Book Review: "A Man's Heart" by Lori Copeland

Summary from BN.com: 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.

This is a love story, a sister story and a potato story. That's an unlikely combination but it's the best way to describe this story. Jules love Cruz but due to decisions she's made in the past, their relationship has been rocky and the two could be described as estranged. Meanwhile her relationship with her sister Crystal is not the best there ever was. Their parents relationship crumbled and the sisters are as different as night as day. Potatoes become the focus then of Jules' life as she is on a mission to create the perfect potato.

I will admit that if I was Cruz, I would think twice about having a relationship with Jules after she's already left him twice in the past. I honestly do not think I would have given her another chance. The story starts off right before their wedding when Jules decides she can't do it and runs. The thing that bothers me about women (or men) that do this is that they let it get so far before they realize/decide that marriage isn't going to work for them. The only reason why in this story it sticks is because the overall theme of forgiveness and unconditional love are full out on display. The subplot about Jules' friend dying and then the custody of the children takes that theme to another whole new level as well.

Overall, as with other Lori Copeland books, I enjoyed reading this story. I was really glad to see Jules graduating from college as I feel that if you do choose to pursue this path, it's important to complete and meet this goal. Her potato study was quite interesting and as a fan of potatoes I would be interested if her theory ever came true. The writing is engaging even if the characters become a bit cliched at times. It's not the best Christian fiction that's out there but it does make for an enjoyable afternoon of reading. Fans of Copeland's previous books will know what to expect and will enjoy this one as well.

A Man's Heart by Lori Copeland is published by Zondervan (2010)

This review copy was provided by the Amazon Vine program