Skip to main content

Review: The Engagement Cover - Christmas in Garland Collection #2

The Engagement Cover book cover on blue background

This is such a fun yet emotional story, with The Engagement Cover by A.M. Heath demonstrating why the Christmas in Garland series is such a great series to read any time of the year. Personally, out of all the books I've read in the series so far (book #5 is coming out soon!), this has been my favourite. The hockey likely helped, though I also loved the cultural aspects 😍 

Book Synopsis

He nearly ruined her life. Now he’s the only one who can help her.

After a disastrous dating app experience that nearly destroyed her modeling career, Teresa Bradford knows what she wants, and Justin Reynolds seems to check every box. But when her family pressures her to bring him home as her fiancé in order to ease the mind of her dying grandmother, their relationship takes a weird turn, and his absences create the need for a fill-in fiancé.

Since his mom’s passing, and with his dad working out of state through the holidays, Alex Landry misses the feeling of home. So, when his friend Marc Bradford asks him for a strange favor with the promise of family for the holidays and all the tamales he can eat, he’s all in. What he didn’t expect was Marc’s sister to be the girl he’d gone on an awful date with two years ago.

Committed to a fake engagement to fulfill a dying woman’s wish, Alex and Teresa form a rocky friendship. As first impressions change and it becomes clear that Alex fits in better with her family than Justin does, Teresa is forced to reconsider what she wants. She’s drawn to both men for different reasons, but the one who nearly ruined her life might be the one to help her find what truly matters.

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

I seldom read about love triangles as I feel that they have to be handled really well; however, in this case, I can see how carefully A.M. Heath communicates the situation that Teresa finds herself in. Boundaries are respected, lines aren't crossed, and eventually, there is a respectful resolution. This takes away the stress that I can experience when reading such stories! I'm thankful that this story addresses the concepts of misleading others, falsehoods, and emotional entanglements. It's clear that the characters are Christian and seeking to follow God, while still making the mistake of running ahead of Him and His plans, which we can certainly learn from.

The second in the Christmas in Garland series, The Engagement Cover is a lovely standalone story as well. Readers will love meeting Teresa's family, especially Abuela, along with the glimpses into their family's culture and food. The hockey references are hilarious and spot on for anyone whose husband happens to be a hockey fan and sets the book up for a wonderful second chance story. Ultimately, I appreciate that Alex is such a strong Christian character who exhibits self-control and integrity by doing what he can to protect Teresa; what a treat to read about a man who selflessly puts others first!

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Double Takes

Continuing on the theme of books that can be labourious to get through, I've been coming across more and more content in Christian fiction that has me scratching my head, though they don't necessarily always affect the rating of the book (unless they're all piled on egregiously or something, but that hasn't happened yet). To be honest, a double take is usually the extent of what I give these mentions, but I do find it interesting that there is a bit of a shift in what can be included in Christian fiction nowadays. There are just a few of the ones that have stood out to me over the past while, though I'm sure there could be more added to the list as well. Luck/chance . I have caught myself in the past wishing someone "good luck" even though I don't believe in it, so I've tried to shift to saying things like, "all the best" or "I'll be thinking of you," even if it's a little longer or more awkward to say. All that to say,
2 comments
Read more

Weighing the Effort

It's been just a little bit less than a year since I've started blogging again and creating a social media account to share about my love of books. Sometimes, I look back to when I first started and envision all of the changes that have happened in my life since that time. A lot of the changes have been absolutely splendid, where I could not imagine having a more fun year in connecting with authors and readers alike. Other changes have required more effort than should be necessary, which has resulted in additional strain. Though I haven't always been successful, I've tried to foster an attitude of positivity around my account. After all, it's my sheer love of Christian books that has led me to share my thoughts and reviews more publicly. However, for several months now, I have encountered so much friction on my social media account that it's made sharing content all the more difficult, especially since the majority of people interact with me over there rather th
2 comments
Read more

Wedding Scenes

I've had the pleasure of reading some lovely wedding scenes lately and it had me thinking about books that choose to include them. In noticing that a lot of the romances I read tend to end with either the couple finally confirming their relationship or possibly an engagement if there is an epilogue, I'm usually left wanting to know what the wedding will look like. If there happens to be any wedding scene, it may be from the perspective of a character in the next book in the series, such as a bridesmaid or family member as a segue into their own story. However, I've found that when I get to read fuller descriptions of a wedding from either the bride or the groom's point of view that it seems to make the book feel more complete. That's not to say that a wedding should always be included, especially if the timing doesn't make sense, but they are wonderful to read about. In terms of Christian weddings, I've always been curious as to how authors convey this. Some
Post a Comment
Read more