Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Restoring Their Family by Allie Pleiter

RESTORING THEIR FAMILY by Allie Pleiter
SERIES: True North Springs #2
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Love Inspired
RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2022
PAGES: 203

A three-week retreat…

Could be life changing

Kate Hoyle came to Camp True North Springs to help her grieving children heal. She definitely didn’t come here to fall in love. But camp chef Seb Costa, working through a recovery of his own, soon cooks his way into the affections of Kate’s family—especially that of her troubled son. Would risking her heart when it’s barely mended be foolish? Or will they find the happiness they all deserve?

A TRUE NORTH SPRINGS ROMANCE

From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

Other Books In This Series

**A Place to Heal was one of my top reads of 2022**

We are first introduced to the beginnings of Camp True North Springs in Pleiter’s A Place to Heal which wrecked me in all the best ways (see the linked cover above for my review). In Restoring Their Family, we get to see Dana’s idea for this camp for grieving families with children come to fruition. I loved feeling as though I were a part of the foundation of this project; granted, for no other reason than that I read the first book lol but I nevertheless am completely invested in the camp, its purpose & its people.

The inaugural group of campers includes young widow Kate and her children Kent and Kimmy who quickly take up space in the heart of the camp chef, Seb – a recovering addict who I was rooting for from word one. Oh let’s be honest I was rooting for all of four of these broken souls from beginning to end. There’s something so poignant about broken people coming together to form a beautiful masterpiece in God’s hands, even if we can’t see past the shattered pieces to the restoration waiting in the wings, and Pleiter has once again captured these emotions – the fragility and the strength – so tenderly.  Seb’s pain is different from Kate’s pain which is different from Kent’s pain which is different from Kimmy’s pain…. which is different from the pain of the other campers and staff… but the commonality of pain (no matter how diverse the reasons for it) is something we can all relate to.

Lives fall apart in a hundred different ways. We need mercy. We need each other. We need God to fill in the places where we fall short. So we stand a chance of getting back up again.

While Kate and Seb initially bond over Kimmy’s food allergies & Seb’s intentional care to help them feel at ease and safe, it’s clear pretty quickly that there is chemistry between them. Chemistry which begins as a sweet friendship and then progresses into more with all the conflicting emotions, fears, and delight that you might imagine it entails. Pleiter especially excels at mining the depths of human nature and finding that perfect balance of character layers that exhibit all of those complexities but are also brimming with heart, wit and swooniness. Kate and Seb (and Kate’s kids too) are beautiful examples of this.

Bottom Line: Like its predecessor, Restoring Their Family wrecked me. In good ways, to be sure, but in ways that will linger with me long after I closed the book. I won’t forget these characters any time soon, nor the setting or the theme. I loved watching Kate & Seb fall in love – it’s grin inducing and heart tugging and just plain swoony. But in equal measure I also loved watching them wrestle with the grief process, battle addiction, and hold out a hand to the other in their own struggle. Ten-year-old Kent and sweet little Kimmy are still fresh in my heart, as well, and I won’t soon lose that instant bond I felt with them. Lest you worry that this is a heavy book, let me reassure you that it’s anything but that. It’s warm and comforting, like a squishy-grandmother-hug, and while you may shed a few tears you’ll also chuckle and grin and sigh blissfully. Don’t miss this series!!!

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

My Rating: 5 stars / fabulous!

KissingBook Level: 3+ / will forget to breathe on occasion

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An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter spends her days writing books and finding new ways to avoid housework. She grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University, and speaks nationally on writing, faith, and creative productivity. Allie currently lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. Sign up for her newsletter at http://alliepleiter.com/subscribe.html

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Allie Pleiter is offering an ebook of A Place to Heal and Restoring Their Family to one of my readers! (Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Restoring Their Family by Allie Pleiter?