I really appreciated the author's writing style. Very often I had to remind myself that the characters' issues were not my own. But then I thought about it and while I don't have the same circumstances, I wonder if I approach mine in the same way. There were a few surprises and funny moments. All in all I enjoyed it.

This was a somewhat humorous take on the aftermath of a "Bachelor"-type reality show. "Holy Hanna" (as she was dubbed by the press) is trying to get her life back together after her bachelor-fiance, William, insinuated that she wasn't so "holy" after all. After dumping him for ruining her reputation, she comes face-to-face with him again when he wants to make amends (although he admits he is really trying to salvage his own career). There were some humorous parts in the story which eased some of the tension between the couple. Added to this mix was the intrigue in William's company, keeping secrets from the public, and trying not to fall in love with each other. I admit that there were times when I didn't find Hanna or William very likable. I thought Hanna was a bit too sarcastic at times and William seemed really mean to his father for some reason. I'm not a fan of a heroine dating a hero who's clearly not a believer but the story ending is, of course, a happy one. The romantic tension was definitely palpable. I liked the various supporting characters like both sets of parents and Hanna's friend, Carly. The author makes some good spiritual points and also highlights the hypocrisy among some "Christians." This was my first read of this author and I found I was generally entertained by this story. I'd be interested in reading more of her work.
* I received this book free of charge from NetGalley.

The Engagement Plot is a complicated story of an on again, off again engagement! I personally felt both leading characters needed to do some growing up! Krista Phillips has used an original plot of two people who appear on a tv show, The Price of Love, to find their true love. Will's parents want Will and Hanna to marry and encourage their engagement. The Engagement Plot includes some humorous scenes! I read The Engagement Plot through NetGalley.com. This is my honest opinion.

fun read by Krista Phillips. What a mess William and Hanna have gotten themselves into. With all the latest hype about the "Find me a mate" shows on TV, this book gives a picture of what COULD happen behind the scenes and after the final show. I found this book a delightful read.

As a Christian novel, this one missed the mark. As a fun and clean romance loosely based on a Bachelor-type television show and its characters, it was a breezy read.

I don’t think I have read anything by Krista before or if I have it’s been a long time. And I actually debated for quit awhile whether I would read this book or not. I’ll be honest, I was judging a book by its cover and the cover looked like it would be a silly book, without much substance.
I was totally wrong, and a great lesson in not judging a book by its cover.
This book did make me laugh at times, which was great, but there is a depth to this book that I totally loved. There are so many layers in this book that I can’t even uncover them all for you and I won’t try.
I appreciated Hanna’s honesty and struggle with her faith. She admits she isn’t perfect and realizes that her relationship with the Lord isn’t what it should be.
William is angry at God and has totally walked away from Him, but there is hope, there is always hope, that he will find his way back.
God uses all things for good, even a reality t.v. show. I really enjoyed this book, a great romance and highly recommend this one.
A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Hanna goes on a reality TV dating show hoping to be a great witness for Christ and is determined to keep her Christianity intact. The bachelor, Will, chose Hanna and proposed on the show. But...he later humiliated her on public TV and heartbroken, she wants nothing more to do with him. Will, a CEO of a big company, thinks too highly of himself. He was raised in a Christian home, but due to a tragedy, feels God turned His back on his family.
My big question in this story, beside the fact that a Christian young woman went on a show such as this, would accept a ring from a non-believer. That put a huge question mark on her testimony.
Will later travels to Minnesota to attempt to make amends with Hanna. Is that because he really loves her, or is it an attempt to save his company which isn't faring too well due to the outcome of his and Hanna's relationship? Just as she begins to trust him again, one thing after another happens to make her question him and his sincerity.
Over all, a fun story to read, although not too believable, but isn't that the great thing about fiction?
I was given a free copy of this to read by the publisher, Shiloh Run Press and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book!!
This author knew what she was doing when it comes to stuff like this.
It's a page Turner for sure!! I even snickered in some places.
I've always wondered what happens after a reality show now I have an idea.
In a way I thought some parts of this book was kind of mean spirited but I still loved it anyway.
By mean spirited I mean like using ppl. I hate being used so I understood perfectly. This is really the only part of the book I didn't like.
I still recommend this book very strongly and you'll definitely enjoy it. I found it a clean and a refreshing read. It is contemporary Christian
I give this book 4 stars

