Love stories are all around

“It’s a Love Story” by Lincee Ray had me laughing, thanking God for all the little things I love in my life, and remembering where I feel at home.

“When we say ‘I love Dr Pepper,’ that really and truly is part of our love story as human beings who were made in the image of God. Because those feelings of love — for people or places or things — all reflect the very essence of who He is. The squishy feeling is for Him. I believe we were created with this specific longing ingrained in our souls that can be fulfilled only by the One who loves us most. I wrote this book to encourage anyone reading to recognize that feeling. Although we’ll never be wholly fulfilled this side of heaven, love lives in our hearts and souls to remind us that day is coming. And it will be glorious.” – Lincee Ray in “It’s a Love Story”

I especially loved the chapters on serving others and how we don’t have enough romantic comedies these days. And I’ll never hear Black Eyes Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” the same. That’s what Lincee does. She takes a pop culture reference and makes it relevant to a bigger picture and more entertaining than it would be otherwise. Plus, like me, she’d choose Pacey Witter over Dawson Leery any day.

But she does conclude with the greatest love story there is. We were separated from God long ago when Adam and Eve wandered and sinned in the garden. But God loved us so much he sent his Son as our sacrifice so we could know God, who is love. It’s a Love Story where there’s no surprise ending even though it’s still being written.

“Until we reunite with our Maker face-to-face, we’ll settle for substitutes to satiate our longing. Romantic movies and poetic storylines will fill us with faith. Gorgeous lyrics will fill out ears with hope. And intentional relationships with our families and friends will fill out hearts with love.” – Lincee Ray in “It’s a Love Story”

Reading acknowledgments is one of my favorite parts of books. Weird, I know, but, y’all, Lincee has the very best acknowledgments. For this book, she dedicates love songs to her people, so it reads like a playlist. Well done.

About the book

Human beings love to be loved. And we love to fall in love. As children, we pour our love into our pets and our friends. As teenagers, we fall in love with musicians and actors and the boy whose locker is next to ours. As we mature, we long for romantic love that will last a lifetime – sacrificial love, unexplainable love, familial love, desperate love. Clearly, we were created with the longing for love ingrained in our souls.

With lots of wit and a bit of wisdom drawn from a lifetime of falling in love, Lincee Ray invites you to an unabashed celebration of that loving feeling. As she reveals the loves of her life and encourages you to recall your own, you’ll discover alongside her that there is only one who can ever truly fulfill the deepest longings of our hearts. And he made us to be part of a divine love story.

“It’s a Love Story” is a 208-page paperback published by Revell (April 30, 2019).

But preorder it now and get some fun freebies, including behind-the-scenes footage with Lincee Ray, a romantic comedy movie guide, a “It’s a Love Story” mixtape full of your favorite love songs, a tutorial on how to fold a paper heart, and a free electronic copy of Lincee’s first book, “Why I Hate Green Beans.” Learn more about the book and the preorder bonuses at Lincee’s website.

About the author

Lincee Ray is the author of Why I Hate Green Beans and an accidental blogging superstar who now writes for Entertainment Weekly online and the Associated Press. An active speaker and pop culture podcaster, she can be found at her popular website www.ihategreenbeans.com, where she makes it clear that she believes it’s important to tell your story – even if it makes you seem a little crazy. She lives in Texas.

Giveaway

I’ve got two copies to share! Who wants them? Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win between now and Monday, April 29. I’ll choose two winners on April 30.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I got an early copy of “It’s a Love Story” for free for being on the book’s launch team, but I also preordered an actual copy of the book to share with y’all. These opinions on love are my own.