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Jules broke off her wedding to Cruz practically at the altar. Not just once, but twice. Now the man Jules loves best can't stand the sight of her. Only for Pop could Jules have made such a sacrifice. And now Pop is gone, leaving Jules with his struggling Washington State potato farm; with a sister excluded from his will; and with a heart wounded by the sacrifice she has made on behalf of her father. It looks like strengthening her relationship with her sister and improving the prospects of the Blue Bayou farm will be Jules' chief concerns. But when cancer takes the life of her best friend, Jules finds herself caring for her friend's two small children as well as the Blue Bayou. A drought-stricken farm. A promise to a dead friend and two needy little lives. And disturbing memories stirring up a growing relationship with her sister. How can one woman handle it all? The answer lies with a God who holds the keys to yesterday, today, and tomorrow and to the heart of the one man whom Jules could ever love.… (more)
User reviews
Jules had finished her studies but was not anywhere near finding that perfect potato. She received a call that her dad had passed away, so she locked her apartment and got in her car and started driving home. She was so sad, her Mom had left them when she was small and had taken her baby sister, so he was her only close family. She knew when she got home she would meet up with Cruz and she was ready now to marry him but was he ready to forgive her for standing him up two times.
In this book written by Lori Copeland there is so much going on. Jules graduates, closes her apartment and moves back home, where she had to run the potato farm. Her sister came up from Florida where she had been raised by their now deceased mother, she just moved in for an unlimited time. Then there was a drought, a friend with cancer, two little children that needed care, and Pop Jules' dad had left a surprise in his will that was not expected.
All in all this was a great book and I would give it 5 stars. God's healing hand, with love, forgiveness, and learning that only one being could make anything perfect.
This book was sent to me by Zondervan publishers for my review.
I didn't love the way some of the story could have used with a little more detail. I would have loved to see
Even with the parts of the story that I felt could have used more attention, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who enjoy Lori Copeland books. This was a christian romance without the angst of one of the characters struggling with belief and I enjoyed that.
The story is rote and there are no surprises. The Christian aspect was so weak; I had trouble believing these were really Christian characters. The heroine did not develop or depend on her faith in any significant way for you to believe she took it in any way seriously. I was disappointed that there was no clear narration on why the events happened, how God’s hand was at work in the characters lives. Where was the contrast of a faithful person in the story and who is the voice of reason? Apparently no one was the voice of reason, God or even common sense, which is why the Christian aspect was so unsatisfying. This book may be good for teen readers as the writing; the characters and the plot are simple and unsophisticated.
I enjoyed the location of the story and the descriptions of the crops and procedures were interesting. The dialogue was realistic and moved along nicely. The author seemed to struggle with the descriptions of events in the characters lives. The descriptions did not flow well together with the dialogue. The author probably needs to be taken in hand by a good editor who understands how to move a story along in an interesting way. The characters all sound the same; they have no separate voices to differentiate them in the story.
I have not read any of this author’s other books, I would hope they are better than this one. Hopefully she is working on developing her writing technique.
This book was sent to me by Zondervan publishers for my review.
This is a Christian book and while I don't usually read Christian fiction it wasn't so overpowering that it turned me off from the book. The religion was a subtle constant theme throughout the book that didn't try and force beliefs on the reader. Overall the book was well written even though it was very predictable as far as the overall outcome. There were sad moments that were handled well by the author but nothing that hasn't done before. I think 3 1/2 stars is appropriate because the story wasn't anything new but it was well written and a decent story.
This book was sent to me by Zondervan publishers for my review.
This story was beautifully written, and the characters were lovely. The only thing I didn’t really like about it was the little plots in it that were addressed, like it would have been nice if Cruz had found out about the bull accident. Because the cover story just wasn’t believable in my opinion. But still excellent book!
Anyway, the writing was okay, but the plot was
That being said, it was still an okay read, with some Christianity thrown in (quite a bit). I read it quickly because I wanted a break from my to-do list, not because it was something I couldn't put down.
Twice Jules has left Cruz practically at the altar. Now he doesn't want anything to do with her and she is struggling to get used to a new way of life after the death of her father. She must adjust to the pressures
The ending is predictable, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.
