Review: It Had to Be You by Susan May Warren

It Had to Be You

by Susan May Warren

Publisher: Tyndale

Pages: 480

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Eden Christiansen never imagined her role as her younger brother Owen's cheerleader would keep her on the sidelines of her own life. Sure, it feels good to be needed, but looking after the reckless NHL rookie leaves little time for Eden to focus on her own career. She dreamed of making a name for herself as a reporter, but is stuck writing obits--and starting to fear she doesn't have the chops to land a major story. If only someone would step up to mentor Owen . . . but she knows better than to expect help from team veteran and bad-boy enforcer Jace Jacobsen.  Jace has built his career on the infamous reputation of his aggressive behavior--on and off the ice. Now at a crossroads about his future in hockey, that reputation has him trapped. And the guilt-trip he's getting from Eden Christiansen isn't making things any easier. But when Owen's carelessness leads to a career-threatening injury and Eden stumbles upon a story that could be her big break, she and Jace are thrown together . . . and begin to wonder if they belong on the same team after all.


Kritters Thoughts:  The second in the series and the paperback edition includes a novella about the parents of the Christiansen clan that is definitely worth reading!  This book centers around Eden Christiansen who always wanted to be a journalist, but has found herself stuck at a newspaper in the obituary section and always on the sidelines of her family - through this book she finds where she fits in.

I absolutely loved Eden's journey, although it was pretty predictable as to the romantic storyline in this book.  Because Eden lives in Minneapolis with one of her brothers - Owen, this book didn't include the rest of the family that often, they were only in the book in bits and pieces.  I wish there had been more moments with more of the family members, but I understood their absence.  

The storyline that I enjoyed even more than Eden's was Jace Jacobsen's hockey mentor - Sam and his daughter Maddy who is struggling with a heart transplant.  Their storyline completely brought me to tears; it was sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.   

I am officially a fan of this series and am excited for the next one to come this summer.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (its on the way!)

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Litfuse Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.