Bookshelf Friday - Meant to be Mine by Becky Wade (and my monthly giveaway)

I have loved Becky Wade since her debut novel My Stubborn Heart. If you haven't read it, seriously, pick it up; it just happens to be one of my all-time favorite contemporary romances. After her debut, Becky started a series about the Porter family. Meant to be Mine is the second book in that series. Here's the scoop on it and we'll chat...on the other side:)

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school--irresistible. When their paths cross again after college--still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be her husband. He's a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he's long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he's known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia's trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

All right. Like I already mentioned, this is the second in the Porter family series, but by no means do you need to read the first. Oh, you'll want to, but you can start here too:)

I loved the premise of this book, because it completely hooked me the moment I cracked it open. Within a chapter, my heart was splitting for Celia, but I knew it was a romance so there had to be a Happily Ever After, and I was on a quest to find out how Becky would deliver it. She most certainly did not disappoint.

With her wicked flair for dialogue, Becky pulled me straight into the middle of Celia and Ty's world, quite often with some big laughs. The chemistry between the two is so undeniable, even Celia and Ty straight out speak to it on many occasions. But these characters have some major issues to hurdle, and that provides plenty of conflict and heart wrenching moments in the midst of it--the balance between serious and laughter perfectly measured.

One of the other things I really liked about this book had to do with the plot. Often when a character hides a pregnancy and the father returns on scene, the heroine continues to hide the fact that the child is his until the end. Once revealed, the on-going lie is used as a source of tension and conflict that ultimately pulls the two main characters apart. While Celia hid her pregnancy from Ty, she admits it straight off, and Becky used this different and unique angle to drive the story in a fresh way. I loved seeing Ty win not one, but two hearts of the women (ok, one woman, one girl) he loves.

I happily give Meant to be Mine 5 out of 5 stars. If you'd like to pick it up, you can find it here.

Now for a little about Becky. Here's her Would You Rather answer, because yes, as Becky aptly points out, I ask the hard-hitting questions here:)

Would you rather be:

a talking chipmunk

OR

a flying squirrel

Becky's response?

You like to pose the hard questions, don't you Susan?  I'm used to "What inspired this novel?" and "What aspect of writing do you find most challenging?"  I'm stumped in the face of flying squirrel or talking chipmunk.  :)

If I were a talking chipmunk I'm worried that I'd be myself -- with all the same faculties -- only stuck in a chipmunk body.  Which sounds terrible.  So I'll go with the flying squirrel.  Squirrels are far smarter than my dog (who's always trying and failing to catch one), they seem cheerful enough, and the flying thing might be cool.

LOL. I agree, Becky, that flying thing would be cool! What do the rest of you think? Oh! And it's the end of another month so I'm doing another giveaway from my bookshelf. Scroll on down to the bottom of this post to check it out. 

Happy Friday everyone!

Becky makes her home in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and one adoring (and adored) cavalier spaniel. Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, was a finalist in both the RITA and INSPY awards. Undeniably Yours kicked off her Texas-set Porter Family series. Her newest contemporary romance, Meant to Be Mine, has just hit shelves!

To learn even more about Becky, visit her website www.beckywade.com


April Bookshelf Giveaway: To say thanks to all of you out there who've "liked" or "followed" my sites (it's such a HUGE help) each month I'm giving away a book from my bookshelf. All you have to do is comment here, on my FB page, or on Twitter, and you'll be entered. I use a random picker to select a name. You have until Wednesday 4/30 at midnight to enter. I'll announce the winner next Friday, and if you're name is selected, you can pick one of the following books for me to send you! Click on their names to see my reviews:)

For Such a Time

Legacy & Love 

A Broken Kind of Beautiful