This was an okay read but it was really slow in places, Hanna met Will on the reality television show she was kinda mocked for her faith and when will chose her at the end he messed up by implying they had been intimate with each other, while he was wrong I think Hanna was a bit childish in her reaction,he does try to make thing right.This was an okay read for a lazy weekend and while I did not love it I didn't hate it either worth a read

This was a sweet, clean romance. The story was sweet & funny with misadventures of a God fearing woman that thought she’d found the one on a reality show only to be humiliated & embarrassed in the end. Now to save his company, the creator of all this upheaval needs her to pretend things are all good. What starts out as pretend might just lead somewhere or not.

The story started out with so much possibility and so much happening. At the front, the couple William and Hanna are having issues because of something he said during an interview. She receives bad publicity because of it and RUNS. No talking to him even though she "loves" him. Will is having problems with his company and is told it is the negative press from his ex fiance causing it. Toward the end, it is finally revealed more is happening at his company but the only hints we got was the creepy CFO. Of course, Hanna think he is creepy but believes everything he says and continues to meet with him. I liked Will and Hanna only got more annoying as the story went on. Then the no ending. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

A romantic, chick lit semi-spoof of The Bachelor/Bachelorette tv shows The good: clean, sweet, quick moving fun plot for a romance novel. The not so good: Hanna can come off so annoyingly self righteous that it makes you want to shake some sense into her. I enjoyed the premise of them meeting on a reality show, and loved all the Minnesota references and scenery. Overall, it is a decent Christian romance novel and quick read.

The unexpected plot makes a nice change from what has often become formulaic writing in this genre.
The main characters are likeable, and are prepared to change their minds & not remain typecast.
There is also a salutory reminder that Christians are not immune to temptation : but we have a
responsibility to draw boundary lines - & stick to them!
The moral of the story : always, always give the other person a chance to put their side of things.
When you are told unpalatable 'facts' by a third party, about someone you have hitherto trusted,
always give them the courtesy of explaining before just withdrawing from the situation. Things are
not always what they seem....otherwise there would be no good novels waiting to be written!
This was the first of Krista Phillips' books that I have read, but I am hoping it will not be the last...

Hanna knew she should not have left knowing a snow storm was due but Hanna had been driving in weather like this since she was fifteen. Then Hanna saw a car in the ditch and she knew she had to stop even if it was a reporter but there had been less and less lately. Hanna fought and finally got the door open to the car in the ditch. She got the man out of the car he was half frozen and into her truck and blasted the heater and put her coat over him. Hanna wished she was back in Duluth teaching her kindergarteners. Instead she was back at her father’s farm. Living there at the age of twenty seven. After her dad got the man inside the farmhouse Hanna realized who he was . It was him- William Preston CEO the man who had ruined her life- humiliated her in front of millions seven months ago. Hanna’s father- Jim- told Will he could stay in the guest room until the storm cleared up WIll- and Hanna- had been on a reality tv dating game and he was the CEO bachelor and looking for love. Hanna was one of the contestants from a small town teacher with strict morals and totally opposite Will. everyone had wanted Will to pick Hanna the one who least fit into his life. Wll had listened to them. But there was something about Hanna he couldn’t let go of. Hanna didn’t deserve to be saddled with Will - a sorry excuse for a fiance, not to mention CEO. He would have loved to shoot off an email to fix this and make it go away but his board of directors had other ideas. Will told Jim he honestly thought he was doing the right thing and he couldn’t get Hanna out of his head and his heart told him to go to her. Which made no sense as it was only business. Will had only known Hanna on the show for six weeks. And until the end Will had been dating a slew of other women. But after the show Hanna had plagued Will’s dreams almost every night. Hanna was also a reminder of of a time before he had ever heard of the reality show. Will told Jim his feelings for Hanna were complicated but Hanna was important to him and he had hurt her. Will wanted to make it right. Jim said they would talk more the next day. Hanna’s defenses could not be trusted when it came it Will. He was a smooth talker and had a way of getting under her skin and climbing into her heart before Hanna even knew he was there. After watching the interview of YouTube yet again Hanna now saw Will for who he really was - a lying player who had only cared about dollar signs and her precious image. Hanna had went to the show at the pressure of her best friend who had signed her up as a joke. But Hanna swore she wouldn’t compromise who she was for the sake of the show. Will knew the board of directors hope for a renewal of the relationship for the free publicity was not going to happen. Will was protecting his heart so he didn’t repeat getting the pain he had in his past. After Will’s interview Hanna had received hateful letters and media articles.
This was an easy enjoyable fun read - other than when reading about Hanna’s hurt. I also thought this was a good romance and made me chuckle at times. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. I loved how Hanna stood by her values and faith. But I thought she could have been a little more understanding Will had not actually come out and and say they had slept together that was the media taking their own take on what he said though it was implied. This book was a bit predictable. I liked the plot a lot but this did drag some for me at times. I enjoyed how Will really didn’t know how to fix things but still wanted to - was realistic. But he still went to Hanna even if in the end she she had to rescue him. I liked Hanna’s dad Jim he seemed more understanding on both sides. All and all I really enjoyed reading this and loved the characters and I recommend.

