What do you think?
Rate this book
Romance in the Park #2
Falling for Forever
Hillary needs a major change in her life. She's stifled by an entry level IT job in the Virginia suburbs and longs to move to Washington D.C. where she can make a difference in the world.
When Javier comes to her rescue in Great Falls National Park, Hillary likes everything about him except for the gorgeous fiancé hanging on his arm. But things are not as they seem. He enlists her help to renovate a homeless shelter, and romance blossoms over paintbrushes and pipes until a career-launching opportunity arises.
Hillary can chase her dreams, but they might cost her Javier's heart.
When Javier comes to her rescue in Great Falls National Park, Hillary likes everything about him except for the gorgeous fiancé hanging on his arm. But things are not as they seem. He enlists her help to renovate a homeless shelter, and romance blossoms over paintbrushes and pipes until a career-launching opportunity arises.
Hillary can chase her dreams, but they might cost her Javier's heart.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 5, 2025
3.5 stars, personally ✨ Christian Fiction - Contemporary - New Adult
About this book:
“Hillary needs a major change in her life. She's stifled by an entry level IT job in the Virginia suburbs and longs to move to Washington D.C. where she can make a difference in the world.
When Javier comes to her rescue in Great Falls National Park, Hillary likes everything about him except for the gorgeous fiancé hanging on his arm. But things are not as they seem. He enlists her help to renovate a homeless shelter, and romance blossoms over paintbrushes and pipes until a career-launching opportunity arises.
Hillary can chase her dreams, but they might cost her Javier's heart.”
Series: Book #2 in the “Romance in the Park” series. Review of Book #1 Here!
Spiritual Content- A devotional at the end of the book has 1 Thessalonians 5:15 quoted and a prayer; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God, His plans, doing what God wants, & being significant to Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Hillary struggles with the idea of God wanting her to be at her current job because she thinks she is capable of doing so much more than that (Javier tries to talk to her about this); Hillary wrestles with a couple bitter and sarcastic thoughts about things not happening if it’s not God’s will; Hillary wants to scream to Heaven when upset; Hillary’s older sister talks to her about being significant to God; Mentions of God, listening to Him, & helping others; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & hymns; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of Mother Teresa; A mention of showing Christian Love; A mention of Lent; A mention of Christian music;
*Note: Hillary lies and thinks “lying about the obvious wasn’t a sin, right?”; Hillary joins a campus ministry that organizes hikes for all the “religious groups in an effort to promote unity”; When Javier shares an upbeat attitude about something, Hillary thinks that she is “dating Dalai Lama” and adds “If your job sucks, don’t worry, you’ll reincarnate as a butterfly”; A couple mentions of Dalai Lama and reincarnation.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘heck’, a ‘sucks’, two forms of ‘crap’, two ‘dumb’s, four ‘idiot’s, and eleven forms of ‘stupid’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Hillary lies a couple of times; Mentions of a civil war in Guatemala, Javier’s parents’ villages being destroyed, living in a refugee camp, and believing most of their families died; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of wars & Nazis; A few mentions of a trucker having a “pee jar” (which makes Hillary wonders if it’s less gross for a guy because they “could aim” and hopes that someone created a portable seat for female truck drivers); A couple mentions of drownings; A couple mentions of a bar fight & someone being hungover; A couple mentions of a restaurant bar; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of smoking & a pipe; A couple mentions of a mule pooping; A mention of college parties; A mention of a historical tavern;
*Note: Hillary struggles with the thought of being stuck in her day-to-day routine (the monotony of it) and wants more for herself (she feels this way particularly herself, but also towards her parents; She struggles to understand her parents enjoying what she thinks is a “stagnant life” and can be harsh towards them, which Javier calls her out on; *Spoiler* ); A few mentions of politicians & celebrities (Thomas Jefferson, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, & Martin Luther King Junior); A mention of NASA putting a man on the moon.
