When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life: "God, if you're real, I want to know you."
It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome, confident, and seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to fall in love with one of the locals.
Nick Sheridan is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow: no dating for a year. And it's a vow he intends to keep in spite of his attraction to Kate Darby...
My Review: Having never even heard of Victoria Bylin, I did not know what to expect. I wanted the book mainly because of its cover (it’s gorgeous front and back!). The author has a way of making her characters and situations extremely realistic. This book would probably be really good for new Christians, as it deals with a lot of questions they would experience. Nick Sheridan had only been a Christian for six months at the beginning of the story. Kate was just beginning to question all she thought she believed in.
Until I Found You also deals with humanism, or pleasing yourself in the place of God and relying and trusting yourself more than anything else in life. The author dealt with the subject in a realistic, accurate way. The author also did an excellent job of portraying false philosophies and Christian-living side by side. The results were very different and insightful. What will happen if you live a life to please only yourself? What will happen if you live a life to please only God? These were the main questions with very different answers.
Nick and Kate kissed far too early in the story. They had known each other only a week and had not made any commitments to one another. I also found that they both thought it was acceptable to drink wine and champagne in public settings. Perhaps some Christians think it’s all right, but it is not what I believe.
Despite these issues, I really enjoyed the book. One thing I noticed about the author’s writing style is that she was really good at building tension is single scenes and letting the reader down gently after the adrenaline rush was over. It was a satisfying, fresh read told from Nick’s, Kate’s, and Leona’s point of view. Leona was Kate’s grandmother. By adding Leona’s point of view in, the book flowed even more smoothly and quickly than it would have without it. I will definitely consider reading something else by Victoria Bylin if ever I have the chance.
I give Until I Found You 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers for my honest opinion, which I have given. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone.*