ISBN: 978-1-59554-791-0
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Source: BookSneeze
It’s been eight years since Katie’s very public break up and her ex, Luc DeForges, is back and unwilling to lose her again. Katie, deep down, still loves Luc but is now engaged to Dexter who is a safe and practical husband. Best of all Katie has convinced herself she can avoid hurt with Dexter because she knows what to expect. Instead of following her heart in the matters of love, Katie is marrying Dexter for all the smart reasons. After all, she has a fulfilling job, great apartment and security with the promise of family. When Luc steals Katie away from California and back home to New Orleans for his brother’s wedding, all bets are off. Katie is learning to heal from her past, re-direct her future and listen to her heart. The question is who holds her heart? Which man does she truly love? Is her past her future or is her present?
A Billion Reasons Why was a charming, quick read for me. I was easily sucked into the storyline and had a hard time putting the book down. Though very predictable, the characters were interesting and full of spunk. The book wasn’t very realistic in nature but still an enjoyable read. I had a few minor issues with parts of this novel. The first was in regards to a conversation between Katie and her mom in the excerpt below.
“I’m marrying Dexter Hastings, and I like California.”
“We’ll see about that. Not many a worthy Yankee out there. You’ve just left your roots for a time, that’s all. Like the Bible says, raise them up in the way they should go and they’ll return to it. The South will rise up in you. You wait and see.”
I found this part of the novel irritating. It’s 2011. While I know some people still hold to racism and grudges of the past, I don’t feel any modern day book should condone these remarks. People are people no matter where they live, North, South, East or West. Gentlemen exist across the country and so do schmucks. Living or breeding from southern land or southern raising does not a gentleman make. You’re roots are always you’re roots but that section of the Bible is talking about character, judgments, wisdom and spirituality. It has nothing to do with where you live or where you grew up. I felt that the one small line “Not many a worthy Yankee out there” could have been left out completely and come across much better. My second small quirk with the novel was that parts of the updated technology such as Facebook or Google, seemed thrown into the novel just to have it, rather than integrated as part of the story. This wasn’t enough to ruin the book, just noticeable for me.
Overall, aside from a few quirks, I enjoyed this novel. It was a fun Valentine’s Day weekend read for me. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a quick, fast paced read. Ms. Billerbecks writing is sure to satisfy both of those qualities.
*I was given a free review copy of this title in exchange for my honest review from BookSneeze*
I read a review on this book on another site, too! It sounds so good, so I've added it to my list of books to read. :)
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