Can’t Help Falling: Book Review

cant-help-falling

Can’t Help Falling:

by Kara Isaac

A contemporary christian romance

Synopsis:

A funny, heartfelt romance about how an antique shop, a wardrobe, and a mysterious tea cup bring two C.S. Lewis fans together in a snowy and picturesque Oxford, England.

Emelia Mason has spent her career finding the dirt on the rich and famous. But deep down past this fearless tabloid-reporter façade, there’s a nerdy Narnia-obsessed girl who still can’t resist climbing into wardrobes to check for the magical land on the other side. When a story she writes produces tragic results, she flees to Oxford, England–home to C.S. Lewis–to try and make amends for the damage she has caused.

Peter Carlisle was on his way to become one of Great Britain’s best rowers–until he injured his shoulder and lost his chance at glory. He’s determined to fight his way back to the top even if it means risking permanent disability to do so. It’s the only way he can find his way past failing the one person who never stopped believing in his Olympic dream.

When Peter and Emelia cross paths on her first night in Oxford, the attraction is instant and they find common ground in their shared love of Narnia. But can the lessons from a fantasyland be enough to hold them together when secrets of the real world threaten to tear them apart? Cobblestone streets, an aristocratic estate, and an antique shop with curious a wardrobe bring the world of Narnia to life in Kara Isaac’s inspiring and romantic story about second chances.

My thoughts

Finally, I finished this beautiful book

For half the book I was missing a very KEY REFERENCE made in the Chronicles of Narnia because, like Peter (the main character in Can’t Help Falling) I have not read the entirety of the Last Battle. I still found the book very enjoyable. But if I had known the ending of the Chronicles of Narnia, I probably would’ve caught on a lot faster.

I enjoyed this book for its very deep and complex characters, for the writing, which was both simple and flawless. All the way through.

The characters: Very deep and thoroughly complex. Even when you think you have figured them out, you haven’t quite, because every few chapters or so, a new revelation would emerge. So many new authors have this habit of dumping all these past memories and thoughts on the reader. Kara Isaac does just the opposite. But you have to reveal important information in the right timing, at the right pace. It’s difficult to do and she happened to knock that out of the park. For a 2nd book, I’m impressed.

The story: Nothing drives a story forward more than one or both characters holding back important secrets from each other and from their families, or other important people throughout. That’s exactly what drove this story forward.

If you are a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia, I highly recommend this book, as it’s ripe with references. Even if you’re not, this is a great Contemporary romance. Full of secrets, tension, heartbreak, difficult decisions, and second chances. You won’t be disappointed.