Autumn Skies - Denise Hunter

Once again, we join the Bennett siblings at their Bluebell Inn for this final installment to the series.  Now, we focus on Grace, the youngest of the siblings, who is trying to get her outdoor outfitters business off the ground, as the siblings prepare to sell the inn and move on with their lives.  When Wyatt Jennings comes to visit the inn, Grace is drawn to him and his mysterious search in the nearby mountains.  Their lives are so different and headed in different directions, though, what could even come of a relationship?

I have enjoyed this tale of the Bennett siblings, and their mission to run the inn their parents never got to see come to fruition.  I like seeing their interactions as their lives change, and they find their matches, and try to adjust their family expectations.  Grace and Wyatt's story was perhaps not my favorite of the 3 books, but it was good to see the family again and have a sense of where they're all headed from here.  I missed the extra side characters in this portion of the story, however, it was much more centered on the main two characters than the previous books were, and I felt like that left the story a little flat. 

I give this book 3 stars, but overall the series would average higher than that as a whole, and if you read the first two, you should certainly finish it out!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

You can find Autumn Skies HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

Lake Season - Denise Hunter

Molly, Levi, and Grace Bennett choose to band together after their parents' tragic death, and put their life plans on hold to open the inn that was their parents' dream.  During the last stages of construction, Molly discovers an unsent letter stuck in the walls, and becomes obsessed with tracking down the writer and intended recipient to try to provide healing or closure.  Meanwhile, Adam Bradford, whose pseudonym is the bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn, comes to Bluebell to find inspiration for his next novel.  With no other rooms available during the busy Lake Season, Adam ends up at the Bluebell Inn, and strikes up a friendship with Molly.  Finding himself drawn to both Molly and the mysterious letter, the two of them work closely together to delve into the small town's past to find what they can about this couple that has stolen their hearts.  How close can Adam get to Molly without revealing his secret identity, who just happens to be Molly's favorite author, or without her feeling deceived if he does reveal himself?  Can he trust her with his insecurities that he doesn't measure up to his own heroes?

This book had all the makings of a great summer read - the lake town, the small inn, the tragic beginning, and an author crush, but it fell just a little shy for me.  I wanted the townspeople, or side characters to play a larger part in filling out the feel of the town and story.  The book was entirely focused on Adam and Molly, with a minimal dual timeline addition to give a bit more weight to the letter plot.  Molly's best friend Skye had so much potential, as did Adam's friend Jordan, and Molly's siblings Levi and Grace.  I believe this is intended to be a series, with each sibling getting their turn at a book, so maybe their stories will start to feel more developed.  However, I spent most of the book feeling like I was missing a prequel, or maybe this wasn't meant to be book one, and that I was supposed to already know these people. 

Since Adam and Molly were the focus of the story, I did feel connected to them, and Adam's battle with his father's memory and the insecurities that stemmed from that, as well as Molly's grief and guilt over her parents' death were heartwrenching.  Lizzie and Ben's story was also very emotional, and while I wished for it to be fleshed out a bit more, I did appreciate how well everything tied together in the end.  Some might say too much so, but I didn't mind the coincidences, when attributed to God's sovereignty.

I give this book 4 stars.  November is an odd choice for a beach-y book to release, but maybe you'll want to hold onto it for next summer!  I do plan to read the siblings' stories as they are available, because I think this family set-up is rich for a good tale.

You can find Lake Season HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publishers, in exchange for my honest review.

Honeysuckle Dreams - Denise Hunter

Brady Collins is already struggling to find his footing as a single dad after the death of his ex-wife.  Then, his ex in-laws sue for custody...on the grounds that he isn't Sam's biological dad.  When his attorney suggests that a stable two-parent household might be the thing to sway the judge to award custody to Brady regardless of biology, he and his long-time friend Hope concoct a plan to give Sam a family.  Can they make a marriage of convenience based on friendship and necessity work?  What if they find out they want something different once they've already committed to this arrangement?

I have to say I didn't love this book.  The marriage arrangement deal has been done before, but I knew that plotline going into the book.  However, both partners had some big issues that they were working on separately, and I didn't feel like they did a good job seeking help from each other, or even outsiders (other than a brief mention of therapy for Hope).  Rather, it seemed to be mostly internal dialogue that moved them to their individual conclusions.  Overall, I felt like there could have been more there - more talking to each other to grow closer, more seeking help from friends or pastors to get outside perspectives, and more prayer and seeking God for healing and direction. 

I also didn't realize that this was the second book in a series, so some of the side characters clearly had backstories that weren't filled in during this book.  Those bumps could be solved by paying attention to series order.  Oops.

I give this book 2 stars.  I didn't even find myself rooting for these characters to come together, and that's not a good sign in a romance novel.

You can find Honeysuckle Dreams HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.  (There are several other books from this author that I have enjoyed!)

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.