Devoutly religious Christian, kindergarten teacher, Hanna Knight's, best friend and boss entered her as a contestant on a reality show The Price of Love, without her knowledge. However, she decided to go on it, but would not compromise her values and was dubbed by the media as Holy Hanna. And she fell for the handsome bachelor, William Preston, CEO of a cosmetic company. He chose her, but then totally humiliated her and ruined her reputation in an interview with the host, implying that they had sex, when they had not. She immediately broke the engagement, and went home to the family farm in Embarras, Minnesota. She was pressured not to return to her job and started receiving nasty letters, phone calls and social media messages.

William (Will) was very religious, praying for the health of his little sister Claire. But his belief and trust in G-d dies at the age of fifteen with the death of his little sister. Will had gone on the show for publicity reasons, pressured by his board. He was the youngest CEO of the company, replacing the former CEO, who had been accused of fraud. He actually did fall for Hanna, but his arrogance hurt them both.

Hanna refused to return his phone calls or any contact with him or the show. Seven months later his board has ordered him to fix it, as their sales seem to have declined. He goes to Minnesota to talk to her and ends up on the side of the road in a blizzard- to be rescued by Hanna herself. After several tense days and the help of her father, they come upon a plan to fake an engagement so he can restore her reputation and help his company at the same time.

The book is well written, has an intriguing plot, including a villain and while not a thriller page turner, it is hard to put down.

I received a free ARC from netgalley.com for an honest review. When I requested the book, I did not realize it was a Christian book, or I would not have requested it. But I made a commitment to read it. As a religious Jew, I did find parallels. We pray to G-d and Christians pray to a Jewish intermediary. I have never watched any of these reality shows, but just from advertisements and news articles, Hanna going on one doesn't make sense. The producers are only interested in ratings and the contestants are looking for publicity, not love. If there was a professional matchmaker involved, that would be different. Hanna read and signed a contract, so knew what she was getting into, but then broke the contract. She also refused to listen to Will, someone she was supposedly in love with, several times, which only made things worse. These inconsistencies are why I only give it 3 stars.

I love books about dating shows like the Bachelor or Bachelorette. After reading the blurb I knew I had to read this. This book had me laughing. This is the first book I have read by this author.

When Hanna was chosen by Will she didn’t realize that her troubles were just beginning. Many mistakes were made and Hanna was humiliated. With sales down at the company the board sent Will to fix the scandal.

Watching Hanna and Will navigate their relationship was sweet and funny. I am glad that the book didn’t feel preachy since there were religious elements to this book. It was a fun, cute and humorous read. I will have to check out more books by this author.

