Antiques

Antiques is one of my favorite Christian romances...I thought it was so realistic. None of the characters are perfect, or self-righteous. They all love the Lord (eventually) but they are still normal people who have flaws and screw up. I liked that Grant went through a process in becoming a Christian. He was so bitter towards God, but then he saw how Dawn's faith had sustained her, and what she had become through it, a beautiful, joyful woman. I thought it was cool that Kim was there when he accepted Christ, and how special that was for both of them. I also liked it that his problems with trust and insecurity didn't disappear when he became a Christian. He and Dawn still had some major blow-ups over it. And Grant really loves his daughter, and spends time with her.Dawn is a great character. She's sweet, she's funny, she loves the Lord, she's smart and she knows what she wants, and what she won't put up with. I liked at the end when she finally kinda tells him off about Alex and how she's not Susan and will never be Susan. She wasn't mean about it, but she was clear that she loves him, only him, and nothing he did or said was ever going to change that. He finally wakes up a little bit. And I thought the bit about her knowing he didn't smoke tobacco cuz there was no ring on the back pocket of his jeans was hilarious!What I liked the most though was Grant and Dawn's relationship. They have fun together, the dialogue is great, they joke, they argue, they have serious talks. They go on dates, they help each other. They struggle with sexual purity and temptation, which is refreshing and realistic. Although I did wonder why if Dawn was so set against marrying a non-believer why would she even date one? I really love this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

I thought that this would be another of those books with hopelessly virtuous people, a love story about people with no flaws, and that by the time I was done, I would hate the character. I was wrong. This was a book that took unexpected turns, one that kept me wondering what would happen next. Dawn was a blast, and Grant was sweet, but they weren't overdone. I loved it.

I have read all of Sharon Gillenwater's "Buckley" series, and hope there are more coming! The characters are realistic, the dialog snappy, the problems they endure are identifiable and its very well written. Not a boring page throughout! This is a keeper and I'll treat myself to a reread often.

If you have read "Love Song" then this is a must read. It follows the story of Dawn and Grant. It was so good. Sharon Gillenwater has such a gift for writing a fun love story. She weaves in her stories love, romance and humor. I would highly recommend it.