Stay with Me, the first book in Becky Wade‘s Misty River Romance series, is a sweet romance that wrestles the topics of trauma, addiction, and secrets. Sam Turner, who readers meet in Take a Chance on Me, prefers his solitude, but when he discovers a stranger asleep in his empty guest house, his world is turned upside down.

Genevieve Woodward is a successful Bible study author and speaker. After receiving a threatening letter, she returns home to Misty River to find answers. Except, she’s harboring a secret of her own: a prescription drug addition. When it causes her to black out in a random guy’s guesthouse, she realizes she has to get clean. Her past few attempts failed, but Sam Turner’s guest house held the perfect balance of someone to keep an eye on her and the privacy she needed to be successful.

I don’t think I’ve read a Christian Fiction story that so unabashedly showed someone struggling with addiction and recovery. It was refreshing to read the honest take. Becky Wade also avoided making it melodramatic. Readers rooted for Genevieve to stay clean, even as she faced pitfalls to her recovery. It was also refreshing to read about the hidden side of what a (fictional) famous Christian personality could go through. Like Sam, I saw Genevieve as too loud and too pushy, but seeing her real personality emerge endeared her to not just Sam.

I highly recommend reading Stay with Me. Of course, if addition and trauma are triggers for you, this may or may not be the best book to read. But for anyone who wants to a refreshing take on these topics, definitely pick up a copy. The story continues in the next book in the series.

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I received this book free from NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers in order to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”