Saturday, November 9, 2019

Book Review: Lake Season by Denise Hunter

Lake Season by Denise Hunter




Publisher & Release: Thomas Nelson, November 12, 2019

Time and setting:  Present Day, North Carolina

Genre: Women’s Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Length: 352 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart

Rating:  5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

The first story in a brand-new series, Lake Season invites readers to the Bluebell Inn in a small North Carolina town where a lost letter, a chance for new love, and old secrets beckon.
When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream of turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina, home back into an inn. Staying in town would be temporary—three years at most—then they plan to sell the inn, and Molly can get back to chasing her own dreams.
Adam Bradford (aka bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn) is a reclusive novelist with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to the setting of his next book, a North Carolina lake town. There, he meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego.
Molly and Adam strike up an instant friendship. When Molly finds a long-lost letter in the walls of her inn, she and Adam embark on a mission to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets he isn’t ready to share. Past and present collide as truths surface, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.
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Vikki’s Musings

An inspiring love story with a subtle Christian message. I'm amazing I haven't read any of Denise Hunter's novels. I will correct this soon! Thanks goes the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the opportunity to read and review Lake Season in advance of publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Lake Season may very well be the best book I’ve read in 2019. The writing is emotional and moved me on more than one occasion. The character growth is amazing and greatly enhanced my reading experience. Ms. Hunter paints a unique picture of the small town in the lake area of North Carolina, and the beauty of the historic home, the setting for the novel. 

There are twin stories in Lake Season. The one between Molly and Adam and one that happened in 1962. Molly finds a letter stuck in a wall. It starts her on a journey to find the person who wrote the letter and the man who was supposed to receive it and never did. This is such a heartwarming part of this story and possibly what had me feeling this is the best book I’ve read this year.

Molly Bennett is an endearing heroine. She’s recently lost her parents, and she and her siblings, are determined to fulfill their parent’s dream of turning their historic home into an inn. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the siblings. Molly, of course is the main character, and she is delightful. Not only she’s grieving the loss of her parents, she is also suffering from a bad breakup with a man who almost broke her and damaged her self-esteem. I could feel her confusion when she is attracted to one of the inn’s guests.

Adam Bradford is the hero, and he’s not the typical alpha male. He is a beta character in the true sense of the word. He is a reclusive writer and writes under the pen Nathanial Grey. His novels have put him on the best-seller lists. As he gets to know Molly, and discovers she’s a huge fan, and has somewhat of a crush on him, he knows he should reveal his true identity, but his low self-esteem makes him reluctant to do so. His low opinion of himself comes from his father who only valued athletes, which Adam is not. I felt his pain whenever he thought of his father. No parent should ever deride a child because they aren’t passionate for their favored pursuit! It’s no wonder Adam has his issues.

The spiritual thread in this story is very subtle and easy to overlook, but it’s there none the less. Both characters are believers and try to rely on God when making choices, but as with all humans, they constantly question and can’t always hear Him. I enjoyed this real depiction of Christian life. So many times, the characters are too pure to feel real. Both Molly and Adam breathe life, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. This is a very powerful message.

The romance between the pair starts as friendship and slowly blossoms into a moving love story that is emotionally-charged with great depth. I truly enjoyed their romance and really wanted them to find their happy ending.

If you enjoy a romance that will touch your heart and make you smile, and possibly shed a few tears, one with engaging characters and a unique plot with a touch of mystery, then you will love Lake Season as much as I did. Happy reading!



Author Bio:

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 books, 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 experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the 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 coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are currently enjoying an empty nest.

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