I had the privilege of participating in the Clean Wholesome Romance January 2019 book club, which choice was Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean. I chose not to read the synapsis on purpose, letting the story tell itself, and I am so thankful that I did. Savannah, the heroine of the story, mirrors me in so many ways. An introvert, so shy that her timidity has left her frozen in life. She also had an internal conflict that no one knows about: Savannah is on a secret mission to find Paul, a mystery man that Savannah was told by a mystical woman years before that she is destined to be with. Paul is her one true love, and it is this motivation to find him that brought Savannah on an amazing trip to China.

Before participating in the book club, I had already fallen in love with the story, but during the Clean Wholesome Romance Facebook book club meeting we got to hear the motivation and inspiration behind the story from the author herself, which made me fall even more in love with Chasing Fireflies. It was the author's daughter that had taken the month-long trip to China and it was her experiences that Taylor Dean drew the majority of her inspiration from.

Learning the backstory made Chasing Fireflies that much more meaningful. The heartfelt and wonderful writing, along with wonderful characterization and descriptions, made this an incredible read, and is an excellent installment in the Power of the Matchmaker series. ( )

I have been a huge fan of Taylor Dean’s for some time now, so I am excited to check out another one of her novels, Chasing Fireflies.

Her sisters act like mothers as they do their best to dissuade Savannah from going to China for four months, but she knew HE was there and she had to find him, her true love. She’ll be OK, she has her magic cloak and that makes her invisible.

Emotions bubble to the surface early as I read of the loss of her parents. Can someone die of a broken heart?

OK Taylor, Ive got my tissues by my side, so let’s go find Paul, come hell or high water.

She’s shy, but that doesn’t mean she not observant, taking in everything around her,a spectator of others.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” What a great quote.

I found it easy to relate to her difficulty with social situations and turbulence. I am a huge fan of my own company and God forbid I end up on a plane with turbulence.

Just like the fireflies my sisters and I tried to catch on the warm summer evenings of our youth, the dream seems beyond my grasp.

I could follow her life long dream and head to China but that elevator scene…having a hard time getting there. Stopped me in my tracks. Taylor Dean is a must read author for me, and I do love a happy ever after, but this scene struck me so wrong…I’ll read on and see if she wins me over. I know..it’s fiction…just have to go with it.

Taylor Dean is very good with sweet, clean, innocent romance and she is sure to include the despair she feels when her dream is crushed. Ah, the sweet agony of youth and its naivety. She is so different from me but I do remember my broken heart and the soul crushing sorrow…that in hindsight seemed to end very quickly. Did more time pass than I thought?

I don’t mind predictable,the familiar. It can be warm, cozy and comfortable. I didn’t get into this one as much as I normally do her stories. They usually wrap me up in emotions and require tissues. Chasing Fireflies had its moments and is well worth the read.

Chasing Fireflies is one of a series of stand alone novels connect to The Matchmaker.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Chasing Fireflies by Taylor Dean.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com ( )

I received my copy of this eBook in exchange for a fair and honest review.



I have loved every part of The Power of the Matchmaker series. They've all been sweet, and wholesome with enough suggestion to fuel any love story. Not all romances need to be tawdry affairs, and not all clean romances need to be preachy and spiritual. This series is an example of one that is the perfect amount of fluffy courtships when you've had your fill of the rogues and rakes of the more torrid and steamy romances.

[b:Chasing Fireflies|26301660|Chasing Fireflies|Taylor Dean|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442375671s/26301660.jpg|46300875] was a one sitting book! I couldn't put it down until I had finished it, and that doesn't happen as often as you would think nowadays! I felt like I was reading about myself for a very long time. Savannah Tate is so similar in personality to me that I felt so connected to her in mere pages of reading and the hope that I had for her to find her happy ending held on until the very end. I had guessed at her life changing news, what she perceived as being the "broken" part of her long before the book gave its answers to us. It couldn't be that she is a shy introvert because she is accepting and loving of that viewpoint from the very beginning. It's very rare that I find a heroine who is like me in that regard and so aptly explains what it feels like to be an introvert. It's not that we don't like the interaction with other people, it's that we need to recharge afterwards because it is so draining on us emotionally and physically. It's rare that anyone gets this right, so kudos to you [a:Taylor Dean|6425797|Taylor Dean|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1340217034p2/6425797.jpg] for an accurate portrayal of an introvert!

The thought niggles. And burrows. Forages in my heart. I don't let it take root. I don't plan on letting bitterness overcome me.

No, instead I need to find the real Paul. He's out there somewhere, I just know it.

Savannah has been through the ringer by this point. She has broken relationships, with limited interactions with males unless they are named 'Paul' all because of a chance meeting with Miss Pearl when she was a young girl. Searching far and wide for her 'Paul' finds her as an English teacher on exchange to China. She makes great friends but definitely meets the love of her life - there's only one problem - his name isn't Paul! Julian is PERFECT for Savannah, it's something that you can tell from the moment that they first meet. He is definitely drawn to her from first meeting, but Savannah is so set on her search for Paul that she doesn't seem to pay him that much attention.

When the Paul she thought she had come to China to find turns out to be a cad who wanted no more than whatever physical comforts she could have offered, it's Julian who helps heal her heart and it's then that the great love affair between them begins.

He sets his glass down. "I've liked you from the moment I met you. You were so quiet, yet I could physically feel your presence, like there was a force in the room pulling me towards you. That's never happened to me before."

Touched, I don't know what to say. Instead, I swallow and it turns into a gulp.

His eyes bore into mine as he says, "My answer is a big, fat, huge yes. I want there to be something between us."

This was a sweet tale, where the heroine learns she is stronger than the she ever appears and that sometimes the best coincidences bring you down the path to love. I loved reading from Savannah's perspective, I think the story would have lost something if we had jumped back and forth between her and Julian's POV. This was excellent. A delightful read that showcases the beauty and the power of love. 5 enthusiastic stars and two hearty thumbs up!!!! ( )

Savannah Tate is the youngest child in her family of all girls, and a mysterious meeting with Miss Pearl when she is eleven changes her life, and actually saves her and her sister’s lives. Now, and with a few misses, Savannah is searching for her Paul, and by searching she is traveling the world, and ends up in China.
She is on the trail of the elusive Paul, and while in China has what looks like a dream, fun job of teaching English in a fun way to the Natives. She again begins her search, and lets a couple of men she is attracted to, because they are not named Paul. So she stalks a famous architect from her Texas University, and throws herself at “the Paul”!
We do get to experience some beautiful sites and unknowns to the tourists we see a beautiful country, and even climb some of the deteriorating parts of the Great Wall. In all we do though, Savannah is on the lookout for her Paul.
Will she find him here, or will we be leaving and looking elsewhere, and hope she makes the right decisions.
I received this book through Inspired Kathy, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )