Always on my mind

Always On My Mind – Susan May Warren – Christiansen Family #4 – Tyndale House Publishers – Published 18 December 2014

♥♥♥♥♥

Always On My Mind is a beautiful tale of heartwarming romance, family life and heartbreaking human struggles.

A distance of thousands of miles couldn’t take Raina off Casper Christiansen’s mind. Determined to fix things, regardless of what happened in the past, Casper returns to Minnesota. Finding Raina pregnant and about to go into labour was a shock he wasn’t prepared for. For Raina, there has only ever been Casper Christiansen, but she feels he deserves so much more than what she could give him. Determined to move forward with her life, she makes the hardest choices of her life and, pushing Casper out of her life, moves back to Deep Haven to house sit for her Aunt. But Casper has moved home too, and soon the two are bumping into each other all over town. When Casper finds an antique wedding dress and Raina finds an old diary, the two begin spending more time together as they work to solve a mystery that has puzzled Deep Haven for decades. This story is heartbreaking and yet full of hope and joy. I wanted to shake Raina, then hug her and then maybe just cry. As Casper and Raina slowly begin to trust and reach out again, they develop a sweet friendship, and start to rekindle the love that never really died. The mystery and historical details Casper and Raina discover adds depth and interest to the story, as does the underlying theme of treasure – finding it, looking for it and, most importantly, valuing it.

While you could read this as a standalone, a lot of context is continued from the previous novel – Grace’s story, When I Fall In Love. And really, why wouldn’t you want to read all the books in this glorious series. I love that each novel continues the stories of the other family members. Just as Casper and Raina’s story began in book three, this book continues Darek and Ivy’s story, while also setting up Amelia’s story for the next book in the series (can’t wait!). It makes the characters feel like a real, loveable family, flaws and all. I also love the cameo appearances of familiar faces from the Deep Haven novels. Always On My Mind is a beautiful and highly enjoyable read, as is the whole of the Christiansen Family series. It comes very highly recommended. Great for lovers of touching Christian contemporary romance.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fiction: Christian. Romance. Contemporary.

If you like this try The Dandelion Field