Meant to be Mine by Becky Wade

Ty Porter had always been irresistible to Celia Park – all through high school. When their paths cross again after college, it seems that Ty feels the same way. Their whirlwind romance finds them at a street corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

But the next morning reality strikes. Ty is not so sure he is ready to be Celia's husband, regardless of what the certificate says. He's a professional bull rider and lives on the road most of the year. And he'd been planning to settle down with the hometown girl he's known since childhood.

When Ty bares his heart, Celia is crushed. The two go their separate ways. Five and half years pass. Ty is at the top of his career. He should be happy. But there is something missing in his heart. Ty never filed for divorce and he longs to see Celia one more time and just talk to her. What Ty doesn't know is that he has a daughter, Addie, a daughter Celia is struggling to raise on her own. Could it be possible the two could get past the hurt, for Addie's sake?

What a good novel. I really enjoyed it. The characters are great. That Celia – she has a quick tongue inspired by a hurt that goes deep. She loves Addie so much and doesn't want her hurt by the man who caused so much hurt for herself. But Celia listens to God speak about forgiveness to her heart, well, sort of. Addie is just a dear. Her four and five year old character is so well done. She is precious. When Ty tried to create a princess story to tell her at bedtime, well, I laughed until the tears rolled. Ty sometimes irritated me. He is used to getting his way – even if he has to buy it. At other times I felt sorry for him as he was trying so hard to win Celia back.

The theme of forgiveness in this novel is huge. Celia's hurt is very deep and she struggles with it for a long time. It is so encouraging to see God working through both of these people toward forgiveness and restoration. Alongside is the idea of doing some kind of penance for a wrong done. Ty had been beating himself up for what he did to Celia. Forgiveness from God is sometimes hard to take.

The only detraction from perfection is that I felt the novel was too long. The typical barrier to romance just seemed to go on too long, the tension between the two erupting too many times. Other than that, a very enjoyable novel.

Food for thought: “We were measuring our worth by our perceived goodness or sinfulness. But whether we're good or bad isn't really the main thing, is it? The thing that matters most is that we're loved.”

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book. You can read more reviews here.

You can read an excerpt here.

Becky Wade lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children. Her CBA debut novel, My Stubborn Heart, was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards. Undeniable Yours was the first in the Texas-set Porter Family series. Find out more about her and her books at http://beckywade.com/home.html.

Bethany House Publishers, 384 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Litfuse for the purpose of an independent and honest review.