A Leap of Faith

I'd die if all I had to eat was celery and carrots. 

Kate, if the church has money for mini sausages, why don't you just buy enough for the crowd?

Aargh, she's dieting for a man? Hell no!

Don't lose hope, Jackson.

Talk about making an impression!

I really want to know what happened in Jackson's marriage?

Wuv, twue wuv. Poor Sam!

So her boyfriend is not only a cheating user, he's crazy too?

For the love of Pete, listen to people who love you, girl!

Christopher is definitely gay.

His wife was cruel. She knew she was pregnant, why did she carry the groceries by herself? She's as much to blame for the loss of their baby.

You snooze, you lose, buddy.

Two years have passed? That was abrupt.

Great vows, Carl.

Although the title, A Leap of Faith, gives the impression of this being a Christian Inspirational story; I don’t believe this is a story I would classify as that. It is a story that is centered on a church and is the foundation to the character’s lives with the main male character being a pastor. I admit I even had to raise my eyebrows at least once with a few lines.  But in regards to the story having Christian aspects, yes there are some. Some of those aspects are the goodness of helping others who have fallen on hard times, the act of volunteering, church events with the congregation pulling together are in this story and are woven wonderfully to create the foundation of church involvement.  The main characters are Pastor Jackson Thomas and Sophia Anton.  Sophia grew up in the church that Jackson has now to lead, but she isn’t aware of Jackson as she hasn’t been in church for two years.  When her friend, Kate asks her to help with an annual church dinner, Sophia does but never expects to run into the new pastor (not even knowing there was one) while trying to pick the locked church door with a bobby pin.  Jackson is immediately attracted to Sophia but is trying to hold onto his vow to never marry or get involved again.
With the immediate attraction comes a lot of confusion for both characters. Pastor Jackson Thomas was married before but when a terrible accident caused the death of their unborn child and the end of his marriage, he is racked with guilt and decides to isolate himself from any future relationships.  Sophia is a “pleaser” and has to feel as if she is needed.  Unfortunately, she has a friend who is taking advantage of that and has Sophia believing she has to change in order to be with him and then they would have everything she has ever wanted.  The confusion comes from their mutual attraction and inability to act on it.  When Sophia is hurt by Jackson’s apparent dismissal of their feelings she makes a terrible decision that will rip them apart.
Two years later, fate gives them another chance. When they meet again, the attraction is still very strong and very apparent.  When two meddling friends provide them a way to explore this undying love, will they take the chance or be stubborn?  Will Jackson tell Sophia the truth about his past so that she understands? Will Sophia run again?
This is a wonderful short romance.  I really liked the side characters that the author created as support.  Kate is the strong but a little wild best friend of Sophia.  Because they have been friends forever, Kate knows Sophia and can see the underlying problems of Christopher’s influence.  Then there is Hazel who now homeless and unable to care for herself is facing medical issues.  And Christopher…well he is a girl’s nightmare full of pretty boy arrogance.  A sweet contemporary romance perfect for curling up to.

i really enjoyed this book will be looking for more by this author a great romance novel

Sophia Anton worked a local department store in merchandising.  She was pretty but didn't see that in herself.  She had always struggled with her weight and was fast approaching 30 years old.  She felt like she was running out of time to get her family, children, happily ever after dream.  She was in love with Christopher who was a successful ballet dancer.  At least she thought she was in love with him.  She provided what he needed and he had told her that if he ever wanted to have a family, she would be the one he would want to have it with.  That was almost a declaration of love, right?

Jackson Thomas was the local minister.  He was young, handsome and very single.  But, after a disastrous marriage, he had sworn himself to a life of celibacy.  But there was something about Sophia Anton that he had a hard time resisting.  She was beautiful and kind and giving and generous with her time to help others.  But, he couldn't seem himself in a relationship with anyone.  Could Sophia be the one to change his mind?

I really enjoyed reading this story.  It was a story of love; genuine love.  It took a while to get Jackson and Sophia on the same page, and at times, it seemed like it would never happen.  The story was well written and perfectly paced.  While there were times I was frustrated with Sophia and Jackson, I could see how misunderstandings in real life do occur when communication is lacking.  I would definitely recommend this book to a friend to read.  Well done!

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