However, as much as I hate to criticize, I
The part that has me divided is that I'm the kind of reader who takes a character's side as soon as I see the conflict, but in A Man's Heart I found myself flip-flopping from Cruz to Jules. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to take her back or not.
A Man's Heart was a little on the 'fluffy' side for someone like me who enjoys thrills and suspense, but for someone who enjoys quick, calm reads, it was well written and it gives a few questions about life that make you think.
What I hope for in Christian fiction is a realistic portrayal of people living in a Christ-like way, making mistakes and overcoming obstacles, but finding the ultimate truth in their faith. This novel fell short. While the main characters voiced prayers in desperation, and recognized their need for God, they never really turned to Him. In addition, the main characters were suing each other over child custody and communicating with snide, sarcastic, and stubborn remarks throughout. And while they ended up together in the end, I never saw evidence that they had overcome this disasterous communication trait.
All in all, mildly entertaining, but I would not recommend it to my friends.
I was a little concerned from reading the back of the book that this would be rather boring. After all- a potato farmer I am not. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how
I loved that neither of the main characters were perfect. That is where we all are so I felt that they were relatable to most people in at least that way. Jules and Cruz spent a lot of time avoiding each other that could have been more productive had they just talked- but hey who hasn't been there before. I did wish for more details of the Adan/Crystal relationship. It seemed to be swept under the rug or that she didn't feel that she had the time to devote to it.
Overall I thought that even though it was a slow start it was a refreshingly different book. There are sad parts though so if you are looking for something that may seem more like real life than all of the 100% happy books out there then this one is for you. If you only love the happy- well perhaps you should save this for later.
I passed this book on to my grandmother who also enjoyed it. :)
When, after a span of four long years, a chain of circumstances arises that throws Cruz and Jules into constant, nearly daily, contact with one another, they both put up barriers to protect themselves from being hurt once again. However, it seems that God has other plans if they are only willing to yield their futures and their hearts to His divine will.
The plots and subplots in this book are so intricately woven together that it is an emotional roller coaster ride from the first page to the satisfying conclusion. Lori Copeland has created characters who are real and who have true-to-life struggles. She has shown quite clearly that it is only when we are willing to surrender all to Him can we ever expect to attain the level of joy that is waiting for us. Only He has the answers to all of our questions, the solution to all of our problems, and only He can provide a way when there seems to be no way. As I read this book, I mourned with Jules and Cruz and happily rejoiced with them when God stepped in and proved His faithfulness.
The scripture that came to me as I read A Man's Heart is found in Psalms 31:7 (KJV): "I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities." Certainly there was an abundance of adversity that Jules, Cruz, and other family members had to combat throughout the course of the book. But, they ultimately learned the truth of Psalms 126:5 (KJV): "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."
I first read a book by Lori Copeland in 2002. (I know this because I keep a log of every single book that I read, including the date that I read it and the number of pages in the book). It has, admittedlly, been a while since that I read that first book. However, one thing that I do remember is that from that day forward I was always on the lookout for a new release by her. Lori has the ability to create realistic characters and place them in situations that are also tenable. She will keep you engrossed until the last page and you will be blessed by what you read and the lessons depicted.
A Man's Heart was given to me by Library Thing for review purposes. I was not obligated in any way to give a positive review. All opinions and statements contained in this review are solely the opinion of the writer. I received no compensation in any form for providing this review.
The problem I had with this book was that I didn't much like her character. While the author maintains that Jules is a Christian who is struggling with her faith, I found her to be shallow and unstable. At one point she has an epiphany: “She has allowed fear to rule her life, not God”. But then she continues in her self-absorbed way of dealing with life. I have read many Love Inspired Steeple Hill books and the religious aspect of this book falls short. There were more platitudes from the characters than actual following of Christian convictions in their lives. I thought the author, in writing about the death of her friend, did an excellent job of describing the pain and sadness that accompanies death of a loved one.
I found the “perfect potato” thing very strange. Why did the author throw that in, only to have it fizzle out? And the sister getting a million dollars...bizarre.
All in all though, I did find the book compelling and, as an Early Reviewer, read it in two days; always expecting it to get better as I read along. Unfortunately, it didn't.