Attraction, dating, evangelism, grief, loss, gossip, LIFE and FAITH... it's all packed between those adorable covers! Sarah Hollenbeck is a hilariously authentic brand new baby Christian and her honest navigation of this crazy thing we call life will appeal to unbelievers, encourage new Christians, and remind seasoned believers to keep hold of that "first-love" faith. I highly and enthusiastically recommend this story and eagerly anticipate future works by this author.

I requested the opportunity to read this book through the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

QUIRKY!

I really had high hopes for this book. I read the hype and was looking forward to reading it. Let me say this – I read the book in its entirety because I really did want it to succeed. The premise was really good! There where several really funny scenes. There was unbelievable grace shown by a certain couple.

Honestly, for me it fell way short of my expectations. I am a reader. I’ve read 101 books to date in 2017. They cross many genres & not just Christian Fiction. However, when a book is listed as “Religious & Inspirational Romance” Christian Fiction” I was expecting more. I did not feel like I was reading the “kind of book all Christian women are looking for in Christian romance” in fact quite the contrary! It was all about insta–love & discussion of physical attraction to the point of lust! Whenever I read Christian Fiction or Christian Romantic Suspense, I always leave with a takeaway or two or more that has given me new spiritual, insights. I did not find that in this book. The bottom line for me is this – would I want a non–Christian/new Christian or any impressionable young adult Christian/non–Christian to think this is how a Christian relationship works? NO! I want them to learn that there is more to preparing for a marriage than not having sex & that God and His Word and mentors can show them the way. I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley and Revell. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

I loved this book for the humor and the various perspectives on modern mainstream Christian life, from the new convert (Sarah), to the lifelong member (Piper), to the young pastor (Ben). It was written in a way that had me hooked to not just the story, but the characters, and how they dealt with the drama in their lives. The romance between Sarah and Ben developed quickly but I enjoyed the time we got to spend *in* the romance, not just leading up to it, and all the great and important conversations and interactions that took place. A great debut novel!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Very good romance. This tells the life of a writer. Sarah Hollenbeck is a writer better known as Raine de Bourgeois. She starts to write after she divorces her husband. This book has humor and romance and some twists and turns. Sarah grows as a person and learns many lessons. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Every once in while, I get a little sick of a lot of different bookish flavors overlapping and I need a palate cleanser. This book worked perfectly for that. It wasn’t super light that it had no heart, but it wasn’t so heavy that it couldn’t palate cleanse.
I’ve seen several steamy writers pass over to Christian romance writing so from the beginning I was very interested in the premise of the story.
One thing that I didn’t really feel was the romance. I mean, they had a great spark, but I feel like it went a little too quickly for me, propelled by their sexual needs and the fact that they wanted to remain celibate until marriage. This, of course, leads me into my next point.
I didn’t love Ben? He felt very one dimensional at points, more man candy than husband material, if that makes sense?
I really did enjoy seeing someone come from a very drastic side of atheism to Christianity,
Where the story finds a bit of a rut is in it's driving point. I found the book to flirt between different purposes. In certain areas, we saw the romance forming between Sarah and Ben, but also the story flirted with being a women's fiction story, as Sarah delves into what it means to be Christian. The story reads like an essay on what Christian fiction romance should be, without sex, without cussing, but with the sexual tension that is found in real life.
While that driving point is admirable, and has some successful moments in the story, incorporating all three into the book resulted in a choppier novel. There are spaces where added info could have helped it as a women's fiction novel(details on Sarah's budding Christianity, diving into romance writing, pulling away from Ben). There are times where we need dialogue to help with the romance, but the first-person voice of Sarah tells us the feelings rather than showing them in the novel. There's also blog-like rants as the characters try to teach readers what Christian romance fiction should be.
I think overall this wasn’t a bad book, but it’s not like my new fave or anything, I took quite a bit to read it, which lead the me forgetting a lot, and processing it very choppily. It was a very good palate cleanser, but not a book I got overly attached to.

What a fun book. I could relate how she got into a sticky situation, and love & faith got her through and past the situation.

Will leave review on Amazon under name of Connie.

Nothing like a fun romantic comedy for a fall read!

Sarah Hollenbeck has fallen from society’s grace. Having been stuck in a loveless marriage to a wealthy businessmen wasn’t too bad until she caught him in the act with another woman. Now that she is divorced, she finds herself with nothing. No friends, no job, and no resources. Desperate for something, she joins a book club and decides to write poetry, which she finds is not her forte. However, when she ventures into writing steamy romance novels where she pours her past lackluster love life into the words, she finds that not only is she good, she makes other women long for her books as well. She is so good in fact, that she is able to land a trilogy book deal. Everything is going great for her new life and then she finds that she has been lacking the one thing that makes her life even more meaningful: a true relationship with Christ. Now she is in a dilemma. She has a deadline for her next installment of steamy romance but feels that this writing is no longer the course she could take. Couple that with she is falling for her new pastor makes for a fun and entertaining read.

