"All that it Takes," by Nicole Deese

 "All that it Takes," by Nicole Deese

When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she'd planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend's brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers' mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val's community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord. 

Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he's also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects--not the least of which is pursuing Val--without stopping to consider the future. 

As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they'll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.

This is the first book I have read by this author.  I enjoyed it, but found it a bit hard to get into at first.  I felt as though we were being slowly "drip-fed" the story.  It was a little to slow for me.  Saying that though, I did find the subject matter very interesting and did learn some new things, which is always a bonus.

I came away thinking that love is truly about give and take, and with Val and Miles, it was a struggle to find that middle ground.  This book also made you think about what God wants you to do in your life and what plans he has for you.  Even the most religious of people have much to learn as they navigate a path through life.  

Stars out of 5 : 4 It was a struggle at first to get engrossed in the book, but by the time I got half way through it I needed to know what was going to happen next.  It is worth the read though.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".