The power of words . . .: Review: Meant to Be Mine

Meant to Be Mine
By Becky Wade
A Porter Family Novel #2
Bethany House, 2014

Summary

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school–irresistible. When their paths cross again after college–still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia’s ready to be Ty’s wife, but Ty’s not ready to be her husband. He’s a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he’s long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he’s known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia’s buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty’s achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn’t forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

My thoughts

Meant to Be Mine returns us to Holley, Texas, where we continue the Porter family novels with Ty's story. Although Bo and Meg from the previous book are secondary characters here (and can I say how good it was to see them again?!), this story easily stands alone. My reaction? I simply loved this story and found it hard to put down. Becky writes romance with warmth and humor, and her engaging writing style drew me in from the first paragraph; in fact, I don't believe I've read an opening scene that captured my emotions so quickly and thoroughly.

Ty's intense drive to win at bull riding had shaped his life. He's daring, pushes everything to the limit, but has become jaded. He is the kind of hero I like - flawed, tender, funny, emotional, caring, self sacrificing. Celia approached life, work, and motherhood with a do-it-yourself attitude; her one goal was to provide Addie with security and love. Ty's life had been about him, while Addie had become Celia's reason for living.

Ty and Celia reconnect after five and a half years, and a transformation slowly begins for both of them. The growing father/daughter love between Ty and Addie will touch any heart. But I also felt for Celia as she wrestled with his presence in their lives: "Why had she been asked to relinquish some of her sole treasure to a man who was already outrageously blessed?"

Strong secondary characters added such richness to this story! Addie just grabs your heart - a serious child, given to worry, but with a heart of gold. Meg's friendship with Celia, the owners of Cream or Sugar coffee shop, and then Celia's Uncle Danny . . . I certainly hope we see more of him and that someone eventually comes into his life. We also see a little of Jake, Ty's younger brother, who came back from war physically and emotionally scarred. Jake seems very interesting and I hope he gets his own story soon.

Forgiveness and trust are spiritual themes in this story. Trust, once broken, is not easily regained, and there's always a risk with human love. Likewise, forgiveness doesn't happen over night; it's a sometimes lengthy process that only comes from being in the Word and growing closer to God.

Something else I enjoy about Becky's writing is that her lead characters have a lot of time together and there's plenty of humor. Sometimes Ty and Celia's relationship seems to be based more on lust than love, but the spiritual unfolding of sacrificial love on Ty's part is beautiful to behold. I wish a few words could have been cut in various places to allow for more time at the end, but let me just say that the ending was wonderful!

Becky's writing style includes some worldly realism that ultra conservative readers might not be comfortable with, but this is never presented in such a way as to glorify it. Ty and Celia are flawed characters - and their growth, both emotionally and spiritually, felt real and are fun to watch. Meant to Be Mine is a story that I highly recommend to romance fans.

Meant to Be Mine can be purchased online at CBD, DeeperShopping, B&N, and Amazon.

Becky Wade

Becky makes her home in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and one adoring (and adored) cavalier spaniel. Her CBA debut, "My Stubborn Heart," was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards. "Undeniably Yours" kicked off her Texas-set Porter Family series. Her newest contemporary romance, "Meant to Be Mine," has just hit shelves!

Meet Becky online at beckywade.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Also visit Litfuse's blog tour page for more information.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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