Book Review: Candlelight Kisses by Jennifer Youngblood and Sandra Poole

Candlelight Kisses, by Jennifer Youngblood and Sandra Poole
2016, 161p, Clean Contemporary Romance
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Purchased on Kindle



Gracie Louise Andrews led an ordinary, humdrum life—right up until the day she died. As she attempts to make her way to the pearly gates, she’s stopped by a stern rule keeper named Gertrude who informs Gracie that her work is not yet done. She must earn the privilege of entering into eternal rest by striving to become an angel. To make matters worse, Gertrude announces that she’s Gracie’s mentor and guide. Gracie is given the responsibility to help couples mend their relationships and find true love—an uphill task, considering that Gracie’s love life was a dismal failure during her time on earth.

Begrudgingly, Gracie accepts her new role and is assigned her first couple: Alex Swanson and Dawson Allen.

Alex, a self-made business owner who has her nose constantly to the grind, regrets losing Dawson, the love of her life. Formerly the Marketing Director of Alex’s company, Dawson has moved out of state and is no longer a part of her life.

Gracie uses her newfound angel powers to orchestrate a wacky plan that will bring the unsuspecting couple back to the inn where they first proclaimed their love for one another. Things quickly go awry, however, when Dawson’s high society fiancée shows up on the scene and threatens to ruin everything. Things get even more complicated when a devastatingly handsome stranger sweeps Gracie off her feet.

Will Gracie’s zany antics save the day, or will she bumble the whole thing up and forgo any chance of ever becoming an angel?

I was looking for a fun book to escape in and came across this one. Gracie recently died and learns that she needs to help a couple of people along before she can become an angel. Her first assignment is Alex and Dawson. Alex owns a company and Dawson was her marketing director. When their relationship went south, Dawson went back to work for his ex-girlfriend's father, Brooke, who is now his fiance. Gracie needs to figure out a way to get Alex and Dawson back together before he makes a huge mistake.

Gracie has a guide and mentor, Gertrude, and they are funny together. Just when Gracie thinks she has everything running smoothly, major complications arise and she needs to make some adjustments to her plan. Alex wasn't my favorite character. She turned almost every conversation with Dawson into a fight, which got old fast. But he still had feelings for her and handled her well. I liked that the story was told from different points of view (Gracie, Alex and Dawson) so we got to know what they were each thinking and feeling. It made it easier to like Dawson so he didn't come off as a jerk at times.

I started this book looking for a fun read and it delivered! Gracie and Gertrude got off to a rocky start and I wasn't sure if they would get along until a certain character came into the picture and drastically changed everything. I loved the ending (it actually made me laugh) and am looking forward to reading the next book!

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A native of Alabama, Jennifer writes with her fearless writing partner, Sandra Poole, who also happens to be her mother. They have written multiple novels, one collection of short stories, and a children's book called THE HUMONGOUS FUNGUS, written under the pen name of Periwinkle Blue and illustrated by world renown portrait artist, Michele Anderson. Jennifer loves cooking, spending time with family, and occasionally breaking away from her hectic life to take spontaneous trips to exotic and sometimes not so exotic locations. She couldn't survive in a world without chocolate, good books, family, and friends. She now lives in the Rocky Mountains where she and her mother continue to write together.

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