Love Finds You in Romeo, Colorado

by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry

Love Finds You in Romeo, Colorado

Can one woman’s tragedy turn into happily ever after? Claire Caspian is a first-rate professor, teaching even the most cynical student to find beauty in literature. But with her own personal story, she isn’t as successful. Having recently lost her husband, Claire returns with her young son to the tiny desert town of Romeo, Colorado, where she grew up. There she settles in with her feisty old Abuelita, the richest woman in the county and attempts to rebuild her life. But love comes searching for Claire in the form of attractive local doctor Stephen Reyes. Will another tragedy prevent her from accepting love the second time around? Or will she embrace her new Romeo and finally find a happy ending?

Love Finds You™ is a series of full-length romance novels that give readers a peek into the flavor of local life across the United States. The novels are uniquely named after actual American towns with quirky, interesting names that inspire romance and are just plain fun! This means that each fictional story draws on the compelling history or unique character of a real place.

Our fresh, original love stories will feature everything from romance kindled in small towns, to old loves lost and found on the high plains, to new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Christian, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Christian Romance, Contemporary

318 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2008

About the author

Gwen Ford Faulkenberry lives and writes in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. She and her husband, Stone, have three young children: Grace, Harper, and Adelaide. Gwen is the author of God’s Heart for You, a gift book published by Penman Paper, and she has written hundreds of products for DaySpring® Cards, as well as several novels in the popular Love Finds You™ romance line. A professor of English at her local college, she holds a Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Gwen has served as a ghostwriter for major publications.

Reviews

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book never really did grab me ... there were parts that were good and then parts that were just so-so. There were a lot of typographical errors in this book. The editorial staff did not do a real good job proof-reading. There was one place where the main character's son's name was even misspelled (Graeme -- Graham). I didn't really feel like the story was ever wrapped up ... in fact you get to the end and assume that when you read the epilogue you will find out what happens with the main characters, but that doesn't happen. The epilogue to this book focused on the wedding of two of the lesser characters that the main characters are attending, but doesn't really tell you what happens with the main characters. I hope the other books in this series are better.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in Romeo, Colorado and the San Luis Valley. My dad grew up in this area, so it was fun to picture most of the places in this book. It talked about Romeo, Manassa, Sandford, La Jara, Alamosa, and Salsilta. It was just a fun, light read. In fact, I read it in about 24 hours.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it but didn't love it. Hated the epilogue; who cares what happens to Joe and Frieda?? They weren't even the main characters in the book! I wanted to find out what happened to Claire and Stephen! I was pretty darn upset about the ending.

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction book in the Love Finds You series! Romeo, Colorado set the story, and the characters were heartwarming. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author! I read my own physical copy of this book, and all review opinions and recommendations/parent guides, etc , are my personal views.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The author did a great job of showing how hard it was for Claire to trust in God and learn to love again. She was so fearful of losing people she cared about, because of past experiences, that she had trouble with letting her heart open to another.

A couple of things bothered me, but they weren't a very big deal. First, Claire really jumps to conclusions without getting all of the facts. This is definitely a big flaw in her character. She makes judgments and is stubborn about things. I wasn't fond of the very ending of the book. I know it is meant to be a cute twist, but it just left me hanging a bit. But I loved the rest of the book and thought that the main characters were very interesting to read about.

[Angelique Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star because I couldn't rank it lower. I don't know how many poor reviews in the past, if I had they were few and dar between. But never have I felt the desire to write this one ---

Though a few things were cute by the standards of Christian romance, there was so much cringe that it was hard to see.

#1. What kid of person has time to be a doctor AND and farmer on a running farm AND help his neighbors with their heavy farm duties AND go to bible study (outside of church time) AND run with a friend? And then date a single mom on top of that? Ehh...I guess it might be possible but I absolutely cannot fathom it.

#2. And my biggest issue from the very beginning. It was absolutely wrong of him to look up her sons chart after she was in the ED for an asthma attack in order to contact her because he liked. Sure, the game was one thing, you can be kind. But, it is not only unethical that he'd approach her, it's illegal. Due to HIPAA laws, the patient must initiate the contact.


This story left an awful taste in my mouth and wondering if should now be worried about seeking Healthcare in case the staff become sexually attracted to me. Not something anyone should have to worry about when they are sick or hurt and scared.

Also, that's not even to mention the poor grammer and syntax.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book I had to force myself to finish. I put it down for a while. It eventually took four months to finish it. I picked the book up in a used bookstore because it's based in Colorado and I like to read about the local area.

I felt this book was all over the place and way too many side characters. The main story regarding Claire and Stephen was decent. It's a story about a young widow/mother finding (and trusting) in love again. Unfortunately, there were too many side characters to keep track of. You really need to take notes to keep track of them all. In the end, you think you are reading about Claire and Stephen's wedding in the epilogue until you realize the wedding was for two of the outside characters. Nothing tells the reader what happens to the main couple in the future.

I feel the two star I'm giving is generous but 1.5 stars is not an option. This rating is based on the main characters' story. The book could have cut the rest out and saved 1/4 of the length. Additionally, I enjoy reading Christian fiction but there are a lot of trying to tie up the story with references to the Bible. I feel it's rather forced.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has amazing character and wonderful scenery! I can picture where the characters are while reading Love Finds You in Romeo, CO! The main character has gone through so much heartache that she has trouble trusting and getting close to anyone because of this. The male character also has had some heartache and doesn't think he will find love again. I don't want to say anything else because I don't want to mention any spoilers. I don't like reading spoilers before I get to read the book. It ruins things for me.

[Samantha Cornwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story! A little on the slow side, but it's very sweet.

[Precious Mbaeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Maddison H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book went super fast where you were wondering what could be left. The middle was great! But the end was slow. Not my favorite Love Finds you book but one I’m still glad I read!

