"Sweet on You" by Becky Wade - Bradford Sisters, book 3

Britt Bradford and Xander Ford have been best friends for years, but unbeknownst to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long. When Zander's uncle dies, he comes home only to discover facts that indicate his uncle may not have been the person he seemed to be. As he and Britt work together to untangle the past, will the truth come to light?

Wow.

Read Then Came You, True to You and Falling for You, and then read this book. Wow.

People love to write headstrong, spunky, independent heroines. They're smart, fun, and what many of us dream we could be like. But to be honest, I get a little tired of them, as they rarely feel truly real. Britt Bradford is the epitome of headstrong, spunky, and independent, but unlike so many other heroines who answer to that description, she feels 100% real. Her flaws aren't limited to impulsively doing idiotic things that could get her killed--she has deep-seated pride. She's the strong one, the one who is never badly hurt, the one who stands strong for those who are. As different as my personality is from hers, I identified more with her (or rather, her flaws) than I have with a heroine in long time. When one is used to being the strong one--the one who stuffs the disappoints deep inside to be the strength for those who aren't strong--it's so hard to release it. To open up, be vulnerable, and share. To not be strong all the time. When Britt is finally forced to confront her flaws, it's powerful. And hard--seeing one's flaws splayed across a page isn't exactly fun, but it can be cathartic too.

At the same time, I also identified with Zander's introversion, and his struggle to hope:

When you prayed for something every day and heard nothing but silence for more than a decade, it ground down your hope like corn into cornmeal. Zander had begun to wonder if God could still be good while denying him the one thing he prayed for most. Could he depend on a God who refused to give him what he'd waited years for? 

The right answer was yes. God was still good. God was still dependable. However . . .

Maybe not everyone has dreams that they've been waiting on for years, but I think a great many of us do. And that's the perfect description when one has been waiting . . . and waiting . . . hoping, yet losing hope in each passing year. And knowing that God is still good and dependable through it all, even though it hurts.

The characters are great. The story is fun and exciting--more suspenseful than we typically see from the author! It's both humorous and cuts deep to the heart of an issue. And wow, can Zander speak when he lets his heart do the talking . . . He's wasted writing thrillers. Romance should be his genre. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Bradford Sisters Romances
0.5: Then Came You (prequel novella)
1. True to You
2. Falling for You
2.5: "Because of You" (published in The Christmas Heirloom Novella Collection)
3. Sweet on You