LOVE AND THE DREAM COME TRUE

State of Grace, Book 3

by

TAMMY L. GRAY

Contemporary Christian Fiction / Clean Romance

Publisher: Bethany House

Pages: 368 pages

Publication Date: August 2, 2022

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The Anticipated Series Finale to the 2021 Carol Award-Winning Novel, Love and a Little White Lie

Their faith will face its toughest test yet.

Four years after getting the biggest break of his life, Cameron Lee’s music career has taken a nosedive, leaving him two options: become a sellout or give up on his lifelong dream. He reluctantly returns home for his sister’s wedding, hoping to avoid his past and find his love for music again.

Single mom Lexie Walters has suffered her fair share of tragedies and setbacks, but she has finally scraped together the money to achieve her dream of going into business with her cousin as an interior designer. When Lexie’s life is at an all-time high, she runs into her teenage crush, Cameron Lee.

Lost in the emotional turmoil of failure, Cameron is immediately drawn to Lexie and her infectious smile and optimistic spirit. Moreover, he adores her mouthy, no-holds-barred daughter. But fantasies only last so long, and soon Lexie and Cameron must face the real world, the one fraught with heartbreak, disappointment, and questions that sometimes can only be answered by a leap of faith.

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Praise

“Cameron and Lexie’s chemistry is palpable, and readers will root for their happily ever after. This tender tale hits all the right notes.”—Publishers Weekly

Good things come to those that wait, and Lexie has waited a long time for her dream to come true. She has been in love with Cameron since she was a kid, paling around with Cassie, Cameron’s sister and Lexie’s best friend. Life threw some wicked curveballs her way, but she never gave up hope or her love for him. Perhaps some would call it obsessive and not realistic; after all, Cameron has become something of a music star and lives in another state. Cameron feels like something is missing in his life, especially when it comes to his music. He thinks he is pouring his heart and soul into the songs, but perhaps something is holding him back.

This book is filled with exciting characters and a wide variety of emotions and feelings that give it depth on a level that we could only imagine. Lexie has spent the last decade raising her sister’s daughter as her own. She wasn’t expecting to become a mother at 19, and thankfully, she was able to raise Morgan in a stable environment. That is until Morgan became a teenager, and we all know what happens with teen emotions and angst. Their relationship is like any other between a parent and a child, fraught with ups and downs. They seem to do well until Lexie uncovers a secret that Morgan has been keeping from her, which does not go well. Cameron has been living on the edge in his career and in a world filled with panic attacks, which doesn’t bode well for a performer. Watching his story unfold allows us to appreciate his issues and perhaps even relate in some respects.

I didn’t realize this was the third in a series, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of reading this novel. I had no preconceived notions of their past and any grudges that any of the characters might have held against another. The characters shared many emotions, both good and bad, and this added to the depth of the story. There are enough flashbacks for a reader to understand the backstory of the relationships between some of the characters. I feel like there is more to Mason’s story that is just touched upon, but the chip on his shoulder is massive. Perhaps he needs his own story?

The theme I keep coming back to is faith. Both Lexie and Cameron have it, but it isn’t perfect. They both have issues that need to be dealt with, which will take time. Nothing is perfect or easy for them, and this is a good reflection on life in general. No one has a perfect life, and we all must have faith as we deal with our struggles.

This was a lovely book, one that made me think about how I approach life and others.

We give this book 4 paws up.

Tammy L. Gray lives in the Dallas area with her family, and they love all things Texas. Her nine modern and true-to-life contemporary romances include the 2017 RITA Award-winning My Hope Next Door. When not taxiing her three kids to various events, Tammy can be spotted crunching numbers as the financial administrator at her hometown church.

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

ONE WINNER:

Complete STATE OF GRACE series in paperback

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 9/2/22.)

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