Sexual Content- A hair kiss and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Shivers/Tingles, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Flirting, Winks, & Blushes; Hillary thinks that Javier is engaged but still flirting with her, and while she feels guilty for enjoying the attention, she shuts him down as she thinks he is either “the world’s sweetest man or an unfaithful rotten fiancé”; Hillary doesn’t want to be tempted further by Javier when she’s under the impression he is engaged; After Hillary realizes she didn’t have all the information about what she saw, she thinks Javier isn’t a two-timing jerk like she thought; Javier teases Hillary about playing footsies with him when their ankles accidentally touch; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & break-ups; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of cheating & cheaters; A few mentions of Hillary not wanting to steal another woman’s man or drool on him; A mention of a couple making out; A mention of a forbidden romance (Hillary thinks about her and Javier not having one); A mention of men flocking to a gorgeous woman; A mention of a group of “hormonal young people”; A mention of a “testosterone-soaked” activity (demolition of a house); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: When climbing with Javier, Hillary notes that she doesn’t want to be in front of him or he will be staring at her backside, but she doesn’t want him to go first either, so they go side by side; Hillary teases her father about liking to watch baseball because of the players’ tight pants (she’s mostly kidding and tries not to think of Javier in tight baseball paints); A few mentions of butts; A mention of a woman’s “curvaceous figure”.
-Hillary Jacobs
P.O.V. of Hillary
184 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
While reading, I wished there was Javier’s POV because I think that would have been helpful to see! I was stressed about the thought of him being engaged and flirting with her, so once that’s cleared up, I enjoyed the book much more, haha! Hillary does have her moments of being prideful, but lessons are eventually learned. This was one of the few times I approved of the third-act break-up in a book because Hillary needed to figure out how important she is to God and not focus so much on what she’s missing. The ending was a bit rushed because of it, but it was overall a cute story and safe for older teens.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
About this book:
“Hillary needs a major change in her life. She's stifled by an entry level IT job in the Virginia suburbs and longs to move to Washington D.C. where she can make a difference in the world.
When Javier comes to her rescue in Great Falls National Park, Hillary likes everything about him except for the gorgeous fiancé hanging on his arm. But things are not as they seem. He enlists her help to renovate a homeless shelter, and romance blossoms over paintbrushes and pipes until a career-launching opportunity arises.
Hillary can chase her dreams, but they might cost her Javier's heart.”
Series: Book #2 in the “Romance in the Park” series. Review of Book #1 Here!
Spiritual Content- A devotional at the end of the book has 1 Thessalonians 5:15 quoted and a prayer; A handful of Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God; Talks about God, His plans, doing what God wants, & being significant to Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Hillary struggles with the idea of God wanting her to be at her current job because she thinks she is capable of doing so much more than that (Javier tries to talk to her about this); Hillary wrestles with a couple bitter and sarcastic thoughts about things not happening if it’s not God’s will; Hillary wants to scream to Heaven when upset; Hillary’s older sister talks to her about being significant to God; Mentions of God, listening to Him, & helping others; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, & hymns; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of being blessed; A couple mentions of Mother Teresa; A mention of showing Christian Love; A mention of Lent; A mention of Christian music;
*Note: Hillary lies and thinks “lying about the obvious wasn’t a sin, right?”; Hillary joins a campus ministry that organizes hikes for all the “religious groups in an effort to promote unity”; When Javier shares an upbeat attitude about something, Hillary thinks that she is “dating Dalai Lama” and adds “If your job sucks, don’t worry, you’ll reincarnate as a butterfly”; A couple mentions of Dalai Lama and reincarnation.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘heck’, a ‘sucks’, two forms of ‘crap’, two ‘dumb’s, four ‘idiot’s, and eleven forms of ‘stupid’; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Hillary lies a couple of times; Mentions of a civil war in Guatemala, Javier’s parents’ villages being destroyed, living in a refugee camp, and believing most of their families died; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of wars & Nazis; A few mentions of a trucker having a “pee jar” (which makes Hillary wonders if it’s less gross for a guy because they “could aim” and hopes that someone created a portable seat for female truck drivers); A couple mentions of drownings; A couple mentions of a bar fight & someone being hungover; A couple mentions of a restaurant bar; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of smoking & a pipe; A couple mentions of a mule pooping; A mention of college parties; A mention of a historical tavern;
*Note: Hillary struggles with the thought of being stuck in her day-to-day routine (the monotony of it) and wants more for herself (she feels this way particularly herself, but also towards her parents; She struggles to understand her parents enjoying what she thinks is a “stagnant life” and can be harsh towards them, which Javier calls her out on; *Spoiler* ); A few mentions of politicians & celebrities (Thomas Jefferson, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, & Martin Luther King Junior); A mention of NASA putting a man on the moon.
Sexual Content- A hair kiss and a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Shivers/Tingles, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Noticing (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Flirting, Winks, & Blushes; Hillary thinks that Javier is engaged but still flirting with her, and while she feels guilty for enjoying the attention, she shuts him down as she thinks he is either “the world’s sweetest man or an unfaithful rotten fiancé”; Hillary doesn’t want to be tempted further by Javier when she’s under the impression he is engaged; After Hillary realizes she didn’t have all the information about what she saw, she thinks Javier isn’t a two-timing jerk like she thought; Javier teases Hillary about playing footsies with him when their ankles accidentally touch; Mentions of dates, dating, boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & break-ups; Mentions of flirting; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A few mentions of cheating & cheaters; A few mentions of Hillary not wanting to steal another woman’s man or drool on him; A mention of a couple making out; A mention of a forbidden romance (Hillary thinks about her and Javier not having one); A mention of men flocking to a gorgeous woman; A mention of a group of “hormonal young people”; A mention of a “testosterone-soaked” activity (demolition of a house); Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: When climbing with Javier, Hillary notes that she doesn’t want to be in front of him or he will be staring at her backside, but she doesn’t want him to go first either, so they go side by side; Hillary teases her father about liking to watch baseball because of the players’ tight pants (she’s mostly kidding and tries not to think of Javier in tight baseball paints); A few mentions of butts; A mention of a woman’s “curvaceous figure”.
-Hillary Jacobs
P.O.V. of Hillary
184 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
While reading, I wished there was Javier’s POV because I think that would have been helpful to see! I was stressed about the thought of him being engaged and flirting with her, so once that’s cleared up, I enjoyed the book much more, haha! Hillary does have her moments of being prideful, but lessons are eventually learned. This was one of the few times I approved of the third-act break-up in a book because Hillary needed to figure out how important she is to God and not focus so much on what she’s missing. The ending was a bit rushed because of it, but it was overall a cute story and safe for older teens.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
August 5, 2023
This book was a delight from the first page to the last. Hillary is a likeable character with a job she does not enjoy, waiting for her dream job to become a reality. She isn’t necessarily looking for romance – until romance finds her. Javier is everything a girl could want; charming, kind, and gorgeous. And seemingly unavailable. The story opens with a few missteps and misunderstandings, but a clear sense of God’s hand at work. The romance was nicely paced as page by entertaining page, I traveled with this loveable couple in a lovely setting of Great Falls National Park. There were just enough “wrinkles” in their romance to keep me turning pages until the story came to its satisfying conclusion. I loved the underlying message: No part of a person’s life is insignificant to God. I will definitely read more books by this author.
August 4, 2023
Robles writes a thoughtful coming-of-age story about a college graduate making her way in the world of IT. Hillary works as an entry level Help Desk employee, but feels her life is stuck and unadventurous. She spends time in Great Falls National Park and meets Javier, a handsome hiker who she believes is engaged.
When Hillary keeps bumping into Javier and learns that he's single, a romance blooms. Hillary is looking for drive and determination. Unsure if she and Javier are a fit, Hillary learns a life lesson. All work should be done to the glory of God and work is a gift--even if it's done at a Help Desk.
Hillary and Javier begin to see eye-to-eye as Hillary looks upon her life with a renewed sense of God's design.
A unique happily-ever-after where the heroine needs to learn a life lesson before finding true love.
