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Before I Called You Mine Kindle Edition
Joshua may be a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom. Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.
With an impossible decision looming, Lauren might very well find herself choosing between the two deepest desires of her heart . . . even if saying yes to one means letting go of the other.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBethany House Publishers
- Publication dateMarch 31, 2020
- File size10455 KB
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From the Back Cover
Joshua may be a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom. Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.
With an impossible decision looming, Lauren might very well find herself choosing between the two deepest desires of her heart . . . even if saying yes to one means letting go of the other.
"A Carol Award-winner, as well as a RITA and Inspy nominee for her inspirational romance novels, Deese is also an adoptive parent, which shapes her latest novel. . . . Deese's involving novel is full of genuine feeling and compelling challenges."--Booklist starred review
"Deese's latest novel will touch readers' hearts, moving them near to tears on one page even as they laugh out loud on the next. Those who enjoy inspirational fiction and imperfect characters striving to find their own path to happiness will find this difficult to put down."--Library Journal starred review
About the Author
Nicole Deese is an award-winning author who specializes in humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels. When not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She currently resides with her happily-ever-after hubby, two sons, and a princess daughter in Idaho. For more information, visit www.nicoledeese.com.
Product details
- ASIN : B07VQKQ2C9
- Publisher : Bethany House Publishers (March 31, 2020)
- Publication date : March 31, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 10455 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 364 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #104,433 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
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Before I Called You Mine
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About the author
Nicole Deese is a Christy and Carol Award-winning, bestselling author of hope-filled, humorous, and heartfelt contemporary romance novels. When she's not sorting out character arcs and story plots of her own, she can usually be found listening to an audiobook and multitasking at least four different chores at once. She’s a hoarder of sparkling water, a lover of long walks and even longer talks with friends, and a seeker of fun and adventure at all times. She lives in small-town, Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two freakishly tall teenage sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.
Find her online at www.nicoledeese.com.
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The plot of Before I Called You Mine drew me in first, or rather, the journey of Lauren Bailey adopting as a single mother. It's a unique story, one I rarely see in real life, let alone fiction. I think as well-meaning as Christians usually are, a lot of us still hold onto the idea singles cannot be called on to do anything big; they can't be chosen by God to do anything monumental or challenging. Allegedly, that's for married people who have their lives "together." How refreshing and encouraging then, to see Lauren taking the motherhood journey, especially since I am still single, childless, and figuring out my purpose at 34. Lauren is a tenacious, tenderhearted, faithful, and realistically flawed protagonist who gave me hope.
Lauren and Joshua also gave me hours of reading pleasure as I watched them grow, as a couple and apart. I loved, loved, loved the fact that they were both teachers and could bond over education, introducing kids to literature, and loving children with all their hearts. The lesson plan scene was one of my favorites, but every scene they were in together pops off the page, romantic or not. That's not to say Nicole is a slouch at writing romance, though--on, no! The baklava scene, the tree lighting scene, the crab-fest...swoon, swoon, swoon! Joshua might be a male in a still-female-dominated job, he might be a fashion disaster--but my gosh, if he were real, Lauren would have major competition!
What stands out most to me about this story though, is how it's less about romance--which fiction has a ton of these days--and more about Lauren's relationship with her adopted child, and through that, her relationship with God. The spiritual threads here are pretty subtle, woven in so well that when you're meant to notice them, they stand out without being obnoxious. A key example for me occurred when Lauren recognized the selfish roots of her journey, because boy, don't we all have selfish roots, even when we try to do the righteous thing, the merciful thing, the Godly thing? Filthy rags indeed...but that made seeing God redeem the roots and restore what Lauren lost so much more powerful. Not because Lauren suddenly becomes perfect, but because she finds herself incredibly blessed and loved anyway.
Lauren's relationship with her adopted child is the crux of the novel and worth every moment of the wait when you finally get there. Seeing them meet and bond is when I cried--happy tears. But Nicole made that happen without melodrama. Her writing throughout is simple, straightforward, and honest--sometimes wrenchingly honest--regarding humanity and human emotions. Whether her next book is a more "traditional" romance or something along these lines (I hope so), I can't wait to read more of her books and see more of her talent.
The writing was very down to earth. I could resonate with how Lauren and Jenna connected on a deeper friendship level..their banter was fun to read. So were the scenes when Lauren was having to deal with her growing attraction to Joshua.
The romance was refreshing and I felt the tension the characters were going through. It was a nice break from secular romance where living in the moment and not thinking about the deeper things is more prevalent. Joshua and Lauren acted just like 2 strong Christian adults would in their romantic situations.
I will say I think this is the first book I have read that encompasses the event of international adoption. I enjoyed following Lauren’s hardships and triumphs in the adoption world, but I was glad that this wasn’t a book that had a hidden agenda for pushing that ministry. It was more an ode to the author’s own experience with international adoption and I feel like I understand that process a bit more than I did before reading this book.
So it is hard for me to wrap my feelings around the ending. While it is a bittersweet ending ..it was still full of hopeful happiness for the future. I would have enjoyed a short epilogue that jumped maybe a couple years into the future solidifying the happy ending.
Overall this story was a great reminder at how God puts those seeds of purpose into our hearts and all we have to do is trust in his ways and timing. He has the best in store even when we can’t see it for ourselves.
This is a re-read for me and I found myself tearing up again at this beautiful book and the journey I went on as I devoured this book.
There are so many moments of will they - won't they. Rooting for them as well as accepting when the storyline is not exactly what you want, but is also for the best -- ahhhh! Books that deliver the range of emotions this book does are memorable and amazing.
I have simply fallen in ♥️ with this author’s books. She writes beautiful novels of faith that are relatable, at times gut-wrenching and always heartwarming.
This one is about the conviction to adopt (something Deese has personal experience with), and an excruciating decision that has to be made through faith by the heroine before she can move forward to realize her dreams.
A Deese book is definitely a go-to for me now.
Top reviews from other countries
I think many Christian romance authors have to navigate the minefield (an overly dramatic description for sure) of wiring a solid romance and also addressing weighty questions about faith and life. I've read it go either way a lot of times. On one hand, there are romances that are too caught up in the fluffy and give too light a touch on serious faith matters. On the other hand, there have been books where I've skipped larger portions of sermons and postulations that lack any practical depth.
Before I Called You Mine is a fairly perfect interweaving of real life and real faith (in real time, I might add). It's a powerful story that really delves into the intricacies of what it means to follow God and make the difficult choices that usually ensue and (read 'and' here in italics) has a very strong romance plot. In fact, the romance is so potent and sweet that I think Joshua (the male lead) is too perfect. 😂 Do such men exist? Here's to hoping. Sigh. One other things is that it seemed like is was Joshua who was making all the sacrifices - which seems neither realistic nor reasonable.
I'll leave you with the main thrust/question the author explores in this beautiful novel: 'What is the hard that God's asking me to partner with Him in?'