Eden Christiansen never imagined
her role as her younger brother Owen’s cheerleader would keep her on the
sidelines of her own life. Sure, it feels good to be needed, but looking after
the reckless NHL rookie leaves little time for Eden to focus on her own career.
She dreams of making a name for herself as a reporter but is stuck writing
obits—and starting to fear she doesn’t have the chops to land a major story. If
only someone would step up to mentor Owen…but she knows better than to expect
help from team veteran and bad-boy enforcer Jace Jacobsen.
Jace has built his career on the
infamous reputation of his aggressive behavior—on and off the ice. Now, at a
crossroads about his future in hockey, that reputation has him trapped. And the
guilt-trip he’s getting from Eden Christiansen isn’t making things any easier.
But when Owen’s carelessness leads to a career-threatening injury and Eden
stumbles onto a story that could be her big break, she and Jace are thrown
together…and beginning to wonder if they belong on the same team after all.
Eden
Christiansen has practically devoted her life to taking care of her younger
brother Owen, even though that means her career has had to take a backseat. While
she loves being needed, she feels as if she’s constantly in the background, in
everyone else’s lives as well as her own. With dreams of being a reporter, she
hates that she’s still writing obits, but she isn’t sure if she has what it
takes to make it in their fast-paced world. As she struggles to balance her
life and Owen’s, she longs for someone to help mentor Owen about life in the
NHL, but she knows long time professional hockey player Jace Jacobson is the
last person who would be willing to lend her a hand.
Jace
has never been able to escape his reputation as the team’s bad-boy player, even
though now he wants to. While he loves playing hockey, he wonders if this is
all his life is meant to be, and he longs for more. But the guilt-trip Eden is
sending him makes him feel like he may not deserve anything better than what he
has. When Owen makes a careless mistake that could ruin his career, Jace feels
responsible. As he and Eden are thrown together in the midst of the chaos, will
they see each other for who they really are, or will they learn they weren’t
meant to get along after all?
It Had to Be You is the second book in
Susan May Warren’s Christiansen Family
series, and is my favorite so far. I really felt like I could relate to both
Eden and Jace, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of their stories. While I personally
understand Eden’s feelings of getting lost in the crowd, of not being as
important or noticed at the others, I also have personally felt undeserving of
forgiveness and compassion like Jace. All of the characters in this novel grew as
people and in their walk with the Lord, just as much if not more than the characters
in its predecessor—Take a Chance on Me.
Because of that, and because of its heartwarming story that really touched me, I
give It Had to Be You all five
bookmarks.
Susan
May Warren once again did a wonderful job of weaving an unforgettable tale that
I would honestly re-read right now if I wasn’t reading the third book in the
series. Since I personally related to both of the characters, that immediately
bound the book to my heart, but I also loved growing along with Eden and Jace,
and I actually closed the book having learned more about myself in the process
of reading it. Because of all of the things I have mentioned, and a few things I
haven’t for fear of spoiling the book, I would highly recommend this book to absolutely
anyone. Its relatable story full of heart-stirring and biblical themes makes it
the perfect summer read.
Happy
reading!
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Susan May
Warren and her publishers.
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