The Engagement Plot by Krista Phillips

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Krista Phillips brings to life a story that many of us have probably wondered about – reality tv romances – and whether or not they are in fact real or all just for show.

Shiloh Run Press approached me via email with an offer of a story written by a young, up and coming author who writes out of the box stories that are true to life. I am always excited to read new (or new to me) authors as I often find one that becomes well-loved. I had not yet read Ms. Phillips before this but will certainly be on the lookout for her next books and will search out her previous works. Ms. Phillips writes well, giving her characters life-like thoughts, actions and conversations while also throwing in just enough sarcastic humor to make the dialogue pop. She begins this story as one that is 8 months in the making: Hanna, a teacher, was a contestant on the reality dating show The Price of Love, who found herself as the winner at the finale. She had fallen in love with William (the love-seeking bachelor) and was set to marry him when he broke her heart in front of millions of viewers by saying she had slept with him on their celebratory weekend. As a Christian, Hanna has held herself to a high standard her entire life and would never have sex before marriage. Heartsick and hounded by the media, Hanna goes home to heal and try to get her life back together. And just as she’s finally decided to move on, William comes literally crashing back into her life to ask for her help. As viewers were angry that William had broken Hanna’s heart, the stock and sales of William’s company have decreased exponentially. The other members of the board have decided that William must convince Hanna to help him salvage both his and her reputation if they are to save the company from bankruptcy. Hanna agrees after much discussion with her friend, wanting to get back both her dignity and her teaching career – which has been no existent since her appearance on the show. But Hanna knows she will have to be careful not to let Will break her heart again; she must remember that every kiss, sweet word and gesture is all for show, no reality in it at all. Both Hanna and Will have decided to give the illusion that they are engaged once again and Hanna has forgiven Will for his untrue statements. They will give several interviews with big company networks and show the world what it looks like to be young and in love. But all is not as it seems, both with their relationship and with Will’s company. Will attended church as a child but has no use for all that “religious stuff” anymore. Given this, he has had numerous physical relationships in the past and has a hard time with Hanna who is not willing to go that far. However, Hanna will also have to learn that being a Christian does not mean that one is immune to the physical side of relationships. God made men and women to enjoy all aspects of marriage, including sex, and warns Christians to be careful in how far they go before marriage. Hanna is given excellent insights into this by her friend, Carly, who also provides some great sarcastic comments and phrases. Hanna and Will will have to decide if they want this relationship to work for more than just the cameras and what they have to do to make it happen. Will’s company is slowing decreasing in revenue and all evidence points to him as the one making unsound investments. Will is shocked when they decide to fire him over this evidence and also present him with a lawsuit. Through all of this evidence Will has to slog in order to clear his name and find the one responsible. And Hanna will find herself in a position to help Will prove his innocence. Not pleased with how Will has treated her and their broken relationship notwithstanding – Hanna agrees to help Will’s friends prove that Will’s associate is the real culprit. When it finally comes out that Will is innocent, they will get the chance to start over again and find real happiness together and in God. Ms. Phillips wrote a delightful story that will have her readers cheering, crying and gasping with delight. I loved that she made her characters real and relatable. Hanna is the quintessential “good girl” who made some bad decisions but truly wanted to show the world how a Christian should speak and act. She learned painful lessons in this story about how others can twist what is good into something sullied and ugly. But Ms. Phillips gave her a unique opportunity to “shine her Light” both to the world at large and to the man who she loves. William has been seeking success all his life, from his parents, his relationships and his job. He has overlooked the best measure of success – his relationship with God and whether he is following what God would have him do. Ms. Phillips gave him the lowest point in his life as a way for Will to look up and find that the love and acceptance he craves is to be found in the One who paid the ultimate love and acceptance sacrifice. Ms. Phillips did not pull punches with the truth she was telling and was excellent in her emphatic stance on Christianity. And with great humor added at just the right time, Ms. Phillips has made a fan of me. I look forward reading her next works and am so very pleased I was given the chance to read this wonderful story. I will most certainly recommend it to others and will be rereading this one multiple times I’m sure.



