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The McKaslin Clan: Series 1 #3
Heart and Soul
Michelle McKaslin felt as if a higher power had intervened when she rescued an injured stranger and gave him the job of handyman in exchange for roon and board. There was just something about this tough-yet-tender drifter that made her believe she'd actually found "the one". Was it too much to hope that she was finally stepping out from the shadow of her four perfect sisters?
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
13 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Jillian Hart
193 books601 followersJillian Hart grew up on her family's homestead in Washington state, where she raised cattle, rode horses and scribbled stories in her spare time.
After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel.
When Jillian isn't working on her next story, she can be found puttering around her rose garden, curled up with a good book and spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel.
When Jillian isn't working on her next story, she can be found puttering around her rose garden, curled up with a good book and spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 13, 2018
This was actually the first Christian fiction book I read, about six years ago now! I absolutely adored it then, and it is really what converted me to the entire world of Christian fiction! I re-read it now because it worked for a team challenge I am participating in and I adored it every bit as much as I did the first time around! Once again, I related so much to Michelle in so many ways. And Brody, oh my gosh, talk about a swoon worthy hero! So many things he did just made me absolutely melt! I highly recommend this book! And plan to read it many more times in the future!
March 21, 2021
Jillian Hart's books seem to be either hit or miss for me, but she is one of my favorite category romance authors because when her books hit, they hit big. This one was ok, three stars worth, until about the last quarter, when it suddenly got very good, enough to bump it to four stars.
(For a five star read, I highly recommend Sweet Blessings. It's one of my top ten all time favorites.)
(For a five star read, I highly recommend Sweet Blessings. It's one of my top ten all time favorites.)
September 16, 2019
Michelle rescued an injured stranger and got him a job on her parent’s ranch. She didn’t know she would fall in love with him or that he was there undercover because they were under suspicion of money laundering. Michelle is also upset because her father is selling the ranch to her no good uncle who will ruin it. Nice clean story.
March 10, 2022
Working my way thru THREE BAGS ($3/bag) of Love, Inspired books... and I didn't realize that this was a) another McKaslin book, or b) that it was Jillian Hart... until my daughter sitting next to me said, "Oh, NO! Mom, that's Jillian Hart - just throw it at the wall and be DONE with it!"
And I - stubbornly - said, "Maybe she's gotten better!!" Because I often forget which writers I don't like/why. And I prefer to give authors the benefit of the doubt. Must stop that. NOW.
DNF @17 pages. And I *struggled* to make it those seventeen pages. HARD. I dog-ear pages that have something hideous on them... and e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. p.a.g.e was dog-eared, I kid you not.
Second Sentence: "He waited on THE graveled turnout along THE country road while THE cell phone connected." My college writing professor would SLAY her for that many THEs in one sentence. POOR writing.
Pg 2 - " 'Agent Brody here, sir. I'm on assignment in Montana and good to go.' 'Watch your back, agent... You keep your head low. I don't want to lose my best agent.' 'Don't worry, sir. I'm cautious.' He patted his revolver tucked in its holster against this left side and ended the call." ←ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is a conversation?! Between professionals who've worked together for a decade. That's THE most laughably awful dialogue I've read in forever. It's like one of those 'Naked Gun' spoofy movies in which people are so dumb, they couldn't possibly be real (or taken seriously).
Pg 4 - "He hadn't been on a bike since the counterfeiting bike gang..." I read that aloud to my four sons. They busted up laughing. COUNTERFEITING BIKE GANG. Is that it's name, or the hideous description that doesn't even make sense!?
Pg 5 - "Michelle considered the three shopping bags crammed on her bench seat. It was officially summer and she needed the right shoes. The styles this summer were SO cute - strappy flats and sassy mules and the softest suedes a girl just couldn't say no to." ← I read it aloud with a valley girl style dialect, and even threw in an, "Oh... eM...Gee!!!" And my daughter groaned - literally - aloud and said, "Give me that. *I* want to throw it at the wall."
But I wasn't finished. Also pg 5: "Her cell chirped out the strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D..." (at which point my husband groaned - literally - aloud) "... That was the song she'd picked out for her trip down the aisle - not that she was getting married any time soon, but a girl had to hope." At which point all four sons and a daughter were grabbing at the book, and making comments about the burn barrel... but I kept it and moved on...
Pg 6 - she's DISTRACTED DRIVING while talking to her bestie about the guy who's "passing on the straight stretch like right down from my driveway" - 'Like?' Apparently my valley girl was dead on. Oh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!!!
Pg 7 - "He's got these broad shoulders, strong arms, like he's in command of the road..." My kids and husband are shouting 'Stop! Stop!'
Same page - "OH NO!!! She saw the tan streak emerge from the grass... a dear and fawn dashed into the road!" My kids were gasping and fainting on the sofa, while my husband said, "Woud'a been nice if she had both hands on the wheel, huh?"
Continuing on: "She yanked on the sleeve of her faded designer denim jacket that she'd gotten on sale for an unbelievable one hundred and twenty dollars, and wiped the trickling blood - "
**** ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! ****
Did I mention DNF? And that it's technically to page 17, but the story doesn't technically begin until pg 7, so... LESS THAN THAT?!
There are SIXTEEN Jillian Hart books in my new stash. I swear, if she doesn't learn to write soon, I'm going to go postal on a stack of books. How the HECK does this garbage get published?!?!?
And I - stubbornly - said, "Maybe she's gotten better!!" Because I often forget which writers I don't like/why. And I prefer to give authors the benefit of the doubt. Must stop that. NOW.
DNF @17 pages. And I *struggled* to make it those seventeen pages. HARD. I dog-ear pages that have something hideous on them... and e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. p.a.g.e was dog-eared, I kid you not.
Second Sentence: "He waited on THE graveled turnout along THE country road while THE cell phone connected." My college writing professor would SLAY her for that many THEs in one sentence. POOR writing.
Pg 2 - " 'Agent Brody here, sir. I'm on assignment in Montana and good to go.' 'Watch your back, agent... You keep your head low. I don't want to lose my best agent.' 'Don't worry, sir. I'm cautious.' He patted his revolver tucked in its holster against this left side and ended the call." ←ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is a conversation?! Between professionals who've worked together for a decade. That's THE most laughably awful dialogue I've read in forever. It's like one of those 'Naked Gun' spoofy movies in which people are so dumb, they couldn't possibly be real (or taken seriously).
Pg 4 - "He hadn't been on a bike since the counterfeiting bike gang..." I read that aloud to my four sons. They busted up laughing. COUNTERFEITING BIKE GANG. Is that it's name, or the hideous description that doesn't even make sense!?
Pg 5 - "Michelle considered the three shopping bags crammed on her bench seat. It was officially summer and she needed the right shoes. The styles this summer were SO cute - strappy flats and sassy mules and the softest suedes a girl just couldn't say no to." ← I read it aloud with a valley girl style dialect, and even threw in an, "Oh... eM...Gee!!!" And my daughter groaned - literally - aloud and said, "Give me that. *I* want to throw it at the wall."
But I wasn't finished. Also pg 5: "Her cell chirped out the strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D..." (at which point my husband groaned - literally - aloud) "... That was the song she'd picked out for her trip down the aisle - not that she was getting married any time soon, but a girl had to hope." At which point all four sons and a daughter were grabbing at the book, and making comments about the burn barrel... but I kept it and moved on...
Pg 6 - she's DISTRACTED DRIVING while talking to her bestie about the guy who's "passing on the straight stretch like right down from my driveway" - 'Like?' Apparently my valley girl was dead on. Oh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!!!
Pg 7 - "He's got these broad shoulders, strong arms, like he's in command of the road..." My kids and husband are shouting 'Stop! Stop!'
Same page - "OH NO!!! She saw the tan streak emerge from the grass... a dear and fawn dashed into the road!" My kids were gasping and fainting on the sofa, while my husband said, "Woud'a been nice if she had both hands on the wheel, huh?"
Continuing on: "She yanked on the sleeve of her faded designer denim jacket that she'd gotten on sale for an unbelievable one hundred and twenty dollars, and wiped the trickling blood - "
**** ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! ****
Did I mention DNF? And that it's technically to page 17, but the story doesn't technically begin until pg 7, so... LESS THAN THAT?!
There are SIXTEEN Jillian Hart books in my new stash. I swear, if she doesn't learn to write soon, I'm going to go postal on a stack of books. How the HECK does this garbage get published?!?!?
April 22, 2020
I used to finish every book I started because I just had to know the ending. The sad thing about Love Inspired is that you know the ending before you ever pick up the book. You know the book is going to end with the two main characters in love with each other. For me, this means that you need to find a way to make me care about the characters and what happens to them--and this book didn't.
One of my friends would say that this falls into the law enforcement sub-genre of this genre. I didn't find anything original about Brody. Michelle's character was a bit better developed but I had trouble seeing her as the innocent if her family had illegal acts all around her.
One of my friends would say that this falls into the law enforcement sub-genre of this genre. I didn't find anything original about Brody. Michelle's character was a bit better developed but I had trouble seeing her as the innocent if her family had illegal acts all around her.
September 23, 2017
Inspirational romance.
April 3, 2018
Good Book/series.
July 30, 2018
I like all of Jillian Hart paperback books. Especially ( The McKaslin Clan).
August 3, 2018
2+ stars
May 26, 2020
It was hard to put down.
November 8, 2020
It was also good :) I'm impressed by how quickly Brody realized he wanted to marry Michelle, it was very cute :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2015
I can't say enough good things about this book. It made me laugh out loud. My heart was breaking in certain areas. Man, I wish I could have given it more stars. Gabe Brody had a motorcycle accident right in front of the very family he is planning to investigate undercover. Michelle McKaslin watches as the motorcycle in front of her veers off the road to keep from hitting a deer and it's fawn. She stays at the hospital while he's being checked out and offers him a place to stay at her family's home until he can get his motorcycle back from the shop. Perfect!!! That was just what he needed for his investigation into a family member that lives on the property. Who knew that he would fall in love in the process?
May 28, 2009
Michelle is a country girl who longs for romance. Is the handsome man who falls off his motorcycle an answer to her prayers? Motorcyclist Gabe, though somewhat attracted to Michelle, is torn because he is an undercover agent who is investigating her family for charges of counterfeiting.
January 12, 2014
This is the third book in the McKaslin series. It is about Michelle and named Brody who Michelle thinks is too perfect to be real. The story deals with a close family, dreams, doubts, forgiveness, and a real soul-mate kind of love.
Good reading!
Good reading!
October 1, 2011
It was cute. It made me both laugh and smile.
November 9, 2011
This was a good light Christian romance.
April 19, 2012
Awesome book
April 30, 2012
Michelle and Gabe's relationship starts after she rescues him and gives him a job.
He's injured when they first meet, but slowly heals, while helping heal her heart.
He's injured when they first meet, but slowly heals, while helping heal her heart.
December 6, 2015
I don't usually like these weird preachy books, but this one was actually really good. I liked the story a lot. I loved that she had a big family. It really reminded me of my family.
Read
August 24, 2016Another "beach"read. A little romance with a happy ending and "they lived happily ever after."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2011
Love it so far...
April 27, 2017
very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews