I’m a big C.S. Lewis fan, whether his fiction or his nonfiction. He had an amazing way of taking deep concepts and sprinkling them with imagination. From the world of Narnia to the wit of The Screwtape Letters to the poignant wording of deep truths in Mere Christianity, he had a way of squeezing creativity out of almost every ink dot.

Anyway, I read a beautiful quote from him yesterday, from his book, The Weight of Glory:

“At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get in.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Can’t you see it? Hear it? The anticipation peeling into the present, into our hearts, for something just beyond what our eyes can see. It’s kind of like my perception when I first wake up in the morning before I put on my glasses or contacts. A blurry view of familiar surroundings. Things I can recognize, but not clearly. A certain item of clothing I think I’ve chosen, upon closer examination isn’t what I thought. Almost…but not quite.

We live just outside the door of eternity. We can hear echoes of it in creation – through birdsong, a ba

by’s laughter, a thunderstorm, and myriad other experiences, but our vision cannot take it in on this side of the world.

We’re longing for the perfect peace. Aslan’s country. Heaven.

And all creation eagerly waiting along with us.

Like a magical looking glass or an ancient wardrobe, our hearts wait with an anticipation we can’t always define, sometimes forget, but something our souls long for.

We know there’s something better just “beyond” us.

An untainted rightness, a pure goodness, an unblemished beauty, a generous richness, an unbridled future – and we know, this ‘other place’ will answer the wordless longings. At our cores, we try to satisfy ourselves with this world and these broken pieces of eternity as best we can, but God has promised something greater…something that satisfies to the soul.

An inexhaustible hope and a magnificent answer to every longing.

The view through these “heavenward glasses” is how we push through when life is difficult. It’s how we find out focus and purpose. It’s what grounds our earthly choices because our perspective isn’t finite, or spoiled, or fixed on our empty hands.  

It’s focused on the One who has the power to get us through the door.

The One who holds our hearts, dreams, and eternal lives, waits to usher us into a kingdom where all the broken pieces will be mended, the blurry scene made clear, and the upside-down perspectives set right.

When Rebecca Maney told me I HAD to read Kara Isaac’s newest release, Then There Was You, two things happened:

1. I knew I needed to listen because I ALWAYS listen to Rebecca Maney 😉
2. Kara has been on my TBR list for a whole year because I’d heard her writing style was similar to mine (which I take as a BIG compliment), so I looked forward to finding out if that was true.

So, on a recent flight from Texas, I pulled out my purchased copy of Then There Was You and spent the entire flight time reading…and finishing…this fun, poignant, and sweet romance.

A little about the book:

Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years.

Things need to change.

A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son. Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But, in the past, his failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He’s determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.

When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

My take:

I love to travel, but with a big family and two middle-class salaries, travel isn’t always an option. Thankfully, Kara provides a wonderful journey to a place I’d LOVE to see some day. Australia. (Which we will be visiting on Thursday on our Book Journeys.)

I’ve seen the movie, Australia, but the place? Not yet. There are loads of people I’d love to visit over there. 😊

But – back to the book!

Kara Isaac writes my kind of story!!!

Her characters are such fun. They remind me of the novels I love to write, so, of course, I love to READ them!! Paige is completely adorkable – in her clumsy, bumbling, victory-dancing sort of way, she stumbles right into musician, Josh Tyler’s life. Their personalities are opposite in some ways, but perfectly fitted where it matters most. Kara keeps the faith theme organic, but a strong thread in the midst of two people trying to understanding how to move forward when deep, life-altering wounds redirect their futures.

Kara does a beautiful thing we don’t always see in contemporary fiction. She tricks us! By setting this book in a light-hearted tone, she sneaks in some deep-set spiritual truths in a beautifully, digestible way (kind of like trying to feed kids something they don’t’ like by sneaking it into something they do 😉)

And we learn. And grieve. And celebrate along with the characters.

Filled with heart, humor, hope, and swoony romance, we join in an adventure of love, loss, and second chances. Josh and Paige are two people who’ve been impacted by some deep traumas, both inside the church and out. By placing them together on the page, Kara forces both of them to confront their own hearts and the desires they each hope to find in the other.

Plus…it all takes place in AUSTRALIA! (Wait, did I say that already?)

And both Josh and Paige are muscicians!!!

My music-loving, travel-happy, romance-saturated heart is SOOOOO happy.

If you’re looking for a funny, sweet story with a perfectly-fitted ending (oh my goodness! too much FUN!), then this book is for you!

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About the Author

Kara Isaac is an award-winning writer who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where her career highlights include working in tourism as Private Secretary for the Prime Minister. She loves great books almost as much as she loves her husband and two Hobbit-sized children.

More Books by Kara Isaac