Title: My Foolish Heart
Series: Deep Haven Book 4
Author(s): Susan May Warren
Genre: Christian Romance, Contemporary
Publisher/Year: Tyndale House/2011
-Webpageblog Susie's Place

Synopsis:  Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.

Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.

Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?

Rating:

Review:  I don't very often read contemporary romances or contemporary christian romances (I prefer historical christian romances), but the blurb for this book caught me when it spoke about Issy needing to move past her panic attacks.  As some one who has panic attacks more often then I like, about social situations mainly, I was curious to see how Warren would approach the subject.

I fell in love with the book.  Issy, Lucy, Caleb and Seb, they were all damaged in some way and were looking for redemption and resolution in the most stubborn ways possible.  Very easily Warren could have made this a more competitive book--with Caleb and Seb both vying for the HS Coach position, and courting Issy and Lucy, it could have gotten nasty.  Instead the four them strove to see the good, to ignore the circumstances and understand.  Though eliminating the obvious obstacles and confrontations led way a string of misunderstandings that had me grinding my teeth in frustration closer to the end.

I adored Issy, I was rooting for her the entire time and even more than meeting someone to love her I was rooting for her to be able to make those small steps to regain her life.  Each time she took a step out of her comfort zone I held my breath hoping she would make it.  Understanding that terror that comes from freezing up as panic descends I was worried so much for her.

I really liked Caleb as well.  I couldn't get a handle on him at first however.  He seemed driven and committed to making a new life for himself, believed he could make a new life for himself, but he'd have these moments of soul-crushing doubt that threw me for a loop.  Seb, who I initially pegged to be just a swelled headed jock, grew on me the most as the book went on.  I appreciated that he genuinely felt bad about what happened back in HS, that he pulled himself together and wanted a new life for himself.

Lucy...this is where the misunderstanding thing at the end comes in.  It took a large leap of paranoia for her to think what she did about Seb.  It didn't fit right with me--at least not with how Lucy and Seb seemed together.  This isn't to say Seb came back and Lucy suddenly fell into his arms, but the Lucy who began talking to Seb again was stronger and more confident.  Little flashes of insecurity would make an appearance, but the off the wall belief she had about Seb and Bam took me by surprise.

In the end I think this was an enjoyable, heart-warming book.  It almost made me wish I lived in a small town, Warren's Deep Haven sounds wonderful and warm.  A little bit out of sync with the rest of the world (seriously no movie theater?), but the sort of place I'd love to visit sometime.



Buy Links
// Indiebound // Book Depository // Barnes and Noble