When I Fall In Love by Susan May Warren

Tyndale Blog Network provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

When I Fall in Love by Susan May Warren

Goodreads Rating: 4.51/5
My Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Synopsis: Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she'd vacation, much less fall in love.  But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled -- or maybe yanked -- away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.

     Max Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen.  Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii.  Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance.  But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away. 

     Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for.  And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires.  If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace's faith will face its toughest test yet.

My Review: Call me a sucker for a book about a chef, but I just love reading about them!  From the moment I opened this book for the first time, there was just something about the connection between Grace and Max that I didn't want to leave.  I read this book in pretty much one sitting, it was just that good!  I didn't even realize until I was about halfway through the book that this is the third book in a series.  Although I wish I had already read the other two books in the series, to know more about the characters, I don't feel that I was missing a thing.  This can be (and was by me) read as a stand alone novel, without feeling like you've missed a lot of the story from previous books.  Susan May Warren writes about characters who are just like us, and are facing challenges that people face everyday.  That's what makes her stories so readable and enjoyable.