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Serenity, Arkansas
The Perfect Couple
Despite their differences, Tyler Corbett assumed Kara Shepherd was a fine woman...for somebody else. He had no intention of falling for her, despite a vast local conspiracy. But how could the strapping cowboy avoid Kara when she popped up everywhere he went - even in church?
Widowed Kara figured there was only one way to get her family - and Tyler's - to stop matchmaking. They'd simply pretend to fall in love, then break up. Step One of the charade was surprisingly easy. But when a few fake kisses unexpectedly led to the real thing, Step Two was in serious jeopardy!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
About the author
Valerie Hansen
187 books254 followersValerie Hansen is the pen name of Valerie Whisenand.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Although I have been a published author since the mid 1980s, I have been writing women's Christian fiction almost exclusively since 1999.
There is a longer, more detailed bio on my website so there's no need for me to repeat all that here. Right now, I write for all three Love Inspired lines, Romance, Suspense and Historical. I'm delighted to have been included that broadly and besides, it keeps me so busy that I stay out of trouble. Well, mostly.
You'll find me on the LI Historical blog as well as other LI features. If I try to do much more I won't have time to write my books!
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Although I have been a published author since the mid 1980s, I have been writing women's Christian fiction almost exclusively since 1999.
There is a longer, more detailed bio on my website so there's no need for me to repeat all that here. Right now, I write for all three Love Inspired lines, Romance, Suspense and Historical. I'm delighted to have been included that broadly and besides, it keeps me so busy that I stay out of trouble. Well, mostly.
You'll find me on the LI Historical blog as well as other LI features. If I try to do much more I won't have time to write my books!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 14, 2011
This is probably my current favorite entry in the Love Inspired series of romance novels. It deals with Kara and Tyler, both of whom have lost their mates in death and both of whom are Christian. They elect to develop a fake relationship in the hopes that their well-meaning relatives will stop trying to marry them off.
The book delivers in characterization: Kara is an intelligent, devoted veterinarian; Tyler is a cowboy with a ranch. They are also both gifted with a great sense of humor, Tyler in particular. The author writes almost as if this is a screwball comedy and places them in very funny situations.
The book also explores the Christian concept of a conscience and what it means to hold a good conscience. In the Bible, the Greek word for conscience literally means "co-knowledge or knowledge with oneself." We can, in a sense, stand back and look at ourselves, our lives, and make moral judgments. Kara's conscience weighs heavily on her due to her late husband's angry tirades and shady business dealings, which may have adversely affected Tyler and his family. Tyler's conscience blames him for his wife's death. In each case, however, their consciences are overly punitive.
The story also concerns trust, since Kara and Tyler's relationship is (at first) fraudulent. One of the most, if not the most, important aspect of any relationship is trust and how Kara and Tyler learn to trust each other is actually very sweet.
Near the end of the book, Tyler comments to Kara about being tired of sleeping alone. It's nice to see an author at least acknowledge that Christians do have libidos, even if they practice self-control.
The book delivers in characterization: Kara is an intelligent, devoted veterinarian; Tyler is a cowboy with a ranch. They are also both gifted with a great sense of humor, Tyler in particular. The author writes almost as if this is a screwball comedy and places them in very funny situations.
The book also explores the Christian concept of a conscience and what it means to hold a good conscience. In the Bible, the Greek word for conscience literally means "co-knowledge or knowledge with oneself." We can, in a sense, stand back and look at ourselves, our lives, and make moral judgments. Kara's conscience weighs heavily on her due to her late husband's angry tirades and shady business dealings, which may have adversely affected Tyler and his family. Tyler's conscience blames him for his wife's death. In each case, however, their consciences are overly punitive.
The story also concerns trust, since Kara and Tyler's relationship is (at first) fraudulent. One of the most, if not the most, important aspect of any relationship is trust and how Kara and Tyler learn to trust each other is actually very sweet.
Near the end of the book, Tyler comments to Kara about being tired of sleeping alone. It's nice to see an author at least acknowledge that Christians do have libidos, even if they practice self-control.
July 12, 2015
3 stars: Although I really liked this book as a whole, I did not like the way the story was wrapped up.
August 1, 2016
Loved it. One of the best Love Inspired that I've read. I love the teasing between the protagonists and that it's not super-duper churchy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews