The Perfect Couple

This is probably my current favorite entry in the Love Inspired series of romance novels. It deals with Kara and Tyler, both of whom have lost their mates in death and both of whom are Christian. They elect to develop a fake relationship in the hopes that their well-meaning relatives will stop trying to marry them off. The book delivers in characterization: Kara is an intelligent, devoted veterinarian; Tyler is a cowboy with a ranch. They are also both gifted with a great sense of humor, Tyler in particular. The author writes almost as if this is a screwball comedy and places them in very funny situations. The book also explores the Christian concept of a conscience and what it means to hold a good conscience. In the Bible, the Greek word for conscience literally means "co-knowledge or knowledge with oneself." We can, in a sense, stand back and look at ourselves, our lives, and make moral judgments. Kara's conscience weighs heavily on her due to her late husband's angry tirates and shady business dealings. Tyler's conscience blames him for his wife's death. In each case, however, their consciences are overly punitive. The story also concerns trust, since Kara and Tyler's relationship is (at first) fraudulent. One of the most, if not the most, important aspect of any relationship is trust and how Kara and Tyler learn to trust each other is actually very sweet. Near the end of the book, Tyler comments to Kara about being tired of sleeping alone. It's nice to see an author at least acknowledge that Christians do have libidos, even if they practice self-control.

This is one of my favorite books from the Love Inspired line. It has a couple really good mushy scenes, and humer all the way through. The hero is dreamy, the heroine is a ditz with a problem, they bicker, they fall in love. It's awesome. Ms. Hansen has done a wonderful job painting the characters and setting. The writing is light. The plot moves swiftly. The dialoge is hilarious. And the romance of the book brings tears to your eyes. Read it. I think you'll love it.