Then Came You – Becky Wade – Bradford Sisters Romance #0.5 – Published 7 March 2017
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Synopsis
A leather-bound journal. A single father. A woman in pursuit of freedom.
Garner Bradford, heir to the troubled Bradford Shipping empire, doesn’t know much about babies. But he’s going to have to learn fast because he’s just become a single father to his newborn daughter. As he confesses through his journal entries, he’s not entirely sure how to keep a newborn alive, whether or not he’ll ever patch together his shattered heart, or how to forgive himself for his mistakes.
Career girl Kathleen Burke is wholly uninterested in settling down. She has big dreams, and none of them include Garner and his small hometown in Washington State. Yet she can’t seem to get her handsome boss out of her head or her heart. There’s something extraordinarily tempting about his beautifully sad green eyes. . . .
Told through journal entries, phone conversations, and letters, Then Came You is a unique, heart-stirring romance novella by acclaimed author Becky Wade.
My thoughts
Then Came You is an utterly charming romance told through letter fragments, diary entries, and phone conversations.
Then Came You is the prequel novella to Becky Wade’s new series, Bradford Sisters Romance. At first I was a little confused about how this story fit with the books in the series. Then I realised that this story is set a few decades prior to the first book in the series and Garner, our main male character, is actually the father of the Bradford sisters, around whom the series is based.
The story starts off rather sadly, as Garner makes mistakes and faces much tragedy. We are also introduced to Kathleen, who takes a job at Garner’s family company rather than fulfill her dreams of moving to and working in New York.
I loved that the romance between Kathleen and Garner takes a very long time to develop. Years, in fact. This novella really is the background story for the rest of the series and it plays out accordingly. We learn of Garner’s life and how the Bradford sisters came to be. But it is a romance and a happy one at that – trust me – even if it takes a while to develop. And the romance is all the better for it. Through snippets of conversations and letters never sent, the reader learns how Kathleen and Garner at first see each other as nothing more than employer or employee. Neither is ready for a relationship. But God has other plans. And as they fight their growing attraction, I was drawn into this story of second (and third and fourth and who’s counting anyway) chances, families created and healed, and finding forgiveness, freedom, and peace.
I have always enjoyed Becky Wade’s writing and was impressed how this story so clearly conveyed the characters, even through diary or letter format. It was an excellent way to pace the novella and it includes so much within few words.
I can’t wait to start reading the series proper now. I think the Bradford sisters are going to be wonderful characters to watch learn, live, and love.
More information
Category: Fiction, novella.
Genre: Christian contemporary.
Themes: Family, grief, romance, children, faith.
Published: 7 March 2017
Format: Paperback, ebook. 158 pages.
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