Book 3 of 5 ( )

A Love Like Ours is another heartwarming addition to Becky Wade's delightfully charming Porter Family series. In this latest release, taciturn brother Jake is not at all happy when his childhood friend Lyndie James begins working at Whispering Creek ranch.

The glimpses of Jake in previous novels have been quite intriguing and it is incredibly gratifying to finally learn more information about this battle scarred man. He is haunted by the IED attack that killed the men he served with and he is wracked by survivor's guilt. He is also suffering from PTSD and he relives the attack during horrific nightmares. Jake is extremely closed off from family and friends but even worse, he has lost his faith and turned his back on God.

Lyndie is bubbly, cheerful and unfailingly optimistic. Her life has not been all sunshine and rainbows but her unwavering faith has sustained her through some very trying times. She is very devoted to her family and although she lives on her own, she spends a lot of time helping her parents care for her disabled younger sister, Mollie. Lyndie is a bit stubborn but in Jake's case, this works to her advantage because she refuses to let his standoffishness deter her from going after what she wants.

The relationship between Jake and Lyndie is very uneasy and fraught with tension. Jake is extremely reluctant to hire Lyndie, not because she is not qualified, but because of his irrational fear that she will be injured. Once she settles into her new job, Jake's fears eventually lessen to some degree. Lyndie cleverly devises a plan for them to spend more time together in hopes that they will regain their easy friendship. Her patience pays off when Jake pursues a romantic relationship with her but Lyndie's happiness is tempered by her reservations over Jake's lack of faith.

A Love Like Ours is a wonderful novel of faith, forgiveness and grace. The characters are endearing and while they are flawed, they are very sympathetic. The storyline is realistic and the PTSD aspect of the plot is well researched and handled with sensitivity. Family plays a big role in the unfolding story and their support for one another is very uplifting. The romance between Lyndie and Jake is slow growing and very sweet. There is a strong spiritual element that adds another layer of complexity to the both the characters and the overall storyline. It is a lovely faith based romance that old and new fans of Becky Wade's Porter Family series are going to love.
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I had very high expectations after reading the other books in this series. I must say Becky did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. ( )

In her trademark delightfully witty and sweet writing voice, Becky Wade takes us back to Holley, Texas and the Porter family and friends we've grown to love. A Love Like Ours zeroes in on Jake's story and is, at its core, a story of hope - losing hope after tragedy and rediscovering that hope with the help of a childhood friend. It's about not giving up on someone you love... because you know God hasn't given up on them either. And it's about trusting God with the good, the bad, and the ugly of life even when none of the above make sense.

A Love Like Ours reunites inseparable childhood friends Jake Porter and Lyndie James as adults. One friend has been heart-wounded by the tragedies he's lived through while the other friend has been strengthened by hers. Jake is content to stay dead inside, doing his penance this way for not protecting the other Marines in his command from the IED that exploded beneath their armored vehicle - for being the one who lived. Lyndie whirls into his life like a tornado and upends his carefully ordered shelter-in-place directive. She stills sees the little boy she adored all those years ago, and as determined as he is to keep her away she's equally determined to get through to him.

As always, I adore Becky Wade's writing style! It engages you right away and keeps your attention with witty dialogue, hilarious asides, and heart-clenching moments of sweetness. Oh... and THE KISSING! Whooee, as Nancy Porter would say. Becky Wade's kissing scenes belong on a movie screen with crescendos of dramatic music playing in the background. As long as I have an alternate source of oxygen and a fan or six to insure I could survive such an experience.

The characters are wonderful, the writing is witty, the kisses are movie-worthy. But make no mistake - A Love Like Ours is not what I would call a lighthearted read. It deals with a soldier's PTSD still firmly holding him hostage years after the explosion that forever marked his future. It spotlights a family whose world was changed in an instant when their daughter suffered a tragic injury at birth. It touches on the pain of infertility, single parenting, and loss of faith. Just one of these topics would be tough for an author to tackle, but Ms. Wade writes about each with a nice blend of grace and truth. Through it all, we as readers are reminded that God sees, that God knows, that God heals, and that God has a plan that may not make sense to us but makes perfect sense to the One who has loved us even before He created us.

I give A Love Like Ours 4 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley in cooperation with Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

To read more of my thoughts on the book, check out my review at https://readingismysuperpower.wordpress.com/2015/05/24/a-love-like-ours/ ( )

This is a wonderful story of learning to overcome and to live again. Jack and Lyndie reconnect as adults and she works to help him overcome some issues that he has. I liked seeing how they learned to work together to overcome the obstacles and how it worked out. I liked seeing how Lyndie was able to keep persevering even when things got tough.
I received this book free from the publisher to review. ( )