I recently had the opportunity to join Lori DeJong’s “Love’s True Calling” launch team. I met Lori a little over a year ago when we were both part of the same small critique group. Even back then, when Lori shared a few pages of her manuscript with me, her novel captivated me.
I wanted more.
There was something about the relationship between Harper and Wyatt that I loved.
So when Lori asked who wanted to receive an Advanced Reader Copy, I jumped at the opportunity. I was not disappointed. The story is every bit as deep and interesting as I had perceived it to be from the snippet I critiqued in the past.
Love’s True Calling hits the romance genre expectations, the character arcs for each POV character, and their spiritual growth. However, it is far from formulaic due to the profound subject matter it tackles, and its surprising plot.
Wyatt and Harper have known each other since childhood. Although at some point they had a short-lived romantic moment, they both moved on because of unforeseen circumstances.
Fast forward ten years when the book begins. They meet again in the most unexpected way. Despite past hurts, it’s clear they have feelings for each other.
But in order to be together, they have to work through their lingering wounds. Worse yet, choices their high school friends made in the past also affected Harper and Wyatt- and everyone else involved, even now during their adult years.
My favorite character is the heroine, Harper. She’s a new Christian, still learning how to live as a Christian when she finds Wyatt again. As their love blossoms, she continues to seek God’s will in all aspects of her life. I cheered right alongside her when she decided to go wherever the Spirit led her, even if that meant separating from whom she considered the love of her life. In her words:
“All I know is we’ve said from the beginning, if this relationship didn’t honor God, we shouldn’t be in it. I don’t see how arguing about our ministry… our calling… whenever we’re together for any length of time brings Him honor. This all happened really fast with us. I think we need to take some time… separately… get in the Word and pray about where he wants us to go, whether it’s together or not.”
Wow! It takes guts to give up what seems to be a perfect romantic relationship with another believer in order to seek God’s will.
I can’t ignore Wyatt, though. He has his own wake-up call. He’s an experienced Christian when he walks on the page, but still has much to learn about his faith. It takes a new believer to help him understand God’s will for his ministry. This aspect of his life makes him super relatable.
Aren’t we all, at some point, stubborn in our Christian walk?
Another part of this book I found fascinating is “ConnectUP”: a club, a ministry really, designed for high schoolers on the fringe with the purpose of teaching them to navigate high school social life. The way Lori describes the mission, how they conduct meetings, the holiday activities they enjoy together and the willingness of each of its volunteers makes me wish we had “ConnectUP” ministry in real life!
And the decisions at the end of the story made ConnectUP even better!
The incredible amount of time, effort, and research that Lori put into her book is evident in the details. Her characters are fleshed out. I could see three-dimensional attributes not only in the hero and heroine but also in many of the supporting characters. Her gripping tale deals with profound and current issues such as rejection, suicide, a need for validation, looking for love in the wrong places, high school cliques, and losing a child. I can say without a doubt this novel has become one of my favorites.
I’m sure it’ll be one of those I’ll re-read some time in the future.
I want to finish this review with the novel’s final powerful words:
“The two of us. Plus one. Forever and always.”
The Plus one referred to in the previous quote is Jesus, an excellent reminder for us as Christians to have Him at the forefront of our minds, and hearts, at all times.
Lori DeJong’s debut novel Love’s True Calling will be available for purchase this month. You can pre-order now on Amazon.