Mended Heart

Faith and love can get you through anything. That is the message that is woven throughout Mended Heart. An engaging couple and vibrant supporting cast are the star players in this tale of two people finding peace... and each other.

Jade McAllister grew up on "the wrong side of town". Childhood tragedy shaped her early life and her mother turned to alcohol and a parade of men. Shane Calkin was her opposite. He had the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. His parents had money – lots of it – and to say he was privileged would be an understatement. He also had the stereotypical attitude of a young boy from a "good" family and popularity.

In high school, Jade and Shane danced around their attraction for each other, but it was never meant to be. Jade was too self-conscious, and Shane was too aware of his peers and what they would say if they were to date. Instead, he teased her and was a self-centered jerk. After graduation Jade was finally able to leave on her own. She did – and she didn't look back.

Ten years later, Jade has returned to the small town in Tennessee that she grew up in. Over the years, she's been repairing her relationship with her estranged mother. When her mom has a heart attack, that's all the reason she needs to pack up and come home. With a new job as an administrative assistant, she plans to take care of her mother and try to find her own faith. Much to her surprise, Shane is the youth director for the church, and the two of them are just as attracted to one another as they were in high school.

Shane and Jade are lovely – kind and generous, they get through problems with grace and dignity. Shane has a deep and abiding faith and while Jade is struggling with her belief, she also puts herself in God's hands. Their interactions with friends and family illustrate how good their hearts are, and their care of the kids in the youth program at the church is touching.

Throughout the story there are themes of tragedy and loss, all underlined by the conviction that faith can see you through to the other side. Watching Shane and Jade find their love for each other is very organic and natural feeling – the two seem meant for each other. Though secrets and fear work to keep them apart, their deep feelings for each other bring them together.

Mended Heart is a sweet story of hope, love and forgiveness. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is looking for an inspirational tale with Christian themes.

Mended Heart

by Mary Manners

Pelican Book Group

 You Are Auto-Approved

White Rose Publishing

Christian, Romance

Pub Date 20 Aug 2010 |

I was given a Copy of The Mended Heart Through the Publisher and their partnership with Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:

Jade Mcallister returns home to Piney Grove to care for her ailing Mother who, she's been astranged from for her years.

One of the first people Jade runs into when she is headed to the first day at her new job at Piney Grove Church is Shane, she knew him in high school.   

When Jade sees him with a little girl and she calls him Daddy, she assumes he is married with a small child not realizing his late sisters child calls him Daddy, because he was the only Daddy she ever knew.

After Jades Mother dies and she learns he knew the secret her Mother kept about an affair she had when Jade was growing up will Jade be able to forgive for herself, for Shane and for Susie the little girl she has grown to love.

Happy Reading

Five out of five stars.

I got this book from net gallery for an honest review.

3.5 stars 

This was a short sweet book and I enjoyed it.  

Shane and Jade have had different upbringings and they both have issues with their parents. But can they learn to forgive? 

Jade has been angry with her mum for a long time - she won't trust or allow people to get close to her - Will Shane be able to open a door to her heart? 

Little Susie stole my heart, she was adorable.  Reid's message to Susie was very moving and Susie wanting Jade to become her mum was sweet yet emotional.  

Beautiful story with likeable characters and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

a great sweet story,an enjoyable read

This was such a great book.  Once I started it I didn't want to stop reading it.  I loved all the characters.  Looking forward to reading more from this author.  I recommend this book.

What a joy to watch the journey of Jade and Shane as they grow in their faith and love for one another. It's real faith in real life situations that can be painful and difficult. With God all things are possible!

Wonderful message of forgiveness, redemption, trust, and love. Jade is hesitant to trust and love because of past pain. Shane is patient and compassionate as he supports and encourages her. I like the way these two work together and begin forming a friendship despite their past. Shane's niece is adorable and so is their little trouble making puppy. Even though the story is full of heartache and lost, it is inspiring, encouraging, and comforting.

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

I absolutely loved this book. It was a clean romance with lots of feeling. Jade McAllister had left her home a decade earlier and hadn't returned until now because her mom had suffered a heart attack and needed her help to nurse her back to good health. She has been estranged from her mom for years and hated returning to the hometown where she experienced so much devastation in her life. Her dad had died when she was very young and her mom had a string of men in and out of her life and alcohol that ruled her life. She hated the time she had grown up and was treated as an outcast at school. She had one very good friend but other than that she had no one.

Shane Calkin grew up in the same town as Jade and had come from a rich, privileged life. He had been the star quarterback on the high school football team and always had girls hanging on him as part of the popular crowd. He had always admired Jade but would never let on his feelings because she would never be included in his crowd. Through some life changing circumstances, he had changed and was now a youth minister at a local church. The same church that Jade had just taken a job as a secretary at while she was helping her mom.

Would they ever be able to see each other for the changed person they had each become or would their earlier differences keep them apart? I loved their story and how they worked through their challenges and tragedies.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Manners never fails to leave my heart swooning and feeling such empathy for the characters.   Jade McAllister doesn't believe that Shane Calkin can truly have changed enough from their high-school days to be capable of serving as a youth director in a church.  Shane's heart is determined to win Jade's heart, but will she let him?  Will she allow forgiveness in her heart and believe in love?  
        This novel is sure to delight those who love to read Christian fiction.  Jade is a caregiver to her mother, the mother she has been estranged from and now she has to put all those emotions aside to do the right thing in honoring her parents.   Mary Manners is one of my favorite authors.  I usually enjoy romances that have mystery or suspense attached much more than "plain, old romances" in novels.   
        I just can't help but rate this novel 5 stars and I would highly recommend it to those who like to cuddle up with a Christian romance.  
        I received an ebook of this novel from netgalley and Pelican Book Group, White Rose Publishing.

Mended Heart was a sweet, uplifting read. I really enjoyed it - perfect for a summer afternoon. Mary Manners crafts a masterful story.