Member Reviews
This tender hearted story hits all the emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed the connection I made with the characters. I loved everything about this story and I highly recommend it.
Due to a personal difference in beliefs (WITH THE PUBLISHER) I will not be reviewing this book outside of Netgalley nor do I plan to support Thomas Nelson in the future due to their decisions of late and the lack of fiction with good Biblical values.
This does not mean I do or do not like the book, it just means I will not be reviewing books for this publisher anymore as I do not care to support them when I do not agree with the way they have left their former standards.
sadly, before i could download this title, netgalley took it off their catalog. that means i can’t review this one. HOWEVER, i will be checking in with my library to see if i can get a copy and review it that way
Make You Feel My Love is probably my new favorite I have read by Robin Lee Hatcher. I am giving it five stars.
This story inspires hope and the belief that miracles are possible.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Another sweet read from Robin Lee Hatcher. I know I can't go wrong with her if you want a sweet clean love story.
Make You Feel My Love, by
Robin Lee Hatcher, jumps between two stories. The first takes place in current day and second in the year 1895!
Hollywood actor, Liam Chandler, has returned to his vacation home in Chickadee Creek, Idaho. Liam is hoping to deal with his grief following his younger brother’s death. He soon meets Chelsea Spencer, who is in town to help her injured aunt. When Chelsea finds a valuable treasure in her aunt’s antique shop, you will not believe who was the original owner!
Cora Anderson is living amongst the elite of New York City. Her father wants her to marry a man of this world; however, Cora has no interest in the man he has chosen. She would rather make her life about playing the violin than to marry some rich man, whom her father had selected. You will be surprised by the choices Cora makes!
As Liam helps Chelsea reorganize her aunt’s shop, they not only learn a lot about Cora, but also about themselves. In the end, Chelsea and Liam will discover that beauty truly can come from ashes!
This book goes back and forth within two time periods and truthfully this is not my favorite concept. It reminds me of watching tv with your spouse and they have two channels going and about the time you get into one plot, they go to the another story.
Make You Feel My Love by Robin Lee Hatcher is well written and I did enjoy reading about each one’s faith. Either storyline could have expanded into a better read for me. Having said this, Robin Lee Hatcher is still one of my favorite authors.
I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
I don't always enjoy a dual timeline novel such as this one, but Robin Lee Hatcher truly is a master at this type of story. She effortlessly seems to be able to weave these stories together in a way that draws the reader into both stories equally... and that makes sense to the story. That is not always the case with this style of story, so I greatly appreciate how beautifully Hatcher does so each and every time. Make You Feel My Love is no exception. It is a beautifully written story that also has a beautiful message of faith drawn in effortlessly as well. If you are a fan of Christian fiction, this is certainly one worth adding to your TBR!
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
Make You Feel My Love
by Robin Lee Hatcher
Pub Date: July 13, 2021
Thomas Nelson
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley I very much enjoyed reading this book before the publishing date.
I have read many books by Robin Lee Hatcher and I like her writing style.
A century apart, two women start new lives—and two unlikely love stories prove powerful enough to conquer fear. Sometimes I am not a fan of time slips. I often want to stay longer in one of the timelines and almost feel jerked out. However, this one is well done. I enjoyed the story and the way characters grew in their faith.
I would recommend this for fans of inspirational books and looking for a story where the characters seek refuge.
5 star
I really enjoyed the dual timeline of this story. In the 1890s Gilded Age we meet Cora, a woman who disappears from society to end her role as a pawn in her parents’ social climb, and soon meets Preston, an recent heir to his cousin’s modest estate. In the present day, Chelsea is trying to escape an abusive, narcissistic ex boyfriend and runs smack into hunky actor Liam who has gone underground to heal from his brother’s death. The two timelines intersect beautifully and despite more than sufficient trials, the relationships that develop are believable and authentic. A lovely read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.
4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the advanced reader copy.
This book was really nothing more and nothing less than a great way to escape with a little mystery and history thrown in. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, both contemporary and historical. It was a quick read that tried to keep me guessing what might happen next. It did make me want to visit Idaho, though.
Both story lines include a woman fleeing a bad situation (oppressive father, abusive boyfriend, etc), and both story lines also include the women finding love in their new location. The two stories intersect with a beautiful violin, first owned in 1895 by Cora Anderson and later found by Chelsea Spencer in her aunt's antique shop.
