Marry Me by Kristin Wallace

[Crossroad Readers]

Julia Richardson is cynic when it comes to love and relationships. Growing up she watched her parents go through numerous marriages. Recently, she lost her job so when her former step-sister’s husband calls to say, “Sarah needs you. It’s the baby.” Julia leaves her home to go back to a small Southern town and a family she hasn’t seen in a long time. It’s been 15 years since she’s been back to Covington Falls to see her former step-mother, Grace, and step-sister, Sarah. Sarah is pregnant and is now on bed rest and needs Julia’s help. She convinces Julia to stay in town until after the baby is born so that Julia can run her wedding planning business, Marry Me. Julia is probably the last person who should be running a business for weddings when she doesn’t even believe in marriages anymore.

Seth Graham is a pastor who is now a widower after losing his wife to cancer. Back when Julia lived in Covington Falls, Seth used to have a crush on her. It turns out 15 years later he still feels an attraction to her. Julia is the one person who seems to know him the best and the first person who has made him feel alive since his wife passed. There’s just a few problems… Julia doesn’t have the same beliefs as him and she has a hard time loving anyone or believing anyone could love her.

Marry Me is a beautifully written, heart-warming story. I loved watching the relationship between Julia and Seth grow. They start out angry and upset with each other, then they become friends, and then they both find themselves taking a leap of faith to be with each other. This is a touching story about faith and love with a nice dose of humor thrown in. This was a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a fun, clean, feel good book to read.