Denise Hunter: On Magnolia Lane

By Kelly Bridgewater

Pastor Jack McReady has secretly carried a torch for Daisy for two long years. She’s a member of his congregation, after all, and she’ll never see him as more than a trusted counselor. Jack’s best friend Noah has taken every opportunity to encourage his lovesick friend, but when Noah catches wind that Daisy has joined an online dating site, he takes matters into his own hands and orchestrates a meet-cute of the most unconventional kind.

Owner of the local flower shop, Daisy Pendleton is content with her small-town life, but she’d sure like someone to share it with. After several disastrous first dates, she’s about to give up—and then she finds a seemingly wonderful man online. Daisy gets to know TJ through a series of messages but finds herself spending more time with Pastor Jack outside of the church at the same time. What she doesn’t know is that her online prospect and Jack are one and the same. 

Just as Daisy’s love life starts to look promising, a mysterious woman appears in town. Daisy is faced with a revelation about her family that turns her world upside down, and she looks to both TJ and Jack for help.

Jack must find a way to reveal himself as her online suitor without breaking her heart and losing her trust. As Daisy faces Jack’s betrayal, she’ll have to learn to extend grace to herself, her family, and the man she’s grown to love.

https://www.denisehunterbooks.com/book-magnolia-lane.html

My Thoughts:

Denise Hunter is fabulous at putting two individuals, a male and a female, into sticky situations and watch them work through their growing emotions. With her latest series, it really hasn't worked for me. The final book, On Magnolia Lane, has a pastor for a hero and a flower shop worker for the heroine. While the story centers around searching for their dreams and looking for love through the facade of a on-line dating service. While the story moves slowly along, I had a really hard time staying focused on the plot. I really couldn't wait for it to be over. Of course being a contemporary romance, the ending is completely predictable, leaving nothing for me to guess. It was nice to see a different type of hero, such as being a pastor. Most people probably don't think of pastors in the realm that Hunter created Jack, but they have emotions and the desired to be loved by members of the opposite sex too. As for Daisy, the heroine, I really saw no redeeming quality about her. She doesn't stick out to me as anything special. She's a pretty cardboard character to me.

Overall, On Magnolia Lane is a bland, yet predictable contemporary romance. I had a hard time diving into the character's lives and the story didn't wow me. Fans of Melissa Tagg, Becky Wade, and Hunter's previous' writings might still love this book, this is just my humble opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including "The Convenient Groom" and "A December Bride" which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.


In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise through her website www.DeniseHunterBooks.com or by visiting her FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter. (Taken from Amazon)
 

Denise Hunter: Honeysuckle Dreams

By Kelly Bridgewater

After Brady Collins’ ex-wife dies, he receives devastating news—his nine-month-old son Sam isn’t his son at all. And Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents want custody of the child. Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. But regardless of what any blood test says, Sam is his son, and Brady will go to any lengths to keep him.

Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would virtually assure him of winning guardianship of baby Sam at the final hearing: an impending marriage. And his friend Hope is willing to step in as the loving and devoted fiance.

Local radio celebrity Hope Daniels has been driven by a solitary goal her entire life, and after a happy accident she’s finally offered her dream job. But if the truth comes out about her arrangement with Brady, she may miss the chance of a lifetime and stand in the way of a dear friend’s dreams.

As Brady and Hope make sacrifices to help each other in their times of need, they risk uncovering a truth neither of them expects to find.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Denise Hunter's Chapel Hill series and the Summer Harbor Series. They weren't like the majority of contemporary romance published. She digs deep into her characters and really hunts for the deep flaw in their lives and tosses it to the wind while creating a masterful climax with the a member of the opposite sex. But with her new series, A Blue Ridge Romance, I don't feel the same way.

The writing is still top notch. Hunter really dives into her character's emotions. I understand Brady and Hope's feelings for each other and empathize with them as they move around the story. I can see the setting and understand where I am without any real difficulty.

The plot seemed really rushed to me. For the first forty-two percent of the book, Hunter rushes through two months of time and rushes to a court hearing. Then the next two months fly by for the rest of the book to show the downfall of the characters. I really didn't understand why the sudden emotional change in Hope either. One day she shuts Brady out, and the item that triggers it seemed out of place. Hope becomes dis-attached and depressed, which I didn't see coming and is completely out of character for the build-up of the character for the first half of the book.

I liked Hope and Brady at the beginning of the novel, and they have a nice communication together. But then the story seems forced on the characters. Hope doesn't think twice about what Brady is asking her to do. I think any normal person would have needed to think it over. There is so much she and he doesn't take into consideration.

Overall, Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter didn't appear realistic and too rushed to meet a deadline. I don't think characters did things that would have fit their personalities. The plot moved too rapidly leaving me confused and wondering why I'm still reading the book. I recommend skipping this book and picking up her previous writings. However, fans of Hunter's other stories and contemporary romance might enjoy this novel. This is my humble opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Denise Hunter: Blue Ridge Sunrise

By Kelly Bridgewater

Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she’d never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe—a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she’s the only person in town who doesn’t expect her to give up the life she’s established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?

Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their “break,” not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now—five years later.

As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe’s head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn’t sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter is a good mixture of romance and mystery. The novel begins with like a typical contemporary romance novel, but then Hunter ends the novel with a mystery element. Filled with intrigue and betrayal, Blue Ridge Sunrise focuses on the romance between Zoe and Cruz while telling a story of past hurts being rekindled.

The writing was clear and concise. I believe Hunter's greatest strength is her ability to capture her character's emotions spot on. Both of the characters Zoe and Cruz were developed with deep wounds and dark moments in their past. Both the heroine and hero wanted to move on from their past and learn to accept the present with their current choices, even if it includes both of them.

The romance moved a little fast, but then again, Zoe and Cruz had a past that had been resurrected after five years of separation. Zoe and Cruz had to face the reality of their past and change their outlook on the present and the future. As expected, the predictable ending of a contemporary romance did occur with the happily-ever-after.

The plot reminded me a lot of Catherine West's The Memory of You except her story takes place in a vineyard, and Hunter takes place in a peach orchard. Zoe has a daughter, and West's heroine does not. Both stories feature heroines who come back to a family place because of a death in the family, and they are supposed to take charge of the place. Both run into past love and watch the sparks fly.

Overall, Blue Ridge Sunrise is a happy, go-lucky story that I'm sure fans of contemporary romance will devour and love, but for me, this novel by Hunter really did nothing for me. The story was predictable and had the touch of another contemporary romance novel. Even though the this novel was not my favorite by Hunter, I will still give her more chances.

I received a complimentary copy of Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars