Review and Giveaway: One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac

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☆☆➹⁀☆ 5 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆

What It’s About:

A fresh, heartfelt romance involving a case of mistaken identity when a ghostwriter masquerades as a relationship expert and the man who is determined to expose her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart…

Rachel Somers is America’s #1 relationship coach—America just doesn’t know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Afraid of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care for her father.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio and set on achieving his dream of syndication. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch—the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and—he begins to suspect—his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

My Thoughts:

One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac is a charming, chaste contemporary romance that is lightly sprinkled with a Christian message.

The story is about love, forgiveness, and second chances in the face of human imperfection. No one is perfect, least of all Ms. Isaac’s characters. Famed relationship advisor, Doctor Donna, and her assistant, Rachel, are down-to-Earth, relatable characters who I couldn’t help but love. Lucas Grant is a tell-it-like-it-is host of a radio sports talk show. His honesty and authenticity is charming, until he lets his sorrowful past turn him judgmental. His story in One Thing I Know is clearly a message of “those who live in glass houses should not throw stones”. The handful of secondary characters deeply enhances the story, as well as play a significant role in the author’s underlying message.

Many of Ms. Isaac’s richly developed characters have losses and regrets that cast such a large shadow that their current lives are essentially stagnate. It is like a self-imposed emotional incarceration. The few characters who have been able to forgive, if not forget, provide Rachel and Lucas with much needed advice, which is somewhat ironic since those two are the self-proclaimed authorities on life and relationships.

The story develops in an organic fashion, and the plot is well paced. I truly enjoyed Ms. Isaac’s writing style and story telling. A story set in America with Midwestern characters could pose a colloquialism challenge to a Kiwi author, but there were a only few instances where her editors didn’t correct the phraseology. Overall, One Thing I Know is a delightful read. I enjoyed the charming Doctor Donna, the banter between Rachel and Lucas, and I greatly appreciated that the author’s message was not overpowering but well blended into the plot.