Category Archives: Chapel Springs Series

Review: Married ’til Monday by Denise Hunter

married mondayTitle: Married ’til Monday by Denise Hunter
Chapel Springs Series Book Four
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Contemporary, Christian, Romance
Length: 312 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

With a big anniversary party in the works for his ex-wife’s parents, Ryan has just one weekend to play Abby’s husband . . . and win back the woman of his dreams.

Ryan McKinley has tried to move on from his ex-wife, Abby. He’s sulked, he’s gotten angry, and ultimately he bought her dream house. Big mistake. Living alone in the massive two-story has only made him miss her more. When her parents call him out of the blue about their anniversary party in Summer Harbor, Maine, Ryan believes God has dropped a golden opportunity straight in his lap.

Abby McKinley never exactly told her parents about the divorce. A strained relationship with her dad has culminated in a distant relationship with her parents, but she’s finally succumbed to her mom’s pressure to make the drive for their 35th-anniversary party.

Then Ryan shows up on her doorstep, looking as handsome as ever. When he insists he’s going to Summer Harbor, with or without her, Abby knows she can’t say no. Her parents still think they’re married and now Ryan knows it too. It’s just a one-week road trip with the man who broke her heart. What could possibly go wrong?

Review:

Married ’til Monday is the fourth and sadly, final, installment in Denise Hunter’s charming Chapel Springs series featuring the McKinley siblings. This newest release is a second chance at love romance for brother Ryan as he tries to win back the love of his life, his ex-wife Abby.

Ryan and Abby have been divorced for several years, but Ryan has never stopped loving her. The two met in college and married soon after graduation but after a tragic loss, their marriage began to fall apart. Their once loving and close relationship was torn apart by numerous fights and when Abby finally called it quits, Ryan respected her request to leave her alone. When Ryan learns Abby never told her parents about their divorce, he jumps at the chance to attend her parents’ thirty-fifth wedding anniversary party with her. He hopes that their enforced time together traveling to and from their house, in addition to the weekend at her parents’ house will give him the opportunity to convince her to give them another chance. But Abby is stubborn and she refuses to even discuss their failed marriage but she eventually sees the benefit of clearing the air between them. While this gives Ryan hope she will be open to a reconciliation, she quickly distances herself from him both psychically and emotionally. Ryan refuses to give up hope, but will Abby decide to risk her heart again?

When Ryan and Abby first met, Abby was not looking for a relationship. But she found it very hard to resist Ryan once she realized he was very different from the men she had dated in the past, and slowly but surely, he slipped past her defenses and into her heart. Despite their rather hasty wedding, the two were deliriously happy at first, but after an unexpected loss, Abby’s grief gave way to anger and she turned her back on God while at the same time pushing Ryan away. Their last fight led to her walking out the door and filing for divorce. She has built a new life for herself and she loves her career as a private detective, but she has not really delved too deeply into the reasons why their marriage failed until after she and Ryan go their separate ways after the anniversary party. Abby is stunned to discover that her unresolved issues from her childhood are the impetus for her behavior that led up to their divorce. Of course, Ryan is not entirely blameless, but most of the fault lies with Abby and it is up to her to decide what she wants to do with this newfound knowledge.

Ryan’s childhood was fairly idyllic and he is still very close to his extended family. Abby never confided anything about her past to him, but from his brief introduction to her parents at their wedding, he knew that things between them were strained. During their weekend visit with her parents, Ryan begins to get a better idea of what her childhood was like, but he is still shocked (and angry) when he learns the complete truth about her past. This helps him understand why Abby finds it difficult to let anyone in, but he still does not fully comprehend how much her past continues to affect her. Ryan refuses to give up on her but he does come to the realization that their future is in her hands.

In the beginning, there is a lot of tension between Ryan and Abby. She is very antagonistic but Ryan is unfailingly cheerful and he is very patient with her. In spite of her animosity toward him, it is still obvious that she is attracted to him but she does everything she can to keep Ryan from getting close to her. Even when they return to their regular lives, Ryan tries to keep in contact with her, but Abby is very skilled at not letting anyone in. Although Abby won’t discuss her past, it is clear that her childhood was dysfunctional, but the whole truth is not revealed until almost the end of the story. Once she begins to make peace with her past, will Abby decide to give Ryan another chance? Or will she continue to protect herself from further heartache?

