’re very welcome. I hope you’ll have an opportunity to read the books I recommended plus JoAnn’s book. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Kimberly, lol, it’s a pleasure to share your book with our Inspy Romance readers. Kayla definitely had a few issues with the whole Valentine’s thing! It was fun to watch her squirm a little when her Valentine’s Day turned out a lot better than she’d anticipated. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Valerie, You’re very welcome :) I occasionally reread books, and they’re sometimes previous books in a series when I’m ready to read the next one. Pre-Kindle, I often reread print books. I think it’s a bit of a stereotype that romance readers (and romance authors) will also love Valentine’s Day. My husband and I like to go out somewhere, too. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Sherri, I hear you! I’m in denial regarding how large my TBR list actually is, lol. I do like binge reading series books back-to-back, and I will reread to refresh my memory. I plead guilty to adding to TBR lists, including my own! I hope you’ll have a chance to decrease the size of your TBR list by reading Forget Paris and A Love Song for Kayla. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Autumn, You’re very welcome. :) It was fun to watch Zoe overcome her objections to the whole idea of romance. I enjoyed visiting Paris in the story – a city I haven’t had a chance to visit in real life. You don’t need to make a fuss for Valentine’s Day if you’re celebrating love and romance every day. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Andrea, It’s a long time since I’ve read a book by Lori Wick. I’ll have to look up Sophie’s Heart. Blessings to you. :)
Hi Lucy, I hope you’ll have a chance to read the books. Blessings to you. :)
I have all but Kimberley’s book on my Kindle….sadly, yet to read! But at least I know they are there waiting for me :-)
Hi Trixi, yes, I have more books than I like to admit waiting to be read. One day I hope to catch up! Blessings to you. :)
Vara and Thornton (and their storyteller) thank you, Wemble! :)
Narelle, your post is bringing a much needed boost for me personally. Thank you. :) I hope you’ll get a chance to read Vara and Thornton’s story. When I wrote it, Valentine-themed stories weren’t all that popular, so I decided it was about time…but with a twist in the way the hero views the “day.” Blessings!
Hi Lori! The Valentine Verse is on sale for 99 cents this week. I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read it. Blessings! :)
Hi JoAnn, you’re very welcome :) I’m really looking forward to finding time to read Vara and Thornton’s story. Blessings to you :)