This was a fun, quick, and witty read. Told from a first person view of the main character, the reader has a real chance to get to know her personally and quickly find that she is very flawed, which makes her seem more human. I really enjoyed the relationships that she developed and getting to see how they played out as well as how she was her own worst enemy in keeping some of those relationships. I have had some of the same thoughts she has and it was good to see that the author was likely drawing on personal experience on her main character. A great fall book to have in your to-read pile!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This story is a literary TREAT! I was seriously laughing and crying in the span of paragraphs. It’s a new take on Christian fiction and a close look at the whirlwind which life (and romance 😉 ) can be through the eyes of a recently redeemed heroine. At times, her character’s perspective as a new Christian could be a little eye-opening for someone “used to” churchy norms. And I love that.


A part of this is “book inception”: character Sarah is a writer. Her own intent to write a Christian fiction novel appealing to the masses to candidly address attraction in a way not common in the genre is, in fact, what Bethany has accomplished with Sarah’s story. Bethany is not afraid to include the realness of physical attraction and how Sarah’s newfound convictions can be upheld while not altering her core (feisty) personality. (Ben is amazingly sweet and all the more #swoony because of his role in all of this.)

Apart from the romance storyline, The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck explores the deeper ripple effects of the lifestyle change Sarah is pursuing. From self-worth to forgiveness, jealousy, and even deception, deep truths are delivered in this story that starts out as perky but quickly turns serious and rooted in a journey to understanding LOVE in manifestations of family, commitment, choice, and even instant attraction.


Perhaps my favorite part of this story is the pop culture references!!! (You all know I love some good movie/TV references in story). Especially the rabbit trails of 1980s miniseries. Multiple situations referenced AND connected plot points to The Sound of Music —- they left me giggling more than once. And the chapter titles alone are hilarious —– “ethical and professional leprosy”, for example, and it makes perfect sense. If you finish the very last page and are left searching for a Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman episode on YouTube, let me know, I can direct you to the right one because I found it! At like 2am. Immediately. 😉

Thank you to Revell Publishers and Netgalley for the complimentary review copy of this novel. This is my honest review.

Before I read this, I didn't even know Christian Fiction was a genre, let alone Christian Romance. That said, this was a diverting read and managed to avoid being at all saccharine. I thought that Sarah's conversion was a bit too sudden, there was minimal questioning or exploration of her choice. I liked the touches of humour in places although I didn't quite buy into the Piper character. I would be interested to read further books by this author but I wouldn't necessarily seek out more Christian Fiction, even though I was glad to broaden my horizons here. Thanks Netgalley!

I really find it hard to write a review for this.

This is a story of a divorcee named Sarah; her life after her divorce and her journey towards Christ. How she gave up poetry and be a novelist instead. And not just a mere novelist but an erotica Romance Writer. With her bestseller three books, everything seemed okay but she knows it's not. As she narrates her thoughts regarding everything that's happening in and around her, it is apparent that she's not as stable as a person as she should be.

Until she prayed the sinner's prayer with her Christian friend, Piper.

It was great to be a Christian but then Sarah suddenly find herself conflicted because of her profession and her new-found faith. And it got even harder when she met Ben, her new pastor, whom she's attracted to.

All I can say is that Sarah is one of the most authentic character I've ever met. She's too relatable. She worries about realistic things, she tried solving her conflicts even the ones she can't. She complains sometimes but understandable. She's HUMAN. And this is one of the most honest book I've read this year. No pretentious dramatization with conflicts and of what Sarah's going through for the sake of creativity and prose. Sure this is fiction but as I said, Sarah is so authentic, it means, everything she's gone through, the conflicts along her way with love and faith were so real and honest.
No pretence.
I am aware of these stuffs happen in real life especially to new Christians as Sarah. And so this can happen to me. Not the divorce part. I am a Christian and yet as a writer, aspiring one, I am not limited to wholesome genres or even side genres. So that's why I found it hard to make a review. And be warned, there might be parts of the novel that can be questionable and encourage frowns and raised eyebrows from others as this is a story of a born again Christian.

As a born again Christian myself, I've received judgments and rude gestures because of my faith and habits as a Christian. And so I think this book might receive the same if the reader isn't warned about it.

But this book is worth your time. This will guide you to a hard path often taken by new believers. If your interested on why Born again Christians are born again Christian, this book might give you answers too. That is how real this book is.

