"Falling For You" by Becky Wade

 


From the outside looking in, Willow Bradford's life looks perfect - and that's the way she likes it! She's from a happy, wealthy family and has a successful modeling career. Everything that she can control about her life is beautiful and smooth. But she can't control the fact that she struggles with her mom's abandonment, or that Corbin Stewart, her one big regret and the man she's never forgiven, is back in her life.

When our story opens Willow is on sabbatical from modeling, taking care of her stepmother's bed and breakfast for a few months. She's enjoying the slower pace and the chance to spend more time with her sisters. She reluctantly agrees to see Corbin when his young niece wants to meet her, and can't help but be drawn in by the mystery Charlotte asks her to help solve.

Corbin has had a tumultuous year. A jarring injury ended his career as a professional quarterback. A team chaplain helped him through his depression and led him to Christ. Now he's in Washington state for extensive shoulder rehab, and face to face with the gorgeous but aloof Willow for the first time in four years, asking for her help for Charlotte's sake.

Charlotte just discovered a family secret - her great-aunt Josephine went missing in 1977 and has never been heard from again. In her 12-year-old eagerness, she is certain she can crack this mystery even though it has been a cold case for four decades. Willow, Corbin, and Charlotte work to connect the dots and turn over leaves, hoping for some measure of closure for Josephine's family. Meanwhile the time together offers Corbin and Willow the chance to talk about their intense breakup and to evaluate if there might be room for love to rekindle in the future.

I enjoyed this book a lot! The mystery was quite well-done, with many twists and turns. There were two scenes with some tactful yet frank moments, which were completely relevant and necessary to the plot, but I wouldn't recommend this for readers under 16 years old for that reason. I thought the faith aspect of the story was especially moving, and I related to Willow a lot more than I expected to. Out of the Becky Wade stories I've read, this one is my favorite!

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.