Where She Belongs (#01 in Misty Willow Series)

I thoroughly enjoyed Shelby and AJ's story in 'Where She Belongs', the first book in Johnnie Alexander's Misty Willow series. The characters were very relatable, and faced some very real issues. Interwoven with the main story there was humour, cute children, even cuter dogs, sinister uncles and historic scandals along with suspense, mystery and enough untied loose ends to make me keen to read the next installment in the series. It was delightful to see the faith of the main characters growing. The setting was beautiful, peaceful and played an important part in the story. I'd recommend this to all lovers of modern romance stories.

I found this book really interesting and hard to put down. It was a 'I hate you but I'm falling in love with you' storyline which usually isn't my favourite. But Shelby's dislike was more towards his family and understandable due to A. J. grandfather's selfish past actions. \\r\\n\\r\\nI really enjoyed Shelby's two daughters. They were such delightful characters and participated in some funny and endearing scenes. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe story contained some adult themes. A. J. and his cousins did not grow up in happy homes and don't get along very well. Brett, A. J. 's cousin, is very worldly in how he plays the dating game. A. J. 's grandfather was depicted as a not very nice or moral businessman or family man. But his Gran and Shelby's grandparents were the complete opposite. There is mystery and suspense around who Jonah's father is and whether Jonah will recover from his car accident. Also the relationships between their grandparents and the circumstances of how Shelby's grandfather died are other sub-plots. \\r\\n\\r\\nOverall I enjoyed how Christian themes and messages were weaved into the story. \\r\\nThe romance was beautiful and A. J. and Shelby were very relateable and likeable main characters. \\r\\nI would recommend this book for mature readers who want more than a lighthearted story. It is contempory story but it is definitely not boring!

The different layers of this story make for a hard-to-put-down read. Shelby is realistically flawed but likeable protagonist, while AJ is a perfect hero. I did feel that the rather sinister mystery surrounding Shelby's grandparents' death seemed out of place with the 'sweet and light' style of writing. I also felt that the theme about being open to God's leading could have been developed more.