Paper Hearts - by Courtney Walsh

About the book:

Abigail Pressman would never have guessed that love notes penned on paper hearts by an anonymous couple could restore her belief in love. As a business owner in a quaint town at the base of the Rockies, she’s poured everything into dreams of expansion . . . and resisting the matchmaking efforts of the Valentine Volunteers, who gather in her store to continue Loves Park’s tradition of stamping mail with the city’s romantic postmark.

When Abigail is unwillingly drafted into the Volunteers, she encounters the paper hearts, a distraction that couldn’t come at a worse time. A hard-to-read doctor has become Abigail’s new landlord, and he’s threatening to end her lease to expand his practice.

As she fights a growing attraction to this handsome man crushing her dreams, Abigail is inspired to string the hearts in her store, sparking a citywide infatuation with the artsy trend. But when a new batch of hearts reaches the Volunteers, it appears something tragic has happened to the couple. Will uncovering their story confirm Abigail’s doubts about love, or could it rescue her dreams . . . and her heart?

My review:

I really enjoyed this love story about finding your dreams and the power of forgiveness!  I absolutely loved the setting of this charming town and the cozy bookstore.  I really felt like I could relate to Abigail, both personally and professionally, as we had some of the same personality traits and I worked in a bookstore that closed and was my dream job.  I can also understand not wanting to get hurt and cutting yourself off from people.  This book inspired me to trust God more with my future and my dreams.   I liked Jacob a lot, but was more frustrated with him for the way he let his business partner, Kelly, push him around and for the way he held on to his grief and blamed himself and God.  While I liked that we got to see Jacob's struggle with trusting God after he felt like God let him down and Abigail's struggle to let God be in control, I wished it would have been made clear to the other where they were in their faith journeys since that should be the most important thing in a relationship.  They weren't shown as discussing that at all.  I also felt that it got a little repetitive talking about wanting to save the store.  There were some cute moments where they noticed each other, but  I wanted the romance to start a little earlier than it did.  The Valentine Volunteers were pretty amusing and spunky!  I liked the other characters, too. The suspense was drawn out well as we aren't told right away what happened between Jacob and his wife.  Elements of the story reminded me of You've Got Mail, which is one of my favorite movies.  This was a wonderfully written  novel and I highly recommend it!

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.


Check out the book trailer here:

http://goo.gl/DsXlMq

Check out the author's Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/courtneywalshwrites

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theatre director, and playwright. Her debut novel, "A Sweethaven Summer," hit the "New York Times" and "USA Today" e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. She has written… Read Full Bio