A story of challenges, faith and love... When He Found Me by Victoria Bylin (Review)


When He Found Me
(Road to Refuge #1)
By Victoria Bylin
Christian Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 379 Pages
March 16th 2019

Summary

Love Discovered . . . Hope Renewed

Once a strong Christian, third baseman Shane Riley lost his faith the night he injured his knee in a freak car accident. Determined to return to professional baseball and to find the sister he treated badly, Shane retreats to Refuge, Wyoming. There he meets Melissa June “MJ” Townsend, a single mom battling the virus that causes cervical cancer.

MJ wants nothing to do with the handsome athlete—no doubt a womanizer considering the stories in the news. But when a mistake results in Shane renting her garage apartment, they become friends. That friendship blossoms into something deep and pure, leaving MJ with a painful secret to tell. Even more complicated, she discovers an unexpected tie to Shane’s missing sister—a wounded woman who wants nothing to do with the perfect brother who scorned her.

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My Review

WHEN HE FOUND ME is one of those stories that is poignant as it touches on difficult life lessons and the faith, hope, and love that can carry us through. Readers will fall in love with these characters, cheer them on, cry with them, and wish for them. A heartfelt read from the first page to the last.

From the first page I knew that this story was special. It begins with these characters at a point when they're struggling to figure out their lives. That struggle continues throughout the book as they wrestle with their dreams, reality, opening their hearts, and trusting in God.

I loved these characters so much! How I adored MJ and Cody! This dear little family and their very real struggles with what life has thrown at them. I could relate to MJ as a mother and how she tries to reconnect with her own mother, trust in her faith, and work through a situation that stemmed from one mistake. The heartbreak. Then there's Shane... he is equally tortured, but in a different way. He's lost his faith and his dreams, but sometimes dreams change. I loved what one of his baseball buddies said to him... "Christians don't retire. They get lost, and they get found. They get knocked to their knees, and they stand up again." That same theme of being lost and found plays out in the lives of the other secondary characters as well. I loved how Shane would be tempted to do something and then MJ or Cody would somehow get in the way. Shane's such a good, good guy, but he doesn't see it. He sees how he's failed and how he's lost his dream and his concerns. MJ and others help him see that he is much more than that.

I love it when characters are so easy to relate to and when the story is written in such a way that there is no hope of you not getting your heart involved. No matter how you try to resist. This is definitely the case here. There are some serious issues discussed in this story. Sleeping around, drugs, drinking, abuse, rape, STDs, self-righteousness, death... But then there is also friendship, family, forgiveness, faith, healing, miracles, and love. It's one of those books that has all the feels, and I mean all of them. You will laugh, cry, and swoon. In the end, you will feel joy and happiness for what these characters have endured and God's love that has been there through it all.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was a tough read in so many ways, but it made the good and sweet things that much better. It's a story that will tug on your heart, leave you happily satisfied, and wanting to do better in your own life. I loved it!

Content: Some difficult/mature subject matter and violence (all applicable to the story).
Source: I received a complimentary copy from through JustRead Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.

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