A Love Rekindled

by Margaret Daley

Published by: Love Inspired

Rory’s Rating: 

“Do You Want My Help Or Not?” Kim Walters wants Zane Davidson’s help all right. Her family is struggling to rebuild their home after a hurricane, and Zane is a successful contractor. But the fifteen years that have passed since they were high school sweethearts aren’t about to magically melt away. Nothing can erase Mr. Walters’s clear message—Zane wasn’t good enough for his daughter. But now the Walters fortune is gone, and the town is reeling from the recent natural disaster. Can Kim and Zane find the faith to believe that some things work better the second time around?

Rory’s Review:

Kim Walters and Zane Davidson were young and in love – in high school. They were quite serious about each other and were planning to attend prom together, only Zane didn’t show up. He broke Kim’s heart that night leaving town without a word. Instead of finding any explanation, Kim finds a check stub written from her father to Zane for thousands of dollars. Kim, feeling bereft and betrayed, quickly rebounds and marries a man her father approves of. Only appearances are deceiving, Kim’s new husband abandons her shortly after the birth of their daughter and then ruins the family business. Kim is left as a single parent and the Walter’s fortune is squandered.

Years later, Zane returns a changed man, only he still can’t bear to face Kim. Kim feels no differently, she still struggles with the fact that Zane put a price on their relationship. Zane struggles with feeling like he is not good enough for Kim’s family. When a hurricane comes through town, the Walter’s mansion is severely damaged. If that wasn’t bad enough, the contractor they hired to repair the home has skipped town with their money. Zane, the most successful and honest contractor in town, is Kim’s only option left. Reluctantly, she asks him for help. Together, they begin the journey of repairing the Walter’s family home. In repairing the home, they begin to be able to repair all of the other damage they’d done to each other and themselves.

I have mixed feelings about this book; I neither liked nor disliked it. The story was sweet and sentimental with a definite Christian influence. One of my main areas of trouble was with the character development, which there wasn’t much of. I wanted to like Kim, but I felt like I never really got to know her. Zane is the type of man all women want, successful, hard-working, and attractive. One of the most positive things about the book was how the relationship progressed. Kim and Zane started out as friends first and got to know each other again before they considered anything else. I think the natural progression of the romance, as opposed to instantly falling head over heels, helped with the novel’s believability. If you looking for a cute, contemporary Christian romance, you might want to give this one a try. A Love Rekindled is the second entry into the A Town Called Hope series. I won’t be reading the next entry into the series, but I don’t regret reading this one, thus my rating of two stars (otherwise known as neutral).