All That It Takes by Nicole Deese: Book Review

 **I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

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.

Nicole Deese's (www.nicoledeese.com) eight humorous, heartfelt, and hope-filled novels include the 2017 Carol Award-winning A Season to Love. Her 2018 release, A New Shade of Summer, was a finalist in the RITA Awards, Carol Awards, and INSPY Awards. Both of these books are from her bestselling Love in Lenox series. When she's not working on her next contemporary romance, she can usually be found reading one by a window overlooking the inspiring beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She lives in small-town Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two rambunctious sons, and princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

All That It Takes is the follow up to Nicole Deese's All That Really Matters. This book tells Val and Miles story, both of whom we were initially introduced to in the previous novel. While I would certainly recommend reading the previous book to get a little more backstory (and frankly, it's just a great read), I do believe this would be just fine as a standalone as well. 

One of the things that I really loved about the previous novel was that it was a beautiful blend of romance and faith, while also managing to handle some more sensitive and important topics. I found the same to be true for this one as well. The chemistry between Val and Miles was sweet and enjoyable, with bits of humor mixed in--- thanks in large part to Tucker and his inability to keep secrets... I definitely feel like he added so much to this story!  Beyond that though, there were beautiful messages of faith and the importance of community, taking on the topic of unexpected pregnancy in a way that was absolutely wonderful. I must admit I found myself reaching for the tissues more than once with this one. 

Overall, I found it to be a really enjoyable read and one that has cemented Nicole Deese on my 'must read' list.