The only reason why I didn't give it a five-star rating is there are parts that seemed so fast. Like her attraction to Ben, it's mere minutes. And so just after the first ever Christian service Sarah attended she was in love and got home almost brokenhearted because she assumed something about Ben. That was too fast. Also I don't really call this novel a romance, not so much.

Also, I'm a little baffled as to why the title says <b>The SECRET life of Sarah Hollenbeck.</b> Maybe I just misread it or misunderstood but I don't see how her other life a secret when everyone knows it?

I was actually hoping that her other identity as the erotica writer was completely secret and so might add some thrill to the romance and her fellowship with the members of her new church. But then again, she's a new Christian, she doesn't feel like lying or hiding something. :)

I really hope I gave justice to this book thru my review. But seriously if you're okay with everything I said above, go get this book already. :) I'm actually thinking of gifting this book to my Christian friends who really don't read, like seriously non-readers, but they might like this. :)

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck wasn't first book by Bethany Turner. Sarah falls into becoming a writer after a life-altering divorce. She becomes a successful author of a series of steamy romance novels. Sarah discovers her need for Christ and tries to reconcile her professional life with her personal life as a Christ follower. It becomes even more complex when she falls for the pastor of her church. Sarah's inner dialogue provides a humorous and engaging read. As you want Sarah and the characters around her struggle, Turner offers subtle life lessons. Pick up today, and get ready to have a laugh!

The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck in the very complicated story Dash oooooooohhhhhhhh boy is that complicated and that is an understatement. Sarah has done the most amazing thing, THE most wonderful thing in the world - she became a born-again Christian - she found CHRIST - but, and admitted y'all you knew with me there was going to be a but - she is an accomplished author a certain kind of author though - and explicit author - One that a Christian would not go near with a ten-foot pole- weird enough I just read a book that was this very thing that just happened to the author who just wrote their very first Christian book although it was so awesome - Sarah is having a time of it have you to write one way or what? Not? What should she do? She can't write as a Christian, that goes against all she is being taught. Will she stay with CHRIST or to the world and money?

Great story of Sarah and her failed marriage, reconstructed life, and call to Christianity and salvation. Sarah comes into her own as the author of sultry romance novels. However, her blossoming romance with the new church pastor (Ben) creates waves with her past following them both. Put into the story some unrequited love from an old flame of the pastor and you have a recipe for disaster. However, with God squarely in the mix, there is hope for a God-filled love story.

This book was a surprise. It wasn't like anything I'd read before, but I really liked it. The subject matter isn't your typical Christian Fiction, but there wasn't anything seriously scandalous. All in all it was a good read that I would recommend if you like Christian Romance.

My Thoughts: From the first page I was struck by Turner’s comedic voice and smooth story-telling tone. There were two factors that made this novel a memorable one: Turner nicely dealt with an often-debated topic among Christian fiction readers. And she incorporated a strong message on repentance, new life in Christ, and dealing with the consequences of previous sins. I really appreciated watching the character turn to Christ in a real-to-life moment of conversion then proceed to turn away from her previous lifestyle on a day-to-day basis. It’s the type of real Christian living that we don’t always see in fiction. A lot of fictional characters are either already saved at the start of the book or they’re saved at the end, so Turner was working in a different “setting” here, and I enjoyed it. I will say, that there were times when I felt like the message started to feel unbalanced as if God cared more about getting these two together than anything else. While I would have appreciated seeing a little less “God did it in order for us to meet” tones, Turner knocked it out of the park in terms of repentance and living for Christ.
As a conservative reader, I want to point out that I feel that the book is best suited for a mature audience. However, I want to point out the difference I found here in Turner’s work compared to some other “mature” works I’ve read in the past. Turner allows her character to talk or think about sex in a very blunt, matter-of-fact way. I’ve read some novels that I felt were too steamy for my taste but I don’t think this one falls into that category. The reason is that in other too-steamy-for-me novels the author describes things in a very detailed, slow, and lustful manner. Turner just said it. I don’t think I’ve read the word “sex” in a Christian novel as many times as I’ve read it in this one . . . and yet, it really didn’t come across as over the top to me. Fellow sensitive readers will have to take that into consideration and decide what they’ll do with it. For me, I found it surprising but I didn’t feel the need to put it down as I have others in the past.

Rating and Recommendation: I recommend this to those who enjoy Christian Contemporary or to those who are looking for something fresh in Christian Fiction. I’m giving it 4.5 stars.

~I received a copy from Revell through Net Galley. I was not compensated for my review. All thoughts are my own.

This book highlighted important topics like, how to stay pure before marriage and the struggle of marriage and divorce and so many more things. Now even though i’m not christian this book did not weigh much on it. I did not for once felt like it was hard to read or understand. Bethany turner did a great job delivering this rom com story and i would definitely love to read more of her books!

