Love at First Fight: 52 Story-Based Meditations for Married Couples

by Carey Dyer, Dena Dyer

Find Hope, Humor, and Truth for Your Marriage

"Approaching the seriousness of marriage in a lighthearted manner, Carey and Dena Dyer help couples laugh through the tears, accept each other's flaws, and love each other through it all."
–Michelle Lazurek, Author of An Invitation to the Table

Love at First Fight is a book that will give your marriage encouragement and hope if you find that the once endearing, charming, and distinct qualities that once attracted you to your spouse are now a source of stress and conflict.

In sharing humorous, personal stories from both the male and female perspective , husband and wife writing team Carey and Dena Dyer will help you discover that a fun, resilient, fulfilling marriage can be realized through hard work, forgiveness, God’s grace, and a sense of humor.

Learn how to strengthen your marriage with these fifty-two conversational meditations that begin with scripture, end with prayers, and include practical action steps to develop a deeper connection with your spouse.

174 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

by Andrea Renee Cox

This devotional was a great read, even though I'm currently single. I like getting tips for maintaining a solid marriage, because I feel it's always great to be prepared. There was only one entry that I completely didn't understand (What do socks have to do with anything other than keeping our feet warm?). The first section was a bit too light for my taste, but the other sections dove about as deep as I expected it to by the back-cover copy. I enjoyed the anecdotes from the Dyers's combined memory banks as well as the "tips from the pros" that were included in each devotion. This book is great for people who are married, engaged, dating, and single. Please don't discredit yourself from reading this book if you aren't yet married. There are lots of tips and encouragements that I found to be enlightening and perspective-shifting. It's worth at least one read.

I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, authors, and sites like Netgalley, Litfuse Publicity Group, and Blogging for Books. They do not require me to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love at First Fight is a great book. It contains short devotionals that inspire, encourage and help couples feel that their relationship is “normal.” It has a prayer, Scripture, the husband and wife’s point of view and offers insight into some of the struggles that couples face in marriage. There are even questions every day to help the couples dig deeper into their own relationship to help strengthen it, if they want. As I’m reading this book, I feel like I’m getting to know the authors and becoming friends.

I highly recommend this book - all the wonderful content is packaged into bite size chunks that allow the couples to chew on it individually or together.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE AT FIRST FIGHT is written by a husband and wife team. Mr. Dyer has an outstanding sense of humor which had me (and my daughter who read parts of it) in stitches. Both of them talked about different personality traits and how they as complete opposites learned to live with each other. The authors were both very transparent, shared their brokenness and stressed that they aren't experts, but want others to learn from their mistakes. A great book for newlywed couples.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt as if your marriage is a battle, or that you don’t understand your spouse? ‘Love at First Fight’ by Carey and Dena Dyer is a unique, Christ-centered devotional for couples that can help bring them closer together or help one spouse if the other isn’t ready for it. There are many beneficial things that this real-life married-almost-20-years team share. It is a must-read for Christian couples, whether newly-wed or together for years. The authors are transparent with their feelings and struggles and how they learned to work through them – not in their own strength but in the Lord’s. They share humor, showing how to laugh at oneself or the situation. Each devotion is a starting place for couples to converse with each other.

One thing they demonstrate is that, while each person and couple is unique, there are many ways we are alike. Many husbands and wives are complete opposites. Many spouses are afraid to share their feelings, fears or failures with anyone, much less their spouse. Carey and Dena are blessed examples that others might have had the same struggles. Learning to speak with and listen to one’s spouse can bring positive changes over time, especially when each begins to have empathy for each other, also allowing a couple to seek a solution together in a way pleasing to the Lord.

The authors address challenges common to many couples, and challenges that effect some couples and not others. The devotions begin with the early days of marriage and go through various life stages such as having children, raising children, or looking at aging situations. These include if one of the spouses has a chronic illness and the other spouse has to step up in ways that neither anticipated, if a spouse has lost a job and struggles to find a new one, or if a spouse is dealing with depression. A topic not addressed, probably since the authors did not personally experience it, would be one or both spouses having children from prior marriages and the variety of challenges that can result. I do feel that using this couple’s pattern of devotions, these and other challenges can be peacefully discussed and worked through.

Each devotion begins with a scripture apropos to the conversational, story-based devotion, then each spouse writes from their point of view and what they learned. They include a prayer, then a section aptly called “Taking off the Gloves” where suggestions are made, based on the author’s experience through the Lord’s direction. These suggestions are a starting place for a couple to discuss their challenge while seeking a solution. The last part of each devotion is “Tips from the Pros”, literally a tip from someone who has been married for various numbers of years sharing something they learned in their marriage.

Included is a list of ministries that address couples situations (such as Focus on the Family), a list of authors who write on marriage relationships (such as Gary Smalley), and a list of scriptures used.

There is something for every couple at in this valuable book! I highly recommend ‘Love at First Fight’ to every couple (or even one spouse if the other isn’t ready). Couples preparing for marriage may also find some suggested discussions helpful, especially if guided by their pastor before the big day.

With a grateful heart, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Barbour Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received.

[Jimnlori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great marriage resource. It is a 52 story-based meditations for married couples with both the husband and wife's point of views.
This study can give you the insight of understanding that all marriages have ups and downs, discover that having a strong marriage is always possible while practicing better communication and prayer for one another.

I was given an ARC for an honest review. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carey and Dena Dyer have given a thought-provoking and candid look into their marriage. In addition, to the story-based meditations the chapters are subtitled with He Says/She Says, Taking Off the Gloves, and Tips from the Pros. There are 5 sections to the book and each section includes an area for notes.

The Dyers have drawn from their personal life, in all its grittiness, in order to assist couples in realizing a universal truth-every couple has ups, downs and moments of frustration. The frustrations usually result in questioning, occasionally, if the hassle is worth it.

