Almost Like Being in Love by Beth K. Vogt

This is a delightful romance on so many levels. The locations are fun (I want to visit Colorado). The characters are well developed (the problems of trying to please your father). The romance is wonderful (God does give second chances).

Caron had played basketball in high school, seeking her father's approval. She became a real estate agent and worked in her father's Florida firm, again seeking his approval. She had turned her back on the man she loved because she knew that's what her father wanted. She was in a long relationship of dating Alex because she knew her father approved.

Then Caron faces a number of circumstances that tosses her life upside down. Her father takes on a partner in the real estate firm. She is shocked, thinking she would eventually have that place beside her father. She is so shocked, she quits her job. Caron is at loose ends and when her good friend suggests she come to Colorado for a while, she goes. Little did she know that her good friend, who was planning her wedding, had a real estate agent she knew. The very man she had loved and lost.

I like Vogt's novels because she includes so much besides the romance. The prominent issue in this novel is Caron trying to please her father. She longed for his approval greatly, enough to make choices that were not to her own best interest. Another issue is how God works circumstances in this story. Caron is dating Alex, the family friend, and they've talked about marriage. I kept thinking, if she is going to somehow reconnect with the man she truly loves, how will God work that out? Another issue centers on a disabled veteran. We can a good dose of reality on how a man who has lost his legs finds the will to go on living.

I always like to learn something when I read fiction. In this case it was about staging a home for a sale. I've seen those model homes, even been in them, but never realized how important the furniture, accents, etc. were. A builder with several homes to sell certainly wants his model home presented in the best light.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's a romance but there was enough character development and interesting information that it kept me interested to the very end. And speaking of the end, have your tissue ready. There is a good discussion guide and even a couple of questions for deeper thinking so this would be a good choice for reading groups.

You can read an excerpt here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Beth K. Vogt, an established magazine writer and editor, now writes inspirational contemporary romance. She and her husband live in Colorado. You can find out more at www.bethvogt.com.

Howard Books, 384 pages.

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