Like a Love Song

Eide (Like There's No Tomorrow) crafts a sweet but uneven contemporary love story that rises above its stale title. Susan Quinn runs a group home for foster teenagers that is chronically short of money but has no lack of love and concern. She reluctantly hires Joe Paterson, an oil rig crew boss between jobs, as a handyman for state-required upgrades. Joe and Sue are both products of foster care gone wrong, which gives them a history of heartache but also strong motivation to do things right for the teens at Sue's home. Their similar experiences draw them together slowly while also threatening their budding relationship. Eide writes great dialogue that nicely paces the narrative, but the characterizations are problematic: can Joe really be that close to a Prince Charming type? The antagonists in the plot are too much caricature, a real weakness. This clean romance depends on specifically Christian elements that will please readers of that subgenre. Despite some heavy-handedness in her craft, Eide bears watching as a storyteller. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary Agency. (Apr.)