This is the first book I’ve read by Robin Lee Hatcher and I really enjoyed it! Make You Feel My Love is a split-time romance novel that compels you to keep reading to see how and why they are connected. I enjoyed the characters of Chelsea and Liam and especially Aunt Rosemary! Great and creative story!
I enjoyed this story very much. It was a little different from the stories I usually read but there was depth and purpose to the story. It drew a couple from a different time and a couple in the modern day and flashed between their stories, which were very similar.
Preston had inherited an old mine in Chickadee Creek, Idaho, and a good amount of money from a cousin. He moved to Chickadee Creek to increase his fortune and grow a business. He met a beautiful woman by the name of Cora Alexander who had been hired to be the new school teacher for the small town. It was obvious that this woman had come from privilege and money so why would she be a school teacher in a small town. As he began to spend time with Cora, he began to learn more of her story of a controlling father who forced his only child to do his bidding and marry whom he chose, even when it would never make her happy. In her desire to be free, she fled the comforts of home with her violin and made her own way, making friends along the way.
Chelsea had been abused, both physically and emotionally by her father and after his death, her boyfriend, Tom, abused her, as well. When she tried to leave him, he made threats and was determined to keep her for his own. She fled to Chickadee Creek to help her Great Aunt Rosemary after a leg injury and surgery. She was grateful for the chance to get away and "disappear". She was guarded and never wanted to be someone to be owned by any other man.
Liam was an up-and-coming movie star who fled LA when his younger brother battled cancer and eventually died. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to return to that life until he found a project that was worth pursuing. During his time in Chickadee Creek, though, he became friends with Chelsea, the beautiful red-haired woman and her great aunt, Rosemary. Chelsea was kind and was not only beautiful, but had a beautiful heart, as well. He began to see what his brother had always wanted for him; happiness and the love of a good woman and a strong faith and belief in God. He could see all that with Chelsea if he was willing to take a leap of faith and was able to convince her to come along.
These were beautiful stories woven so masterfully together, both with happy endings. It was interesting to see how their stories were so intertwined, even though they were from different times. It was a clean, wholesome read for anyone in search of a good book.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Liam Chandler is an actor, acting in movies on the big screen. He has taken time off during the illness and death of his brother whom he was very close to. He has returned to the place of his ancestors, Chickadee Creek, Idaho where he has built a cabin. He prefers to keep his career quiet and rest in this quiet community.
Chelsea Spencer has came to Chickadee Creek to escape an abusive relationship and to help her aunt, Rosemary, manage her antique store after surgery. Chelsea is having a lovely time getting reacquainted with her aunt whom she hadn't seen in quite some time. She is enjoying cleaning and organizing the antique store and is beginning to feel safe there. Safe, because she believes her ex-boyfriend would never think to look there for her.
While cleaning the shop, she finds a very old, very expensive violin that she discovers belonged to an ancestor of Liam. Together, she and Liam begin to research his family history. The story goes back and forth between the relationship of his great-great grandparents and present day. I loved both time-lines and the love and dedication in both.
A wonderful sweet story dealing with love, loss, abuse, second chances, God's grace and love.
I was given an advanced ecopy by the publisher, Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.
The rhythms of the split-PoV, split era inspirational romance Make You Feel My Love are well-worn in several places. There are comfortable spots and tropes here, but when told in Robin Lee Hatcher’s comfortable, practiced and folksy style, they’re like the reading version of eating a bowl of chocolate pudding. It’s about comfort and spiritual enrichment.
Chelsea Spencer is hiding out in her Great Aunt Rosemary’s antique shop, Rosemary and Thyme in Chickadee Creek, Idaho. Having fled an abusive relationship with a now ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go easily, she’s stunned to realize that no one has been tending Rosemary and Thyme while Rosemary has been in the hospital for surgery. Chelsea steps up to the plate, taking care of her aunt and running the shop - and among the stacks, finds a priceless antique violin which belongs to a famous man’s family.