From the beginning to the end of this book I could feel that the author had placed God’s hand on the main character, took awhile, but it was heart warming adventure.
Forgiveness and turning the other cheek is really shown here, and you are going to be on a wonderful page-turning read once you turn the first page. It isn’t easy to offer forgiveness, and especially when the pain was really offered to hurt someone you love. Great lessons here, from being a new Christian to seasoned, something is about to be learned by all.
Be ready for some really good chuckles, and maybe an old fashioned game of telephone, see how the story comes out, and yes it does seem to change, but the last is awesome.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

I love this book. It was so fun, so rich, so much to it. I loved Sarah’s sassy attitude and her journey to find herself and what to do when you realize your identity in Christ.
So many of us can relate. I know I can. I was a different person before I knew Christ and even after I knew Him my relationship changed and I changed once I went even deeper. I am still on a journey and I think that is what we read with Sarah. She is on a journey discovering what it looks like to be a writer after you ask Jesus into your heart.
Brenda did a great job not preaching at the reader but getting the point across clearly. This is definitely an author I will be looking for in the future. I love her writing voice. I highly recommend this one.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

As a reader of a lot of historical romances but who tries to stay away from graphic sex scenes, I have had to stick to christian publishers so I wouldn't encounter anything explicit. I appreciate the intent of this author to explain how difficult being an author in this genre is in regard to making a romance real and engaging but without the characters jumping into bed together. I liked the premise of the story but felt like there was still too much emphasis on the physical desire of the characters and not enough exploration of the foundation of their relationship. I got the idea that there was an instant "love at first site" kinda moment but it just seemed a little too cliche. The connection between the characters felt all physical and nothing emotional or spiritual or even really social.
I would have liked to probe a little more into the change Sarah goes through becoming a Christian. It happened so quickly and with little actual description that it wasn't believable that a person could go from the life she had been living and never having been religious in any real way to suddenly being Christian and having the strength to live as a follower of Christ in a world that doesn't understand and certainly doesn't hold to those same moral tenets. I wouldn't mind giving this author another try. I haven't ever read anything else she has written and perhaps she hasn't quite hit her stride writing christian romance fiction. This felt like a transition story of sorts as if she was exploring her own steps to leave the explicit romance writing genre and move into clean romances. I think there is potential but I personally love character driven stories and felt like this one wasn't quite there.
I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my opinion

It’s not often I pick up a debut author’s book without reading any reviews, but after reading the blurb of this book I was completely hooked. My thoughts:

What I Liked

The topic. I loved, loved, loved the idea of a steamy romance novelist getting saved and falling for a pastor and kind of dealing with the fallout of that. I thought the author did a lovely job of raising all the issues and problems that a situation like that would bring because the issues Sarah faced felt real. I like that the author doesn’t shy away from sexual temptation and what that looks like. She also provides some practical ways a believer can address those kinds of concerns. She faces tough topics straight on without brushing past them and it really made this novel standout.

Dating. Okay, this book suffers from one of my least favorite tropes: insta-love. And when I say insta-love, they were bringing up the “L” word on the first date. That said, I love the way the author walked them through their courtship. I love that they set up rules to follow and that one of those rules was to be completely honest with each other. Both Sarah and her guy really worked to make their relationship a success and to have a relationship built on a solid foundation.

Spiritually, you see Sarah get saved and how being saved isn’t always the easiest thing…especially if you have to disconnect from your former life. We certainly see Sarah learn how to navigate this new facet of her life throughout the tale.

What I Didn’t Like

Telling. There was just so much telling in this book. Because this book is first person narrative (and I don’t mind that) a lot of Sarah’s past is revealed through her own personal summary which she tells the reader. Then Sarah has a friend that she uses as a sounding board throughout the entire novel (we learn almost next to nothing about the girl) where they literally just meet only to talk about Sarah. Then we are told that Sarah falls instantly in love with her guy and him with her, so we don’t get to see that develop as a reader. Then her and her guy spend a lot of time talking and rarely doing stuff that shows us things about their character. With all the telling, I found myself not as invested in the characters and as this is not a plot driven novel, it would have benefited from stronger character development. As a reader, I didn’t know the characters past what they told me about themselves and thus, I found myself skimming a lot.

*Personal pet peeve. This doesn’t affect the rating of the book, but and this may be spoilery, a pastor and his wife are both called to ministry, in my opinion. I have no problem with a pastor’s wife having a colorful past when unsaved, I do have a problem with a pastor’s wife only being saved a few months before becoming a pastor’s wife. It just seemed like she needed to be a stronger, more tested believer and no one seemed to bring that up. But again, that’s just me.

Romantic scale: 5

Overall, kudos to the author for tackling this subject matter! I’m very interested to see what she does next.

**I received a copy from Revell. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**