[Susan Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok story, but at times I found it hard to follow.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guideposts and Gwen Ford Faulkenberry did it again. A delightful story of foregiveness and trust.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first time I read this book, I made a note about it that said it was dull and boring. The “second verse is the same as the first” this time, as it never did spark my interest...in fact, I had to force myself to finish it!

There were a lot of typographical errors in this book, which proved to be a major distraction. I found it to be a case of more telling us readers the events rather than showing them to us. I didn't feel like the story was wrapped up in terms of the main characters. In fact, you get to the end and assume that when you read the epilogue you will find out what happens with them, but instead the ending focused on the wedding of two of the lesser characters, and the main characters are just attending it. The author never really tells you what happens with the main characters, which was extremely frustrating!

Claire was hard to connect to as a character, and was very flawed. Too flawed to be likable, in my opinion. Claire tended to jump to conclusions without getting all of the facts. She also made snap judgments and was stubborn to change her ways. I can appreciate how hard it was for Claire to trust in God and learn to love again, but she took it way too far for my liking. She was so fearful of losing people she cared about, because of past experiences, that she had trouble with letting her heart open to another man. Stephen was a bit too aloof for my tastes which also made him a difficult character to connect to. I thought these characters were too mismatched and it made their romance feel forced.

I’m glad I got this one from the library, as it is not one I’ll re-read again or own.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the Love Finds You series of which they are hoping to publish 1 for each state and written by lots of different authors. It's Christian romance fiction, this one was contemporary though some in the series are historical. This particular book was about Claire Caspian who had lost her husband a year and half earlier and she has returned to her hometown of Romeo Colorado. The writing style is easy and a connection is formed with the characters at their first encounter at the ER when Claire's son has been rushed over from school with an asthma attack. From there multiple misunderstands and missteps hound their relationship progress and eventually God sends a wake up call that helps Claire move on and let go of all the pain she has had in her life. It was an easy read, the scenery and backdrop of Romeo was nice. I could relate to Clarie early on in the book but towards the end some of her assumptions and pushing him away were a little over the top. One would think she would have learned earlier in the book not to just assume that he was this or that as every time she had assumed before she was wrong.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Can one woman's tragedy turn into happily ever after? Recently widowed, Claire Caspian returns with a young son to her tiny hometown of Romeo, Colorado. When love comes searching for Claire in the form of an attractive local doctor Stephen Reyes, will she embrace her new Romeo and finally find a happy ending?

REVIEW: This is one of the better LFY books in the series with characters that seem more real and a more interesting storyline. It was nice to see characters who had been through rough times and were honest about questioning and being angry with God. I especially enjoyed Abuelita and her strong faith and steadfast love for her family and friends. She was a feisty 85 year old and added some enjoyable laughter to the book.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "God loves us.....Sometimes things happen that nobody understands. Our job is to trust."

"One of the ways is by telling ourselves things over and over, or meditating...but if we meditate on truths from the Bible--well, that's where there's real Spirit and life. That's how we can really be transformed."

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After tragedy comes recovery, yet will there be an opening for love again? Claire's first husband passes away after a disease took his life and she moves back to Colorado with her mother. There, she raises her young son and meets some old friends, as well as a new doctor who is single and claire falls in love with him. Is Claire ready for love again?

[Dawn Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting but the inner workings of the characters and the emotional play between characters fell very flat. "Flat affect" comes to mind in describing it. It seemed to improve about halfway through, but then it lost momentum and fell flat again at the end. Not a book I would care to read again. :-(

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was between a 2 & 3, so I gave it 3 stars. It had a pretty decent story line, somewhat different from other books that I've read in the same category, so I wanted to finish it to see how it ended. I thought the ending was somewhat inconclusive. The writer put the epilogue in because other books have epilogues? It just seemed unnecessary.

[Lynn Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd really give this one 3.5 stars. The middle of the book sags a little bit, and it sometimes feels difficult to get inside the heroine's mind convincingly, but I liked the book overall. It's a very sweet "second chance at love" story between a widowed professor and the town doctor in a small community in the San Luis Valley. If you're looking for a sweet read, this one was quite nice.

[Deidre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was wavering between 3-4 stars on this one. I decided on 3 because I felt that there were a lot of loose ends and the epiloge that should have wrapped thing up gave no closure or HEA but took us to Jo's HEA. (honestlty when really thinking about what I thought about the book I'm starting to think more like a C-)

[Cymiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciate the readers advisory pointing me to this book as the setting is the San Luis Valley, where I grew up. Loved the historical references in the book but the plot did not sustain me.....so I turned it over to mom who has been staying up late reading and raving about this! So my rating is a combination of mom's and my review!

[Sandy Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this sweet series. Easy read. Fun details about the setting. In this one I learned a little Spanish, a little about neuroplasticity, and that there really is such a thing a Pink Dolphins! MUCH nicer reading than some series about vampires and werewolves. Try it!

[Adetia · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have been enjoying these "light reads" this one was not my favorite. It was riddled with editorial errors and I found that a distraction. It had potential but fell a little flat compared to the others in this set.

[Jesse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah. Can't believe I read this. Trying to broaden my horizons, I let the title and cover art grab me. Unfortunately the book was a horrible lifetime movie. Don't go here. Terrible dialog, terrible character development, boring plot... Overall, a thoroughly pedestrian book.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly edited book. She seems like an inexperienced writer, with an editor that didn't want to hurt her feelings.

[Casey]

I won't be rating this book as I didn't finish it due to great fictional errors that I just couldn't move past. It was really going no where, plot or character wise.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is again very preachy and just kinda .... (yawn)ok.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Christian romance -- I didn't realize it until one of the main characters went to a bible study... I thought this book was sweet and I would recommend it for a "quiet" read.