The Shift Between Us by India Tungate: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Book

All he wants for Christmas is her… even if she’s faking it.

Olivia Gray would do anything for Luke, except let him out of the friend zone. For eleven years, Olivia has worked hard to set boundaries within their friendship to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. However, her barriers are tested when she joins Luke for their family Christmas celebration and ends up becoming his FAKE girlfriend.

The last thing Luke Beckett wants to do for the holidays is to be around his estranged father, even if it might be their last one together. But when the pressure of his overbearing relatives becomes too much for him, Olivia announces herself as his ‘girlfriend’ in order to take the spotlight off of him. However, Luke sees it as an opportunity to prove they belong together, despite their complicated past.

As the Christmas magic fades, pretend and reality comes face to face, leaving Olivia and Luke wondering what happens when they return to real life. Will Luke escape the friend zone or will this new shift come between them?

The Author

India Tungate is a writer of cozy heartfelt christian romance stories. She is living her own happily ever after in a small town in Kentucky with her husband and two children. She discovered her love for writing at the age of ten and has always dreamed of becoming an author. After the loss of her grandmother in 2020, India finally decided to go for it and publish her debut novel, Raine, Raine, Run Away.

India spends her time wearing many hats. Besides writing she also manages her small homestead, homeschooling her children, and running a photography business. When she has time, you can find her making memories with her loved ones, volunteering at her church, reading a sweet romance book, or re-watching The Office.

Book Review

The Shift Between Us is the second book in the Covewood series. While you might have a better understanding of the history and relationships between all these characters if you've read that first book, I do think you could probably still enjoy this one as a standalone as well. 

Raine, Raine Run Away (the first book in this series) was one of my top favorite books of last year, and as such, I was very much looking forward to the follow-up... and I have to say, this one was every bit as wonderful as the first. India once again did such a beautiful job of blending a sweet and swoon-worthy romance, filled with moments that had me smiling... while also packing an emotional punch right along with it... and points to Jesus though it all. This story certainly isn't one that shies away from the hard stuff, with mentions abuse, cancer and alcohol abuse. And yet, it also offers a beautiful message of forgiveness and redemption. I loved seeing the growth and faith of not just Olivia and Luke, but of the side characters as well. It was beautiful and emotional, and I think that struggle to forgive is one that so many are going to be able to relate to. While all of that certainly led to some difficult moments, it was balanced beautifully with those lighter ones to keep it from feeling too heavy. I loved all the music references throughout, and of course, the holiday traditions too. Olivia and Luke had such an amazing chemistry and were terrible at keeping the 'fake' in fake dating... in the best way possible. Theirs was a hard fought happily ever after, and I absolutely loved everything about it. 

The Shift Between Us is a Christian closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/402Gub0