Yvette - Bookworlder

This is the fourth book in Becky Wade’s Porter Family series and there may be some spoilers if read first, including one particularly touching secondary storyline. But not reading the other books (and not being a football fan) did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying this story of a former bad girl turned Marine turned bodyguard and the football player (emphasis on player) she is assigned to protect.

If I had read the prior books, which seem to have taken place years before this one, I probably would have been a bit less confused in some of the scenes that included Dru’s family (though what’s not to love about a big fictional family that includes some overprotective, bossy older brothers who are all Cowboys fans and dislike Gray's team). I felt I was missing a lot of background and could not always keep the characters and their relationships to Dru straight.

One of the aspects that I really appreciated about this book was the faith journeys of the main characters. While the interplay between Gray and Dru (just thinking of the nicknames they give each other – especially “Big Football Hero” – makes me want to chuckle) is great fun to read, where their story really shines is in the ways they help each other face their pasts and heal. Dru’s conversion story and the message that “sin to a lesser degree is still sin” gave me a bit of a pause. Introspection is not something I expect to come from a contemporary romance, but it is a pleasant surprise when it does.

Recommended. Becky Wade infused this story with a mix of action, romance, humor and heartache that has me wanting to read the rest of the Porter Family series.

This review refers to a review copy provided by the publisher, Bethany House.  It is a slightly edited version of the original from my blog, where it includes some fun little quotes.