When Hillary keeps bumping into Javier and learns that he's single, a romance blooms. Hillary is looking for drive and determination. Unsure if she and Javier are a fit, Hillary learns a life lesson. All work should be done to the glory of God and work is a gift--even if it's done at a Help Desk.
Hillary and Javier begin to see eye-to-eye as Hillary looks upon her life with a renewed sense of God's design.
A unique happily-ever-after where the heroine needs to learn a life lesson before finding true love.
August 5, 2023
Falling for Forever is a delightful read. Set in gorgeous Great Falls Park, the scenery invites you into a beautiful adventure. I loved watching Hillary experience the park while learning about life, love, and God in the process. She’s just barely getting through what she thinks is a boring, dead-end job and life in the stifling suburbs when all she wants to do is make her mark in the bustling DC metropolis. But God is patient and surrounds her with just the right people to help her find her way. The story is chock-full of engaging characters. You’ll enjoy your trip to the falls!
August 8, 2023
Another winner. Hillary and Javier’s story takes place against an amazing backdrop with descriptions so vivid they are easy to imagine. And I love the way they meet. She literally climbs over the cliff edge straight into a photo shoot—of Javier and his fiancé.
This is a great read, and it’s fine back into the TBR pile.
This is a great read, and it’s fine back into the TBR pile.
October 13, 2023
Before I say anything else about Falling for Forever, I have to note that Hillary and Javier’s meet-cute is my favorite in this series. I could just see it playing out in my head, from the interrupted climb/photo session to the dead car battery to the surprising twist in the meet-cute that I didn’t see coming. I think you’ll be left grinning just like I was!
I loved Javier right from the beginning, and the more I got to know him the more I loved him. Like Drew in Whitewater Wishes, Javier is a man of integrity and selflessness. His heart for the homeless shelter in need of help won me completely over to his side, and I appreciated this outward focus to his character. Hillary was a bit pricklier and tougher for me to get to know. I wanted to reach into the pages, grip her gently by the shoulders, and tell her that none of what consumed her is important in the long run. But I also remember being that age (vaguely lol) and having to learn those lessons the hard way… which is what Hillary must navigate – along with her budding relationship with Javier – in Falling for Forever. I enjoyed watching her grow deeper in ‘practical faith’, the kind that impacts our daily lives in everything from how we respond to people to how we do our work. I also really liked her Dad – he’s so endearing in a ‘classic dad’ kind of way.
Bottom Line: Falling for Forever by Katherine Robles is sweet and insightful, with a gentle romance and dashes of humor. The multicultural aspect to this story gave it a variety of vibrant layers beyond ‘just’ the developing relationship between Javier & Hillary (and the faith themes), and as someone with experience in blending cultures I had a blast watching it happen very true to form in this book. If you’re looking for a story that challenges you to grow, while also entertaining you with great characters and light romance, then Falling for Forever should be your next read!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
I loved Javier right from the beginning, and the more I got to know him the more I loved him. Like Drew in Whitewater Wishes, Javier is a man of integrity and selflessness. His heart for the homeless shelter in need of help won me completely over to his side, and I appreciated this outward focus to his character. Hillary was a bit pricklier and tougher for me to get to know. I wanted to reach into the pages, grip her gently by the shoulders, and tell her that none of what consumed her is important in the long run. But I also remember being that age (vaguely lol) and having to learn those lessons the hard way… which is what Hillary must navigate – along with her budding relationship with Javier – in Falling for Forever. I enjoyed watching her grow deeper in ‘practical faith’, the kind that impacts our daily lives in everything from how we respond to people to how we do our work. I also really liked her Dad – he’s so endearing in a ‘classic dad’ kind of way.
Bottom Line: Falling for Forever by Katherine Robles is sweet and insightful, with a gentle romance and dashes of humor. The multicultural aspect to this story gave it a variety of vibrant layers beyond ‘just’ the developing relationship between Javier & Hillary (and the faith themes), and as someone with experience in blending cultures I had a blast watching it happen very true to form in this book. If you’re looking for a story that challenges you to grow, while also entertaining you with great characters and light romance, then Falling for Forever should be your next read!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews