Maybe Its You by Candace Calvert – Book Review

Maybe Its You  by  Candace Calvert

Published By  Tyndale House Publishers   February  03, 2017

Genres:   Romance, General Fiction( Adult)

Pages:  448

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Publishers Description

ER nurse Sloane Ferrell escaped her risky past—new name, zip code, job, and a fresh start. She’s finally safe, if she avoids a paper trail and doesn’t let people get too close. Like the hospital’s too-smooth marketing man with his relentless campaign to plaster one “lucky” employee’s face on freeway billboards.

Micah Prescott’s goal is to improve the Hope hospital image, but his role as a volunteer crisis responder is closer to his heart. The selfless work helps fill a void in his life left by family tragedy. So does a tentative new relationship with the compassionate, beautiful, and elusive Sloane Ferrell.

Then a string of brutal crimes makes headlines, summons responders . . . and exposes disturbing details of Sloane’s past.

Can hope spring from crisis?

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Story Notes

Candace Calvert’s third installment of her Crisis Team series is a gritty, raw and real story that will take readers from the bottoms of despair to the heights of hope and everywhere in between.

Having recently finished Ms. Calvert’s Grace Medical series I was very pleased to see that she has another series based in the field of medicine. Her second foray into this series, Step by Step,  was an excellent read and I plan to purchase a copy for my shelves soon. I have really enjoyed reading of the volunteers that are involved with the “Crisis Team” responders and how they assist those who experience tragedy. It is a much needed service for so many and it was interesting to see how Ms. Calvert wove it so well into her stories. And with this latest “Crisis Team” story coming out recently I knew I had to share it with others in a review. Sloane “Ferrell” was a semi-main character in Step by Step but Maybe Its You gives readers the ins and outs of her story. Ms. Calvert gave Sloane a tough facade with a “marshmallow center” that will take determined friends and ‘suitors’ a while to chip away enough to see the real Sloane hidden beneath the layers of self preservation. Sloane has created her own version of Witness Protection for herself after a tragic accident left her and a fellow nurse fighting for their lives. And she’s not about to let anyone take away the safety and comfort she has fought so hard for over the past few months. New to the Los Angeles Hope Hospital ER staff, Sloane just wants to be left alone to do her job, enjoy her new home and stay sober – with the help of AA meetings. When the hospital announces a new campaign to find a new “face” for LA Hope, Sloane knows she will have take care to keep herself off the nomination list. She loves her job but values her privacy more. But when the Marketing director, Micah Prescott, sees Sloane’s compassionate nature in action, he will do all he can to convince her to become the new face of the hospital.  Coming from a family of Christian music singers that experienced a great family tragedy, Micah is seeking to give back to others who are experiencing tragedy by serving on the Los Angeles crisis responders team in conjunction with his marketing work at the hospital. Having been on the receiving end of the comfort and help the Crisis Team provides, Micah hopes to bury his sorrows in his service work and maybe, find a new friend in Sloane. As Micah gets to know Sloane, he starts to feel an attraction for her he has never felt before – if only she would feel the same. It will take time and much conversation for both Micah and Sloane to open up to each other enough to built a precarious relationship. And that relationship will be tested in the most brutal ways when Sloane’s past catches up with her in a terrifying and violent way. I’m always impressed when an author tells their character’s story in such a way as to make them real and relatable. Its okay to read stories about those who seem to make only minor mistakes in life but I find it much more enjoyable to read stories that have characters I can relate to in some way. No one is perfect and although I may not have experienced all the problems or issues a certain characters has, I nearly always find myself identifying with them in their faith journey. And in this story I found myself mostly identifying with Micah, who had placed those who have trouble with drinking and drugs in a category of evil that he found impossible to forgive. I was convicted, yet again, of my tendency to judge those with more visible problems more harshly that I judge myself  – forgetting that my “little white lie” is just as awful as getting drunk or doing drugs –  they all cause destruction to relationships. Ms. Calvert had me racing through the pages of this story to find out just how she was going to bring Sloane to her realization of her need for Christ, and Micah to his need to let go of his grudge and forgive. And I found her final chapters and ending to be one of the best I’ve read – finishing out the story of the characters involved while leaving room to continue the series. Maybe Its You is a story I won’t soon forget and will probably re-read multiple times. I will most certainly pass it on to my friends and family.

I was provided both the E-book via Netgalley and the printed book from Tyndale House Publishers due to doubled request. Both were provided to me free of charge in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review.

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