The Friend Game by Heather Miekstyn: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Love is patient…supposedly.

Potter Hannah Garza never expected to end up destitute and living in her sister’s guest house, but alas, these things happen. In her efforts to rebuild her life up from this very low point, Hannah manages to land herself a job teaching art at Grace Canyon, the prestigious church and school attended by her sister’s children. True, she’s not technically qualified for the position, but God calls the underqualified then equips them, does He not?

This is basically that. So everything is fine.

At least until Hannah meets Luke Abbott, the handsome young pastor of Grace Canyon. Luke is generous and kind and he volunteers his time to coach flag football on the weekends. He’s sweet and funny—and far holier than Hannah could ever dream of being. Yet inexplicably, Luke seems to be interested in her too.

However, Luke agreed to remain single for his first year at the church, which means the two of them can only be friends…for now. But between secrets from both Hannah’s past and present and the growing attraction between them, the friend game they’re playing may end with them both losing their jobs and any hope for a real relationship.

Then again, games for two usually do end with both players losing their hearts.

The Author

As a child, Heather Miekstyn used to spend hours in her room creating characters, then writing out the first half of their stories before eventually losing steam. Then she discovered the romance genre and realized the key to finishing any good story-a happy ending.

Heather resides in Michigan with her husband, four daughters, and their rambunctious black lab. When she is not writing, she can be found reading, running, or playing Bananagrams. She hopes her books leave you feeling like you’ve just been hugged by a Hallmark movie.

For more information visit her website, www.heathermiekstyn.com or follow her on Instagram @heathermiekstyn

Book Review

Oh my goodness, how I loved this book! Honestly, I have loved every single book that Heather Miekstyn has written, but I have to say she has absolutely found her sweet spot with her Christian romantic comedies. This is only her second Christian romance, but she has once again knocked it out of the park with The Friend Game. Hannah and Luke drew me in right away with their awkward meet cute... one of many moments throughout the story that had me smiling and laughing out loud. They had a great chemistry and flirty banter that I absolutely couldn't get enough of. Their attraction was certainly never in question. The problem? As pastor, he has signed a contract saying he won't date for his first year at the church--- a contract that still has another three months to go. An off-limits romance with a pastor in a Christian book could definitely be difficult to make work, but Heather does it brilliantly. I loved that while both of these characters really strived to live out their faith, they were still human and had their struggles--- yes, even a pastor is human! Sometimes in Christian romances we come across these characters that feel almost too perfect... and it makes them really hard to relate to. That was not the case here. Both Hannah and Luke had regrets from their pasts... and it only made me love them that much more. With strong message of faith, all the romantic tension/pining and a PTA president out to cause trouble (not to mention some other quirky side characters), there was so much to love in this story. It took me on a roller coaster of emotions, and I was absolutely here for all of it. 

The Friend Game is a closed-door Christian romance with kisses only. There is a slight bit of innuendo, but it was definitely more of the humorous nature than suggestive. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/41gVF18