Book Review: Turn to Me by Becky Wade

TURN TO ME by Becky Wade
SERIES: A Misty River Romance #3
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2022
PAGES: 410

His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.

Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.

Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.

As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?

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“Without his permission, his brain had chosen her as its screensaver setting.”

I have a shocking announcement to make.

Brace yourselves.

Ty Porter may – MAY – have just been replaced as my favorite Becky Wade hero.

Right?!? I can hear you gasping through the hallways of cyberspace.

I HAVE TY PORTER ON A SHIRT. I mean… I probably need to do some research before I set that statement in stone. You know, read Meant to Be Mine again. And then read Turn to Me again, just to be sure. (Oh the sacrifice.)

But Luke Dempsey … <blissful sigh> I’m still in “a trance of swooniness” over him, like Finley was, and I’m most assuredly still fanning over some of his scenes.

Luke has been more than a bit rough around the edges for several years, imprisoned by chains of guilt long before and long after his physical prison sentence. Becky Wade writes a rogue being chased by redemption so well, a ‘pirate prince’ whose – ahem – dogged grumpiness made me grin and whose besottedness with Finley made me swoon. For her part, Finley is adorable and I just wanted to sit in a room and (uncreepily) watch the two of them interact as they fight their growing feelings. And in a way, thanks to the magic of fiction I did 🙂

But oh goodness, y’all. This book is so delightful. In equal turns hilarious and tender, it is complete perfection. I laughed out loud repeatedly – from flirty banter to quirky characters to a witty bit of narrative, there are plenty of opportunities for giggles in Turn to Me. And the most hilarious of them all is Luke’s ongoing & begrudging relationship with Agatha, a rescue dog who falls in love with him just like the rest of us do. The feeling isn’t quite mutual on his part, or at least that’s what he claims – but we can all see she burrowed out a place in his heart too. Wade’s comedic timing is romcom gold, and little touches like the casual placement of animal descriptors (“three-month-old Maltese mix, licks air”) and subtly funny sentences (“Gratitude and pollen drifted down on her”) prove me right.

Along with the stick-your-head-in-a-freezer romance between Luke and Finley, we are also treated to a love story for Ben. Fans who’ve followed this series have had their hearts broken for Ben in the romance department and have been cheering for his happily-ever-after. This was icing on the cake to an already fantastic novel and gave us the closure we needed.

It’s not all hilarity and kisses though. There’s also an intriguing treasure hunt subplot with a bit of suspense thrown in, and even more importantly there’s a sweet spiritual thread that brings the ‘Miracle Five’ (friendship goals!) and Luke’s bondage to guilt (including his relationships with his family) full circle. This part of the story is beautifully written and had me wiping away more than a few tears.

Bottom Line: Turn to Me is perfection. Heartwarming, hilarious, swoonilicious perfection. I don’t have enough stars to give it to properly express how much I love it. This is a story that, as soon as I turned the last page, I wanted to hug it and then go back and read it all over again. You don’t absolutely have to have read the first two books in this series, but I highly recommend it because you’ll love Luke’s story even more after you do. A must-read for contemporary romance fans!

(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: 5 stars / in a class by itself!!

KissingBook Level: 5 / stick your head in the freezer

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Becky Wade is the 2018 Christy Award Book of the Year winner for True to You. She is a native of California who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and moved to Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. Her humorous, heart-pounding contemporary romance novels have won three Christy Awards, the Carol Award, the INSPY Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award for Romance. Becky lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children.

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