A Man's Heart by Lori Copeland ~ review

Product Description from Amazon.com:


Jules broke off her wedding to Cruz practically at the altar. Not just once, but twice. Now the man Jules loves best can't stand the sight of her.Only for Pop could Jules have made such a sacrifice. And now Pop is gone, leaving Jules with his struggling Washington State potato farm; with a sister excluded from his will; and with a heart wounded by the sacrifice she has made on behalf of her father.It looks like strengthening her relationship with her sister and improving the prospects of the Blue Bayou farm will be Jules' chief concerns. But when cancer takes the life of her best friend, Jules finds herself caring for her friend's two small children as well as the Blue Bayou.A drought-stricken farm. A promise to a dead friend and two needy little lives. And disturbing memories stirring up a growing relationship with her sister. How can one woman handle it all?The answer lies with a God who holds the keys to yesterday, today, and tomorrow---and to the heart of the one man whom Jules could ever love.

My take on this book:
It has really been awhile since I have read anything by Lori Copeland, and I have only read her historical fiction work, so when I found that she had written a contemporary romance I decided to give it a try.

Cruz Delgado was jilted twice by Jules Matias, and after the second time he declared himself finished! He wants nothing else to do with Jules. The thing is Jules loves Cruz, but she also has goals, and one of those is going to school, so that she can help her father run the family farm, but when  her fathers for man calls Jules to tell her that her father has been in an accident, and that her sister Crystal has also been called. When Jules gets home her father is dead. She learns that she has been left the farm, while her sister Crystal was left nothing. Even though the sisters haven't been together for years Jules tells Crystal that the farm is her home and invites her to stay. If this isn't enough her best friend, Sophie, who has two small children, and is also Cruz's sister is diagnosed with cancer, will everyone be able to put their differences aside to take care of the children, and will Jules and Cruz ever find their way back together?
While this story did deal with the subject of death, there was also plenty of other things going on as well. For me I think its the first time that I have read about farming in a contemporary story and I really enjoyed it, the descriptions of the crops were quite vivid.I also thought that Jules was a strong character, who had issues stemming from the fact that her mother and sister left when her parents divorced.  While she loved Cruz was afraid of commitment. I also enjoyed the fact that Cruz and Jules didn't just fall back together but instead like real life Jules had to regain his trust.
If your looking for a book that moves along at a brisk pace that deals with family issues, romance and nice spiritual message then you should definitely pick up this book.

rating 4/5
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.