About the Book

Book: Love’s True Measure

Author: Lori DeJong

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Shannon Trent has dedicated her life to ministering to teens, even as she hides secrets that haunt her past. Born into privilege, she’s built a simpler life away from the expectations of her influential family. She’s content on her own, believing that to open her heart would mean unearthing her deepest shame. But when her charming neighbor stirs feelings she’s never allowed herself to entertain, his lack of faith provides the perfect excuse to keep her distance.

Hunter Kavanaugh has spent years chasing his dream career. But when his mother’s sudden death leaves him the sole guardian of his teenage sister, his carefully curated world begins to crumble. Struggling with grief, anger at God, and the demands of his job, Hunter is surprised when Shannon’s unwavering faith begins to resonate with him—and her ability to connect with his sister draws him closer.

As Hunter and Shannon navigate their growing bond, unexpected challenges force them to confront their fears and priorities. Both must either choose to trust God’s plan is far greater than their own, or risk losing the love of a lifetime.

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About the Author

Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is an award-winning contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty-plus years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter graduated from college and settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with her husband, and the sweetest grand-dog ever.

Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly.

Lori’s debut novel, “Love’s True Calling”, Book One of her True Calling Series, was the 2020 winner of the Scrivenings Press Novel Starts Contest, winner of the 2022 ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year, and a doubl-finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards. “Love’s True Home” was released in 2024 and is a 2025 Selah Awards finalist.

More from Lori

As soon as Shannon Trent showed up in chapter one of my debut novel, Love’s True Calling, I knew she had a story. That there was something underneath all that joy and spunk that haunted her. That she felt she had to hide.

Although born to a life of privilege, she doesn’t want her name to be the measure of her worth. Determined to live a simpler life, she dials in to her faith, only wanting to be and do whatever God says she should be and do.

Hunter Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has overcome the instability of his teenage years to forge his own path. He’s made something of himself by his own grit and determination, and he measures his worth in terms of his success and the things it provides him.

When these two literally run into each other outside their building, his grumpy disposition, and obvious high-powered job, leave Shannon unimpressed. No matter how handsome he might be, she has no intention of getting to know this neighbor any better.

But God …

When these two meet up again, a friendship blossoms. Her heart threatens to take her somewhere she’s never been before, but his unbelief gives her the perfect reason to keep her emotional distance.

When God gave me this story concept, I was a little intimidated. Would I be able to convey the heart of a good man who didn’t have faith? Would I be able to flesh out a woman who had an abundance of faith yet still harbored shame from her past?

But as I started writing this story, I fell in love with these two and their journey to discover the true measure of their worth … and the true measure of love.

Interview with the Author

Which character did you connect to best in this book?

I think it would have to be Shannon. I loved all three of them—Shannon, Hunter, and Hunter’s little sister Brylie—but from the moment Shannon Trent showed up in Chapter One of my debut novel, Love’s True Calling, I knew I wanted to write her story. She’s extroverted and perky and has a huge heart for God and serving in student ministry. Yet I felt there was a deep wound she kept carefully protected for fear of someone discovering the shame she carried. As I explored that more in depth for her story in Love’s True Measure, Book 3 in the True Calling Series, my heart hurt for her and I couldn’t help loving her even more for all she’d come through.

Which part of the book was the most difficult to write?

As far as my process, the first three chapters are always the most difficult to write, followed closely by the ending. I write the beginning of the book many times over to set the right tone to keep the reader turning the pages. And, of course, the ending has to be worth the journey. So I write and edit and edit and edit some more to hopefully give my characters, and thereby my readers, a satisfying pay-off.

From an emotional standpoint, there were a few. I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s a scene where Shannon has to open up to Hunter if they’re going to be able to move forward in their relationship, and that was heartrending. Yet, for me, it was one of the most rewarding parts of the book. Another emotionally taut scene involves a huge decision Hunter has to make. I prayed over that scene many times for the words to evoke the reverence it deserved and how life-changing that was for him.

What inspired this book?

As I mentioned, as soon as I “met” her in Book 1, I loved her and wanted to be her friend. Haha! That sounds slightly odd (or a lot odd), but I’m a character-driven writer. I “live” with my characters before and while I write their story. Aside from their appearance, I know their Enneagram, birth order, love language. I know their favorite food, color, type of music, and I “shop” for homes, cars, clothing, etc., for them before I even start writing the book. Some characters are harder to live with at the beginning of their arc, and I fall in love with them as they grow and change. But Shannon was a kick from the beginning. Definitely someone I enjoyed spending time with. I wanted to give her a story that allowed her to face her deepest pain and come away more whole than she started.

What is your vacation spot?

We live on a pretty tight budget, so we don’t have a set vacation destination nor have we traveled to exotic places. We live in Central Texas and own a timeshare, so we’ve gone several times down to the Texas coast to take in ocean views, and northeast to the woods above Tyler for a nice change of scenery. And as I’m writing this, we’re getting ready to head to Branson, Missouri, for a couple of weeks. Another one of our favorite destinations where we can take advantage of our timeshare as a home away from home. And take our fur-babies. Very important.

What are you reading right now?

I’m a little divided right now because I’m reading Pepper Basham’s A Match for Emma, Book 3 in her Mitchell’s Crossroads series. But I’m on the launch team for Mary Pat Johns, so I’m also reading the ARC of her upcoming release, Waitin’ on Paige, Book 4 of her Romance in Valiant series. It’s not altogether unusual for me to be reading a couple of books at the same time. Depends on my mood. Haha!