Love at First Fight is frequently humorous, sometimes painful and at all times honest. The narrative is easy to read, and the lessons are easy to apply. I feel Love at First Fight would make a great gift for any married couple, whether just starting out or long time married. The format is such that it could be a daily devotional read alone or with your spouse.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Sherry Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful resource for couples. I loved that the

book is set up for couples to study together with 52

Meditations. Allowing couples to spend a year together

strengthening their marriage. Each devotion includes

prayer scripture and action steps to work on together.

Also included are Tips from Pro's. A very short section at

the end of each devotional. I enjoyed reading the tips from

various sources.

This is a great and helpful book for all couples. Even if

you've never done a study or devotional together this is a

good place to start.

I recommend Love At First Fight for all

couples.

I received a complimentary copy from Barbour

Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Deborha Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and informative

This book is a compilation of stories/advice from various couples....those married just a few years to some married over 50 years. It's filled with tips on how to keep a happy home and has advice to help weather the storms, sometimes in a very witty way. It gives both the male and female points of view. Whether you are struggling in your marriage or simply want to keep your marriage going strong, you will find something useful in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Peggy Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for couples of all ages. Buy it today. It's funny and faith building.

[Brett Maragni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. Back when my wife and I got married we talked about reading through marriage books together as a way to cap off our day. That was the ideal, but the reality was different. Almost three decades later we thought we would give it another shot. So we pulled this one off the shelf and found it was the perfect way to end the day. Dena's profound insights and transparency, coupled with Carey's humor... and... well, humor, is a powerful combination. We lamented the night the book ended. It was that good. Now we eagerly await a sequel!

Full disclosure: The authors have been friends of ours for over three decades.

[Debbie Chatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors (Carey and Dena) draw you into their story right from the beginning through both their vulnerability and their humorous perspective on their experiences as a married couple. You will find yourself both nodding your head in agreement as you see yourself in their stories and laughing out loud at the stories of differences between men and woman. I highly recommend this book to all engaged couples, and especially to all married couples whether newly married or married for a while now. No matter where you find yourself on the marriage journey, you are guaranteed to find yourself in their stories and pick up some practical help in the book.

Note: this book could be read straight through as just a practical book or it could be used as a devotional for couples or a devotional for just a wife or a husband. I do think it would be best used as a couple’s devotional where you do a chapter a day. Reason being, the format of each chapter starts with a verse, then includes both his and her’s perspective on the topic at hand, and also includes a prayer, some discussion questions, and lastly a quote from another married couple. I personally read the book cover to cover for the purposes of getting an overall sense of the book for review purposes. But in so doing, I definitely missed some of the power elements of the book as I was just reading over the discussion questions. Whereas if a couple used this book as a daily devotional, these discussion questions would be good conversation starters to go even deeper on the topic at hand.

Some of the key lessons that jumped out at me during the reading of this book are first of all the fact that they point out the value of laughter in a marriage. At one point, the authors describe their household as two scoops of crazy. In the process, they are reminding us that life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured and that husband and wife should be friends as well as lovers. Another key lesson that is emphasized is the need to really get to know your spouse, understand what makes them tick and go out of your way to be a blessing to your spouse. In fact, I picked up many practical tips on how to do this in my marriage in this book. Quite a few chapters include very specific tips to address various scenarios encountered in marriage between 2 different people such as: fighting fair, dealing with your differences, adding romance, surviving the low points of marriage, and handling busy schedules.

My two favorite chapters were “Translation please” and “When a Toaster marries a Crock Pot”. I don’t want to give anything away but suffice it to say that “Translation please” talks about how men and woman talk 2 different languages sometimes and how we need an application to assist with understanding what they are saying. Read this chapter for more on “trans-mate”. The chapter “When a Toaster marries a Crock Pot” is about married couples where one is a morning person and the other is not and man could I relate to this chapter. I first laughed out loud at the very accurate metaphors and then had to read it out loud to my husband so he could share in my humor.

Now to whet your appetite, here are some of the chapter titles that really spoke to me in my marriage: love at first fight, culture shock, when opposites attract, family traditions, fighting fair, try a little romance, low point, crazy busy, and when life’s a pain. So get a copy of this book, sit down and read it alone or with your spouse and prepare to learn while you are entertained.

The only critique I could give was that the verses at the beginning of the chapters were in the more modern versions of the Bible. I know that some would prefer that, however, I personally would have preferred KJV but I am aware that I am in the minority here. Some of you will consider this a plus that the verses are printed in modern versions.

[Katie Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a newlywed, so when I saw this title available for review, I jumped at the chance. I am so glad that I did, I love this book! The topics range from minor and not serious to serious, yet they are all things that can cause couples to have troubles or grow closer together, depending on how they are handled. I giggled at many places at how true-to-life these issues are and how Carey and Dena talked about them. Many of those giggles were because my husband and I have already gone through that particular issue and handled it much like Carey or Dena. I wouldn't call this book super serious, but it does handle some serious topics. For the most part, this is a light-hearted book that can help any couple grow closer if they read through it together and pray and discuss the questions in each meditation. I loved how both Carey and Dena were candid and exposed how they reacted to things in their relationship and how they could have done better. Each meditation is nice length where they are shorter, but not too short to not have any substance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. This book is full of short stories from both the perspective of husband and wife. Each section includes tips from married couples as well as things to think about in ones own marriage. I think this has some good ideas for being more mindful in marriage. I felt that many of the things would be more for the newly married couple as a lot of the questions seemed to pertain to getting to know each other.

[Jan Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reading for couples! My husband and I read it together, laughing along with the authors at the crazy things couples go through.

[Michael Brouses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, hopefully can use it day to day life.