A fictional hero is raising money for our real-life heroes

Love might not always be enough, but it’s a start

Becky Wade tells the story of a Marine struggling to overcome PTSD

Becky Wade weaves a moving tale of the hope of redemptive love in her new book, A Love Like Ours (Bethany House/May 5, 2015/ISBN: 978-0764211096/$13.99). In it she introduces us to former Marine Jake Porter, who carries scars far deeper than the one that marks his face. After serving his country in the Middle East, he returns home struggling with symptoms of PTSD. His pain causes him to live a solitary life, avoiding relationships even with his dearest loved ones.

All of this is challenged when Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas. Despite his misgivings, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbred horses. He pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run. Jake finds his old friend to be tender-hearted, fiercely determined and afraid of nothing — just like she was as a little girl.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope Jake thought he’d lost forever returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 11-20 percent of veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year. “I’m extremely grateful to our veterans for their service,” Wade says. “I cast Jake as my hero because I was moved by news stories I’ve seen and read throughout the years about service men and women who come home with physical injuries and/or disorders such as PTSD.” 

A portion of the proceeds from A Love Like Ours pre-orders and post-release sales through May 17 will go to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), which builds centers on U.S. military bases to aid veterans in their recoveries from combat injuries. Wade selected this charity because IFHF goes beyond addressing physical rehabilitation, also helping with traumatic brain injuries and psychological health conditions. 

Wade reveals she wants readers to walk away from A Love Like Ours with a renewed compassion for those who are hurting. “My desire is that this novel will remind readers that in God, there’s always reason to hope. He has the power to redeem all things in His time.”

Join Becky Wade for a Facebook launch party on May 5 at 8 PM EDT. Watch her Facebook page for details.

About the Author

Becky Wade is the Carol Award- and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award-winning author of My Stubborn Heart, Undeniably Yours, Meant to Be Mine and her latest, A Love Like Ours.

Wade and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas.  It was during her years abroad when Wade’s passion for reading turned into a passion for writing.  She published three historical romances for the general market then put her career on hold to care for her kids. When God called her back to writing, Wade knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.

These days Wade can usually be found trying but failing to keep up with housework, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.

Keep up with Becky Wade at www.beckywade.com, on Facebook (authorbeckywade) or by following her on Twitter (beckywadewriter) or Pinterest (beckywadewriter).