I received this E-book free of charge from Barbour Publishing/Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review.

I've done something I never ever do. In fact, I cannot remember doing it before. I'm giving up on a book. I strongly disliked it right from the beginning, and now at 40%, I'm throwing in the towel. I'm not happy about it, but the fact that I have so little reading time combined with the degree of unhappiness I have with this book has made the decision for me. I expected it to improve, and don't feel that it has. It probably will, given that several of my Goodreads friends have given this a good review, but I think I've given it enough of a chance.

"The Engagement Plot" (2017, Shiloh Run Press) by Krista Phillips is a contemporary "Christian" romance set in Embarrass, Minnesota, Nashville, Tennessee, and at the point I DNFed it, soon-to-be in New York City. I chose to read this book because Barbour pre-approved it for me via NetGalley, and since I've felt so blessed with the many Barbour books I've read through NetGalley, I thought I'd try and support the publisher by reading it.

Rating: I'm not going to give a rating because I haven't finished the book. But based on the first 40%, I'd give it 3 stars. This is because I don't think it does the job as Christian fiction. The basic plot is interesting, and the writing quality is good, however.

Plot: Months ago, Hanna Knight, 27, was on a reality dating TV show and very publicly became engaged to William Preston, a CEO, with stars in her eyes. And she was very publicly shamed by said man by a deliberately misleading statement on a talk show. This wrung her heart, unrightfully damaged her reputation, and derailed her personal and professional life. Interesting plot for a contemporary romance, right? I agree. But then Mr. Former Fiance comes back into her life. She is then so extremely resentful and immature in her actions and her inner Christian that I decided, "40%? Enough is enough."

Christian elements: These are thoughts and prayers that come from "Holy Hannah."

"She'd have to play good Samaritan to some moron who didn't have enough sense to stay inside during a classic Northern Minnesota blizzard. Be nice, Hanna…"

"Please, Jesus, let this work."

"...with his dress pants and shiny, expensive-looking loafers, he looked like one who might worry about such stupid things."

"...some of the few in this world who hadn't turned their backs on her over the last six months." Really? Presumably Christian people in the community are being judgemental towards Hanna.

"You've apologized. I've accepted, and we'll get on with it. The good Lord expects nothing less of me." Great self-advice but I didn't feel her walk matched her talk.


Is it clean/chaste? Yes.

***********

The bottom line: The interesting premise was not enough to conquer my perception as an unsuccessful attempt at a Christian book. I will not be trying another book by this author unless she has a book in an anthology that I want to read. Readers who enjoy modern, sassy main characters and who wouldn't be troubled about the lack of Christian example would enjoy this book more than I did. I will continue to read books published by Barbour because this book appears to be an outlier.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is a delightful Christian romantic book that I couldn’t put down until I had completed reading it. The book follows teacher, Hanna Knight, and CEO of a large company, William Preston, after their appearance on a TV reality dating show. Hanna is a committed Christian and only agreed to be on the show as long as nothing would tarnish her reputation. Unfortunately, after being the chosen person that William selects to marry, unintentionally, his interviews and wording of answers tarnished her reputation badly, leading to a broken engagement, and a broken-hearted Hanna’s refusal to have anything to do with William.

We follow William as he returns to visit Hanna to apologize for hurting her, but finds she wants nothing to do with him. The author writes the activities that take place in a delightful fashion. Her best friend, father, William’s parents, and his work associates all contribute in different ways (both good and bad) toward trying to bring them back together.

Will love and second chances bring them together for a permanent life together, or will things go way too far for her acceptance of William’s pursuits?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I would highly recommend this book to any readers who enjoy good, clean Christian romance reading.

What a serious but fun story! The things that go on behind the scenes of a reality tv show finding a bachelor a wife! How could he say such things and not realize what would come of it!! First I didn't like him and felt for her.. then he was okay.. then the rat.. but, at times maybe she could have been a little more like her nickname, Holy Hanna. Entertained through the whole book!