Kaye Dacus' A Case for Love Review and Giveaway!

The third installment in the Brides of Bonneterre series features some heavy issues into which I was happy to therapeutically delve. Here's a blurb from Kaye Dacus's website:

The Alaine Delacroix that all of Bonneterre knows is the carefully polished image she puts forth every day on her noontime news-magazine program. When her parents’ home and small business is threatened by the biggest corporation in town, Alaine is forced to choose between her image and fighting for the life her family has built.

Lawyer Forbes Guidry is used to making things go his way. But when he’s asked to take on a pro bono case for a colleague, he’ll learn that he can’t control everything—including his feelings for his new client: Alaine Delacroix.

Alaine’s only option to help her family is hiring Forbes, but can she bring herself to trust the handsome, disarmingly charming lawyer? And will Forbes Guidry be able to make a case for love before losing his job and family? Can both trust that God will present a solution before it’s too late?

Kaye's Bonneterre series has a strength in grounding the reader in a setting and culture, that while fictional, does exist in southern Louisiana. She's clearly done her research (check her website for info), and for someone who lived three years in New Orleans, I felt a bit like I was back there, reading the French names and wondering how the heck you're supposed to be able to pronounce them! (Kaye even helps readers out with phonetically proper pronunciations, though, so no worries.)

So, donning the therapist cap, let's take a look at the deeper issues Kaye brings to light within the confines of her lighthearted and often humorous romance.

Kaye's leading man, Forbes, is a control freak. The thing is, though, is that he admits it, which makes him one of the worst kind of control freaks out there: the kind that unrepentantly makes the choice to be. Forbes gets involved in his family's business on a regular basis. Part of that is because he's a lawyer, and his family uses his services for convenience.

But Forbes takes things too far, and often has to apologize, only to do something else again. Kaye handles this issue well, because by the end of the book, God forces Forbes to come to the conclusion in his character arc that God is in control, not him. He can't go around playing Holy Spirit Jr. and usurping God's role in his life (and others). The beauty of getting to this breaking point is when you realize how much God can bless you through the thin place. Forbes experiences this, and it just makes you smile.

Forbes is faced with the worst kind of decision about mid-way through the book, as he learns information about a particular legal dealing his parents are involved in. He comes to the conclusion that his parents are on the "wrong" side of things, and he makes the difficult decision to go up against them (and his own firm).

This book will resonate with anyone because of this storyline. Who hasn't struggled with the biblical edict to honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12) when what you think they are doing isn't honorable? Does God want blind obedience to the rule, or would he prefer obedience to the spirit of the rule? Forbes wrestles with this, and Kaye does a great job of showing his hesitation, his resolve, and the aftermath that ensues as he effectively cuts himself out of his close-knit family for taking the stand he does.

He's also faced with losing everything to make this one stand. He feels God's assurance that he's doing the right thing, but yet he feels the costly sacrifice that comes with doing the right thing as well. He stands to lose his relationship with his parents, his job at a prestigious law firm, his love for nice clothes, etc. Not all of us might have had to face something that would so definitively change our lives, but many of us have, and my sympathies went to Forbes as I recalled my own experiences.

In conclusion, Kaye has written characters that are relatable, likable, and therefore memorable. An excellent book to curl up with and enjoy...and it can be yours!

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below with your email address written so spammers can't get it (ex: charactertherapist (at) hotmail (dot) com). The rules are simple:

1) If you are already a follower, you will be entered twice in the drawing.
2) If you become a new follower, you will be entered three times!
3) If you refer a follower my direction, your name goes in the pot two more times! (Just tell me who you referred.)

Giveaway ends on Friday! Best of luck to everyone!