It's Always Been You by Rachel Chamberlayne: Book Review

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

The Book

He’s a former womanizer with a redeemed heart; she’s an old fling battling low self-esteem. After three years of silence, he’s back, and this time she’s wise enough to know he only wants her body, not her heart. Or does he?

Evie

I’ve loved my brother’s best friend since before I could talk—and it ended up costing me both my virtue and my heart. When an unexpected health scare forces me to quit my job as a caregiver three years later, Brandon swoops in and makes me a job offer I can’t refuse.

He’s acting like a total saint these days, but I know the real Brandon beneath that deceptively charming, calculatedly clinical doctor’s smile. This is all just a game to him—he loves the chase. Unfortunately, the last time we played games, I fell in love, and he fell in lust.

Still, my cold, black heart might be dumb enough to want to play again—just to feel something.

Brandon

I knew everything would change when I gave my life to Christ. The only change I couldn’t have prepared for was losing the one person who was in my corner when it felt like the whole world had turned against me.

I might have let my Spitfire down, but I’ll never let her go—not until she stops running from me long enough to forgive me. But as her heart begins to soften toward me, that same ember of desire burning between us threatens to send our innocent friendship up in flames yet again.

Hiring her as my assistant will be either the best decision or the worst mistake I’ve ever made.

Author's note: It's Always Been You is a closed door, fade-to-black contemporary Christian romance that includes mature themes best suited for readers 18+.

The Author

Rachel is a Christian romance writer who lives in the heartland with her husband and bouncing baby boy. With a Bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing, Rachel loves crafting love stories that will make you swoon, sigh, and give you all the butterflies. When she's not daydreaming about her book characters, you might find her reading, writing poetry, or spending time with her family.

Book Review

From the very first teasers I saw from this book, it quickly became one of my most anticipated fall reads. I had such high expectations for this story... and I am happy to say, it absolutely delivered. In fact, it might have even exceeded those expectations. Let's be clear though, this isn't one of those sweet and easy Christian romances where the characters had it all together and always made the right choices. No, Brandon, Evie, and their history together was messy, flawed and full of angst. Their story dealt strongly with sexual sin (and its repercussions), something they continued to struggle with even after turning to Christ... and I think there's something very real about that... a reminder that our own struggles with sin- whatever that might look like for us, don't always just disappear overnight. I loved that this story didn't shy away from the hard stuff or glorify sin... but pointed right back to God's redemption and the most important relationship of all... the one with Him. Of course, I loved the romance between Brandon and Evie--- it was a tender and emotional one with a perfectly slow burn and a truly hard fought happily ever after that I absolutely love... but it truly was that story of grace and healing that set this one apart! 

It's Always Been You is a Christian closed-door romance with fade-to-black/implied intimacy between a non-married couple. It deals with several mature themes, as well as potential triggers. See the author's note at https://rachelchamberlayne.com/itsalwaysbeenyou/ for the full details. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/471AmCp