"Her One and Only" by Becky Wade - romance with a touch of suspense

In the final Porter family novel, Dru Porter finally meets her match. Tasked with guarding NFL star Gray Fowler against a stalker, she has one goal: keep him safe and thereby rebuild her tarnished reputation. Gray isn't keen on being guarded by a woman half his size against a potentially nonexistent threat, but he finds himself drawn to her. Can they find the stalker? Will they lose their lives or hearts?

Though the focus of the story is definitely on the romance, there is a heavier element in suspense in this book than in Wade's other novels, which I enjoyed. I pegged the wrong person for the stalker, which was quite a pleasant surprise.

I loved the Dru's professionalism. She may struggle at times with balancing feelings and her job, and she certainly hasn't lost her love of danger and pushing the boundaries, but she's obviously much more grown-up and level-headed than in her impetuous youth (which can be glimpsed in the earlier books in the series). And I'm especially glad that she chooses the hard, right thing to do when faced with a tough call.

Though football plays a rather large role in the story, an intimate knowledge of the sport is thankfully not required to enjoy the novel. I'm still not 100% sure what a tight end does in football (other than block and get beat up), but it did not hinder my reading. Those who actually enjoy the sport will probably like that aspect a bit more than I . . .

As in her other books, the author writes a spiritually uplifting story, this time with a focus on forgiveness and letting go of the past. It was fun to to revisit the entire Porter clan for the last time, plus the quirky friends and relatives from previous books. All in all, a satisfying conclusion to the series! [Update:] Her One and Only is also the winner of the 2017 Christy Award for contemporary romance!

Thank you Bethany House for providing a free book to review; I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.

Porter Family Novels
1. Undeniably Yours
2. Meant to Be Mine
3. A Love Like Ours
4. Her One and Only