Grumpy-sunshine, opposites-attract, friends-to-love …
In When I Wasn’t Looking, Jennifer Rodewald takes a bunch of common romance tropes and turns them into something uncommon, something with a literary and spiritual depth not found often enough in Christian fiction.
When Sage Greene (yes, that’s her real name) learns that she and her mother will inherit her great-grandfather’s property, she heads to Big Prairie to get to know Howard Teller. The family stories don’t have anything good to say about the man, so why is he doing this?
Grant Hillman is a quirky character (he’s definitely on some kind of spectrum) with a strong Christian faith. He’s a relationship counsellor who’s good with his clients but a lot less good with his own life. Which means he needs a date to his ex’s wedding, and one quite literally drops into his life: Sage.
Grant and Sage meet when he “rescues” her from the river (she didn’t need rescuing). It’s a great first meeting: he rescues her because she thinks she’s drowning, and she thinks he’s trying to kidnap her. They’re equally flummoxed with each other, then equally intrigued. It’s a great start to a relationship …
When I Wasn’t Looking is a powerful redemption story, an allegory that reminds us of God’s never-ending love for us and his never-ending desire that we return to him, claim our inheritance, and have a relationship with him. Unlike some allegorical stories, it’s never clumsy or obvious (I didn’t figure parts of the allegory out until I was writing this review), and the allegory never takes over the story.
This is the fourth book in Jennifer Rodewald’s Big Prairie Romance series. It’s definitely a standalone romance – haven’t read any of the other books in the series but didn’t feel I missed anything because of that.
If you’re looking for a Christian romance with the emphasis on “Christian” then I definitely recommend When I Wasn’t Looking.
I think even non-romance readers would enjoy this one, because the romance is less about the relationship between Sage and Grant and more about the eternal romance: God’s love for us.
About Jennifer Rodewald
Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.
Born in Colorado, she experienced both the seclusion of rugged mountain living and the busy streets of a Denver suburb during her growing up years. Somewhere in the middle of college, she married a Husker and found her way back to the quiet lifestyle of a rural area, which suits just fine.
Blessed with a robust curiosity, Jen loves to research. Whether she’s investigating the history of a given area, the biography of a Christian icon, or how nature declares the glory of God, her daily goal is to learn something new. Aiming to live with boundless enthusiasm, her creed is vision, pursuit, and excellence.
Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life.
You can find Jennifer Rodewald online at:
Website | Facebook | X
When I Wasn’t Looking
Sage Greene loves a good story, especially if it has a dashing and romantic hero.
But her family’s legacy of broken relationships has convinced her that romance is strictly for fiction. Take her great-grandfather Harold Teller, for example—a selfish drunk who rejected his wife and son. But if that were so, why would he leave his house and property to her? Sensing there’s more to his story, Sage heads to Big Prairie determined to discover the truth for herself. Not even a quixotic encounter with a handsome stranger will sway her from her purpose.
Grant Hillman knows what makes for a healthy relationship.
After all, he is a counsellor. But he’s certain that he’s a long way from being anyone’s romantic hero. Quiet, observant, and slightly fastidious seems to translate to boring, quirky, and too different, and he’s just about given up on finding love. So he shouldn’t be surprised when the one time he rescues a damsel in distress, it turns out she didn’t need a hero and she isn’t looking for romance.
Despite their inauspicious meeting—or perhaps because of it—Sage determines she and Grant will become the closest of friends.
As they work together to learn the truth about Grandpa Teller, Sage discovers there’s more to Gramps than the bitter, grumpy old man he presents on the surface. And the more time she spends with Grant, the more she begins to wish she believed in romance after all. But Grant knows that the maxim “opposites attract” doesn’t mean “opposites will have a lasting, healthy relationship.” Especially when one of them doesn’t believe in romance to begin with.
As Sage and Grant work to untangle the threads of Grandpa Teller’s story, is it possible they could unravel a few assumptions of their own and write the beginning of another story altogether?
Find When I Wasn’t Looking online at:
Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads
Joel Dawson’s dreams of corporate success are put on hold when his father collapses in the middle of the breakfast rush. Now it’s up to him to keep the family business open and his grandmother’s legacy alive–except his book-smarts are useless for running a café, and the only person who can help—their star waitress—is struggling with issues of her own.
Sara Beth Williams is a published author of Contemporary Christian romance, an ACFW and CIPA member and freelance writer. She has a background in freelance publicity, blog managing, newspaper journalism and nine years in the field of education. Two of her three novels have been nominated for a Selah Award. A Worthy Heart (2020) and Anchor My Heart (2022). She lives in Northern California with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys playing guitar, reading, gardening and spending time with her family.