Book Review - All That it Takes

When it comes to contemporary stories with ALL the feels, along with depth, faith and humor, I have to look no further than Nicole Deese. Her contemporary romance novels have such intricate story lines and character development that I forget that I'm reading a romance novel. This book, dealing with heavy topics like abortion, single parenthood and feelings of isolation, delved in with grace and compassion. And a bit of humor sprinkled in. I went from laughing out loud to openly weeping as I read this one. 


Here's a bit about the book:

When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she'd planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend's brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers' mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val's community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord. 


Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he's also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects--not the least of which is pursuing Val--without stopping to consider the future. 

As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they'll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.

As part of the author's launch team, I was able to get some "behind the scenes" looks and I'm happy to pass along to you the visual cues I got. Here are some looks at visuals for the main characters of this book - Val and Miles. Some descriptions are to the side of their pictures:

Characteristics: Intelligent, gentle, creative, compassionate, kind, researcher by nature, steadfast, slow-to-speak/slow-to-anger, mindful/thoughtful, selfless, dependable, reliable, responsible, nurturer. 

Struggles: Insecurity over physical differences/limitations, doesn’t like to ask/recieve help, fear of the unknown, fear of not being seen as competent, underestimates her strengths, prone to overthinking/anxiety


Characteristics: Adveturous, spontaneous, determined, charming, good sense of humor, sacrificial, generous, kingdom-minded, servant hearted, bold, affectionate, DIY-lover, outdoorsy, loves travel and new experiences

Struggles: Being still, patience, easily bored, holds a grudge, impulsive


This book releases on April 5, 2022 wherever books are sold. It's one I can solidly recommend regardless of genre of choice and will easily be one of my top reads for this year! For more information, check out the links below:

Nicole Deese's website: https://www.nicoledeese.com/

Nicole Deese's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nicoledeeseauthor

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4273955090
 

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