Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Focus on Love by Candee Fick

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Free-spirited Elizabeth Foster turned her back on her father’s photography business to pursue musical theater, but a career on the stage remains second to a career behind the camera. The possibility of a one-show contract means she’s a few weeks from unemployment forcing her home, and her dreams of pursuing professional photography reemerge. With photography and theater opportunities unfolding before her, Elizabeth faces her biggest challenge yet—listening to her heart.

Meanwhile, sought-after photographer Ryan Callahan has put his career on hold to help his sister’s family, but the promise of a bigger assignment could lure him away so he can begin building a family of his own. With professional opportunities and personal obligations pulling at him, Ryan faces his toughest challenge—balancing family, relationships, and work.

If given the choice, what dreams would develop for Elizabeth and Ryan? And will they learn to trust each other enough to focus on love?

SERIES: The Wardrobe Dinner Theater #2
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Bling! Romance
RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2018
PAGES: 192

Other Books In This Series

“Love didn’t abandon or shame or condemn or disinherit. Love rocked her, grieved with her, and then helped pick up the pieces.”

Focus on Love by Candee Fick picks up right at the end of her previous book, Dance Over Me, with a little overlap. But never fear – if you haven’t yet read the first book set at the dinner theater, this one is easily read as a standalone. However, readers of Dance Over Me will enjoy visiting with old friends and picking up the story from Liz’s perspective.

I really enjoyed Liz’s journey toward God and His everlasting love for her. See, Liz has a skewed view of love, particularly God’s love, thanks to her severely legalistic father and a couple of ex-boyfriends who basically used her for their own gain. Ryan on the other hand is a walking picture of sacrificial love – giving up a booming photography career to help his sister with her two kids while her husband is deployed overseas. As Liz spends time with Ryan and his sister’s family, she begins to form a different understanding of love and find healing from the wounds her father inflicted on her heart.

Along those lines, I appreciated how not everything was tied up with a pretty bow at the end. Of course there is a very satisfying ending that will make you smile and cheer for Liz & Ryan & their dreams. But life is very rarely tied up nice and neat, and Fick’s choices to leave some of Liz’s story open-ended gives readers a reminder that Jesus is still good even when He doesn’t fix all of our pain. Because, let’s face it. Life hurts sometimes. A lot of the time. But Jesus holds us close and whispers love over us. Our circumstances may not change the way we wish they would, but it’s still possible to have deep joy and beyond-understanding peace.

Bottom Line: Another sweet romance from Candee Fick! The warm characters move right into your heart, and the dinner theater atmosphere (with its delightful nod to C.S. Lewis’ Narnia) is vivid and unique. In fact, the photography and theater elements in Focus on Love give readers a fascinating picture into each of these creative worlds. Ryan and Liz are very relatable characters, and their attraction is palpable. (Some great kisses too!) Overall this is a heartwarming story of love and grace in various forms, and a great choice any time of the year!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Great read!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Candee Fick is a multi-published author in both fiction and non-fiction. She is also the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy with her day job, writing, or coaching other authors, she can be found cheering on the home team at sporting events, exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.

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Other Books by Candee Fick

There are two specific prizes below for this tour. You can also find a release celebration giveaway here

1ST PRIZE: 1 winner will receive autographed copies of Catch of a Lifetime, Dance Over Me and Focus On Love, as well as a $25 Shutterfly gift card

2ND PRIZE: 1 winner will receive an autographed copy of Focus On Love

US only

Ends February 28th

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This giveaway is hosted by Prism Book Tours, not RimSP
Follow along with the tour here.