Bookshelf Friday - The House That Love Built by Beth Wiseman

I looked at The House that Love Built for pretty much the month of May and finally decided to request it from Netgalley. Honestly, I was on the fence whether I would enjoy it or not, but the cover and title intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a try. Here's a short blurb:

In the charming town of Smithville, Texas, Brooke Holloway is raising two young children on her own, supporting them by running the family hardware store. The last thing on her mind is falling in love. But she’s intrigued when a stranger moves to town and buys the old Hadley mansion. She’s always heard that house holds a secret—maybe even a treasure—and she can’t wait to see inside. When she meets the new owner and they spend time together, she can’t deny the attraction. Could God be giving her another chance at happiness? Or is she betraying her late husband’s memory by even thinking that way?

Owen Saunders bought the Hadley place to spite his cheating ex-wife. She’d always wanted to restore an old house in Smithville. Now he’s going to do it without her. But if anything needs restoration, it is Owen’s heart. Then he meets Brooke and her kids and finds himself tempted by love. Can he bring himself to trust a woman again?

Throw an eccentric uncle into the mix, along with the town’s teenage troublemaker, and even a finicky cat—and one thing becomes clear: God is bringing them all together for a reason.

Ok. I loved this book for so, so, so many reasons! The title and cover were a great starting point. They were what kept me coming back and checking this book out. The back cover seemed to promise a small town and fun characters, but I was hesitant as other books have made me promises they haven't kept. This one kept its commitment! 

The little town is actually the one Hope Floats was filmed in--one of my favorite movies. Beth does a great job of drawing you into it, making you relax as if you were on vacation there. I truly liked the slower pace of this book. Now, don't confuse that sentence with boring, because this book is far from it. You don't find out everything about the characters in the first two pages. Each page allows you to get to know them a little better, peeling their personalities back and also adding new characters along the way. You truly become a part of the family this book is creating. And Beth even adds in a few surprises  and a little mystery along the way. All the aspects combine to make an incredibly sweet, entertaining read that I'll be adding to my permanent bookshelf at home.

I happily give The House that Love Built 5 out of 5 stars and encourage you to not be like me--waiting and wondering--but go out and grab it today.

If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.