The Valentine Edition by Robin Shope

Reviewed by Carol Kurtz

"...a delightful stew of make ups and break ups, schemes and dreams, and in the end good triumphs over evil."

In Robin Shope’s last project we watched Lucy Collins find true love while producing the Christmas Edition of the Turtle Creek Newspaper. Now Jodi arrives on the scene from Chicago, and she’s not at all sure about her new job at the paper.

While driving to her first day on the job, she saves an injured stray dog and falls right into the arms of Josh, the local vet. Now she’s feeling a lot better about not being offered the big time job at the Chicago Tribune.

Robin Shope doesn’t let things go that easily for Jodi, however. We’ve got a manipulating, scheming competitor, and Jodi doesn’t even realize it for quite a while. She’s busy proving herself at the Turtle Creek paper with her creative ideas for a special Valentine’s Day edition along the lines of eharmony.com.

Romance lovers will enjoy the tingles and the shivers. It’s a delightful stew of make ups and break ups, schemes and dreams, and in the end good triumphs over evil. And it’s awfully nice to read about a couple of believers who actually flee from uncontrollable lust.

There is a broken friendship, torn apart by love, between Jodi and her long lost girlfriend back in Chicago. Can she forgive her friend and reach out when she is still hurting from their misunderstanding? And what about David, the man she has lost to this friend? And can Jodi forgive her step father for not using his clout to get her the dream job she’d always wanted at the Chicago Tribune?

Shope does a great job of writing from the villainess’s point of view, as she stoops to the depths of betrayal to destroy Jodi and Josh’s budding relationship. She manages to create enough sympathy for this character to make us care as we see her conscience developing and he rationalizations failing to mitigate the guilt feelings that are growing.

Josh and Jodie set a wonderful example of forgiveness, especially for a very undeserving meddler who almost separates them for good. And there is forgiveness all around in the whirlwind resolutions at the end.

You’ll feel the cold and almost see the snowflakes as you turn the pages toward the climax of a perfect Valentine’s Day dance. What a breath of fresh air to read about a man and woman who love God and desperately seek to please Him with their newfound love and passion.

Carol Kurtz Darlington is a certified personal trainer and a certified group fitness instructor who works with people who want to lose weight as well as those who just want to enjoy better health. She enjoys empowering and encouraging others to reach their health and fitness goals, feel better about themselves in the process, and enjoy more energy to stay active in all areas of their lives. She is the founder of Totally Fit With Carol, a Christian weight loss website featuring workout videos, health tips, exercise advice, and more. She loves her morning cappuccino and her beloved grand-dog. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and haunting Starbucks.