The Risk of Loving

by Jane Peart

A chance encounter over the holiday season allows Coryn Dodge to help widower Mark Emory, but when kindness turns to love, they both realize that they have been given the opportunity to start again.

Genres: Love Inspired, Romance, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian Romance

277 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Jane Johnson Peart of Asheville, North Carolina, Humboldt and Marin counties, California, and in recent years, Hawaii, passed away in 2007. She was the author of more than 60 works of suspense, historical fiction and romance, which touched the hearts and minds of thousands of readers whose correspondence she treasured. She wrote for the secular and Christian market, and is best known for the Brides of Montclair series.

Reviews

[AnneMarieG1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me. I struggled to find anything engaging in the endless descriptions the author gave. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen; 50 pages in I was still waiting. The author even managed to make the heroine's breakup with her cad of a boyfriend sound boring and emotionless. Years ago I read several of this author's historical novels and enjoyed them a lot, so I still plan to read her other books. Unfortunately, this one just didn't hold my interest.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coryn is flying home when she notices a man in the airport and their gazes locked. Due to the airline both of them give up their seats for the next flight. They end up eating dinner together and find out both of them are going to Rockport. Coryn arrives home and finds out that things are not as they should be and her visit turns out to be a lot longer than she first expected.

[Sandra Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely story though it points out flaws in my own life in how I have shut myself off from the risk of loving again. Though Coryn doesn't have nearly the amount or kind of heartbreak I have faced over my life it is still a hard lesson to acct that I need to risk the pain to find the joy.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - A quiet, sometimes sadly heavy, Christian romance novel with an important message about the risk of opening your heart to love. Love comes with a price, but so does not loving.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I had written a blog post of this book and two others. But I inadvertently deleted it while trying to edit it. So I'll try again. The date I finished is an estimate - it was sometime in the latter half of October anyway.
This book, from the Little Free Library, came with low expectations. Just a quick read with a happy ending.
By chapter 2, it was clear to me that Coryn's mom was suffering from dementia. (The book never used the d-word, I'm not sure why.) For about half the book, the author teased the reader with hints about mom's condition - including severe migraine headaches, which was actually just a red herring.
I never really understood why the guy decided it was necessary to break off the romance. The only real explanation was in the book title.
Anyway, the book lived up to my expectations, but I certainly learned nothing from the book about Alzheimer's. I think I might have known more on the subject than the author did, although perhaps she just intentionally oversimplified things. For example, even today the only definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's requires an autopsy. The doctor should have told Coryn that her mother probably had Alzheimer's, since other causes had been ruled out. But it's a presumptive diagnosis.
I have no desire to seek out other books by this author, nor to find other selections in the "Love Inspired" collection.

[Gabbyferron]

The main characters of this book are Coryn and Mark. The other characters are Ginny, Coryn's mom and dad. The setting is in a small town. I don't know much of the conflict right now not that far into the book only haft way, but I believe that the conflict is that when you love someone a lot you always have the risk of losing them forever. So far I like the book, I like how Coryn is falling in love with Mark and the other way around. I like that Mark is a good dad to Ginny and not a bad one. I also like how Coryn's friends think that her and Mark are a couple. I don't like so far is that I have the feeling that Coryn's mom is going to die soon because she keeps forgetting stuff and keeps having to lay down for like 5 hours. I don't like how Coryn's dad is treating her mom just because she keeps forgetting to turn off the stove. I believe this book is for young adult's and that they understand the risk of loving any one.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hard book for me to read since it deals with loss. I did stick it out and was glad I did because within the story lies great wisdom and advice. The hardest thing for me, and I believe most everyone, is letting go while being ok with how you feel. Even though the majority of the book deals with sadness the ending is wonderful and shows that it will all be okay. This is considered a holiday book because it starts out during thanksgiving however, due to the heaviness of the story I would recommend reading it in the summer.

[Mistyblue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, although somewhat predictable. I did enjoy the subplot with the mother and the growth the character developed as a result of her mother's illness. The characters seemed very well rounded and developed. I guess my lower rating stems from a lack of that "can't put ot down" feeling that I often get from most of Jane Peart's books.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After much soul-searching, I've decided not to place my reviews of books that have gotten stars of 3 or less. I do give what I do not like in the book and have it posted on Amazon and Fiction Database. For the review, check there. Because this is a "Good Reads" site, I only want to share my 4 and 5 star rating reviews. Thanks for understanding.

[Cws]

YAI-Pea

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Peart does a wonderful job of describing the love these two characters share, along with their struggles. Great read. Didn't want to put it down.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

She writes good books just different then what I usually read

[Olean Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

-This book is about a person that was stranded. It’s a fateful encounter and a chance for love.