New Christian, Maddie, comes from a background she regrets. She must prove herself to get custody of Kyle, and with two lost jobs in two days after she accidentally dumps dinner on the mayor, she convinces Reuben that he needs an assistant in the office. Thus begins an unwelcome attraction between them ...

Christians Read: Books Review ( )

What a fun read, lots of chuckles! It is such a warm hearted and we begin to pull for her right from the beginning. Maddie Buckner is beginning her new life at Sandwich, IL...but getting fired on her first day wasn't in her plans.
Reuben Callahan is one drop dead gorgeous man, and he becomes Maddie's first customer at the beauty salon. Thus he is responsible for getting her fired. Reuben has a heart for the Lord, and has compassion...well kind of...and hires her to be a Waitress. Calamity Jane has nothing on Maddie...she is now fired again!
In the end Reuben hires her to be his Assistant..and she is marvelous at this job. Only problem?? Her name is Livy...and she is Reuben's long time girlfriend.
The compassion and Grace shown by Reuben's family will make you feel good about the human population. Such a kind and God loving family. They rally around Maddie, and she has a hard time accepting their kindness.
Maddie is a relatively new Christian and has a very checkered past. She now trying so hard and is succeeding in her Love of The Lord. She want to gain custody of her only brother Kyle, before his foster family is able to adopt him.
Enjoy this fast pace read, and travel along, with the sparks of romance, sabotage, and forgiveness.

I received this book Pump Your Book Virtual Tours, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

Twenty-year old Maddie Buckner hasn't had an easy life, but along the way she finds Jesus and becomes a Christian, and she tries her best to make changes to get her life back on track. She moves to Sandwich, Illinois in order to gain custody and provide a stable home life for her eleven year old brother Kyle, who is currently living in a foster home. Kyle's foster family has the option of applying for adoption, and with the clock ticking down, Maddie has to secure a job and prove that she could take care of Kyle before it's too late. The only problem is that Maddie can't keep a job, after getting herself into a pickle and losing two jobs in one day, restaurant owner Reuben Callahan feels bad for her and offers her a job as his personal assistant ... but that's just the start of Maddie's trials and tribulations. With many hurdles to overcome, along the way Maddie learns that faith, trust, forgiveness, being humble and accepting help from others can make all the difference in her life ... and may even give her a chance at finding romance too!

Sandwich With a Side of Romance is a delightfully warmhearted Christian romantic comedy with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments that will keep you in stitches. In her debut novel, author Krista Phillips weaves a inspirational tale of faith mixed with a touch of humor and romance. Written in the third person narrative, the reader follows Maddie Buckner's journey to make a new life for herself and her brother. Wrought with humorous trials and tribulations, Maddie learns to deal with real life issues that the reader can easily relate to. The author has a wonderful creative writing style that blends humor, inspiration, and romance into the storyline that makes it an enjoyable and compelling read.

The author has created a cast of characters who are realistic, quirky, down-to-earth people who have flaws and real life issues and struggles. These lovable characters draw you into their lives, and you can't help but embrace them and cheer them on as they learn to overcome their issues. I love Maddie's personality, she's rough around the edges, but has a realness that I can relate to. I admired her honest and open way of expressing her new found faith, and how she tried to maintain it as she struggled with her past. I really loved Reuben, I found him to be a real and caring man who had his own personal issues that he was dealing with. Maddie and Reuben are opposites, and you know when opposites attract sparks fly, and I really enjoyed the development of their relationship.

With a great supporting cast of characters; engaging dialogue and interactions; and a storyline that is full of substance and depth; Sandwich With a Side of Romance is an uplifting and lighthearted inspirational story that will leave you smiling.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours.

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