Actor Liam Chandler is grieving the death from cancer of his musician brother Jacob. Trying to figure out where to go with his career, Liam hides in Chickadee Creek and hopes to heal some old family hurts, avoiding going back to his burgeoning Hollywood career. Chickadee has been his family’s summer place for generations, and here he goes incognito (Chelsea, naturally and conveniently, does not recognize him even after he gives her his full name). With Chelsea, he unravels the mystery of the violin which leads back to the Chandler family’s past. Can Chelsea outrun her abuser, and will Liam choose between Hollywood and Chickadee Creek?
Back in 1895, society girl Cora Anderson’s biggest joy is in music – specifically in playing her violin. She is expected to marry, and thanks to the wealth amassed off war profiteering by her father and his greedy social climbing, she has her future all but arranged for her when he bribes a man to marry her. Seeking a way out, Cora hops a train from New York City with some family heirlooms, the clothing on her back, and her violin. Chickadee Creek takes her right in, and she blends in, studying for a teaching license and becoming the new schoolmarm. She meets Preston Chandler, who’s looking to start a mining company in Chickadee Creek. They begin courting, but can she keep her complex past from infiltrating her simple present?
Make You Feel My Love does a good job of alternating between its likable characters both past and present. Though sometimes Chelsea comes off as overly credulous and Cora as impulsive, both women are nice, relatable people who care about their family and newfound communities. Both women are brave, and the romances they find with Preston and Liam are sweet, with Cora and Preston’s relationship quickly becoming my favorite of the two. But it was hard for me to sympathize with Liam, who often felt too self-pitying.
The way the book uses faith is beautiful; people go to church, watch remote services, seek advice from the Bible and from pastors, but their faith is used to give them strength versus punching down at others. God is the rock they rely on. The small-town setting feels realistic, though I couldn’t believe that Chelsea never once recognizes the allegedly world-famous Liam before her great aunt explains who he is. I could absolutely buy that the rest of the town was happy to hide him – many small towns often shelter celebrities this way.
The only other real quibble I had with the book came from its nigh on saintly portrayal of Jacob, a musical savant who was the guiding light of his family and had a flawless relationship with God. I wanted him to have more flaws, but the book never produced any.
But Make You Feel My Love is generally a tender experience, and one that will be enjoyable for inspy fans.
Note: The book contains a scene of attempted rape which stands out from the sweetness of the rest of it like a nail in a pumpkin pie.
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This book was feniminal. I was hooked from the first page and wasn't really ready for it to be over.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Make You Feel My Love by Robin Lee Hatcher is a dual time line story that tells the story of the Chandler family, those from early Chickadee Creek history and now. Chelsea aunt is injured and the request to go help her is an answer to prayer to get away from her abusive ex-boyfriend. While cleaning at her aunt’s antique shop she finds a violin behind a cabinet. The violin belongs to the ancestor of movie star Liam Chandler.
I really enjoyed reading this story. This is a beautifully written story of two women and the Chandler men who captured their attentions. The topic of abuse is briefly mentioned in a respectable way to show the strength and faith that the two women had to get away from the men who tried to control them. This is a Christian fiction story that deals with women’s issues and has a nice blend of romance and suspense. This story also deals with the loss of a loved one and finding out family secrets. I loved how Liam decided to move forward with his career as well as how he dealt with his father selling some of the family’s land in Chickadee Creek.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, this is my honest review.
Make You Feel My Love by Robin Lee Hatcher is a double love story about two different women running from their past and both end up in a little town called, Chickadee Creek. The story jumps back and forth between 1895 and present day. There were times I got confused as to which one I was reading about.
In 1895, Cora Anderson was running from her overbearing father and the man her father was forcing her to marry. Cora runs as far as she can from her father to Chickadee Creek to be the school teacher and also where she finds love with Preston Chandler.
Present day, Chelsea Spencer is running from an abusive boyfriend and comes to Chickadee Creek to stay with her great-aunt, Rosemary and to help her run her antique shop.
Liam Chandler is a movie star and tired of the roles that he has been playing and he is also grieving his brother’s death. Liam goes to Chickadee Creek, looking for new direction, to grieve in private and to research his family’s history. Liam meets Chelsea at the antique store, where there is an instant bond and their love story begins.
Cora and Chelsea’s stories are both about brokenness, hurt, forgiveness, love, faith in God and His healing.
I thank Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book and give my own opinions.
I really enjoyed the split level time in this novel. It is a Christian romance but it’s not overwhelming and the center focus. The characters were likable and believable. Was a enjoyable read. "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."