Married ’til Monday is a very sweet but incredibly realistic romance. Abby’s part of the storyline is very emotional and heartbreaking. Ryan’s problems center more around trying to reconcile with Abby but he also has an issue with his family that he finally decides to address. As always, Denise Hunter weaves some very important lessons of faith that are sure to resonate with anyone who has struggled with their spirituality after a loss.

Married ’til Monday is a marvelous addition to the Chapel Springs series. Like the other novels in the series, it can be read as a standalone, but I highly encourage readers to pick up the previous books as well.

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Filed under Chapel Springs Series, Christian, Contemporary, Denise Hunter, Rated B+, Romance, Thomas Nelson Publishing

Review: The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter

wishing seasonTitle: The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter
Chapel Springs Book Three
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Contemporary, Christian, Romance
Length: 333 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Living side-by-side, a fledgling chef and a big-hearted contractor find a delicious attraction.

Trouble is, their chemistry could spoil their dreams.

Spirited PJ McKinley has the touch when it comes to food. Her dream of opening her own restaurant is just one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes it’s a contest she was meant to win.

Contractor Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy—but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that an out-of-towner with a not-for-profit enterprise is good for the community.

But when the eccentric philanthropist sees PJ and Cole’s proposals, she makes an unexpected decision: the pair will share the house for a year to show what their ideas are made of. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into out-and-out competition—with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. Turns out in this competition, it’s not just the house on the line, it’s their hearts.

The Review:

The Wishing Season is another heartwarming romance in Denise Hunter’s delightful Chapel Springs series. In this installment, PJ McKinley is trying to realize her dream of opening an upscale restaurant and B&B. But Cole Evans’s unexpected arrival poses a very surprising complication to her plans. A creative solution to the problem forces the two of them to live together for a year as they compete for ownership of the historic home.

Overprotected by the rest of her loving but well-meaning family, a successful business would prove to everyone that PJ is more than capable of taking care of herself. With a track record of choosing the wrong man, her family doubts her judgment in more than just her love life. PJ knows she has what it takes to run a business, but her family’s reservations undermine her self-confidence.

Cole’s reason for entering the competition is a little more altruistic than PJ’s. A former foster child, Cole wants to run a transitional home for foster kids who age out of the foster care system before high school graduation. Despite his very real desire to help these kids, Cole’s tragic history also factors into heavily into his motivation.

The relationship between Cole and PJ is, at first, adversarial as they begin working toward their goals. PJ is determined to realize her dream on her own (albeit with a little help from her family). Since hers will be a for profit business, she has loans to help her build a state of the art kitchen and small dining room. Cole has the funding to run the home, but not enough money to pay for renovations, so most of his remodeling is do-it-yourself. PJ’s prickly attitude begins to lessen as they work on their individual projects, but she is also quick to assume the worst of Cole when she has a few setbacks. After their ventures take off, Cole and PJ become friends, but a surprising attraction complicates their friendship.

Cole and PJ’s romance is very understated and does not begin until fairly late in the novel. There is no mistaking the chemistry between them, but their interactions are innocent and limited to kisses. Their relationship begins before the rivalry for the house is resolved so the contest’s outcome is also cause for concern for both of them. Surprisingly, it is unresolved issues from the past that threaten the couple’s future.

The Wishing Season is a very sweet and engaging romance that has depth and substance. Cole’s portion of the storyline is poignant and at times, very heartbreaking. PJ’s problems with her family are less serious but realistic. Denise Hunter weaves some very important lessons of faith into the novel that will resonate readers who find that faith is sometimes lost in the busy-ness of everyday life.

The Wishing Season is an absolutely outstanding addition to the Chapel Springs series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the previous installments as well. Intriguing glimpses of Ryan McKinley will leave readers eagerly anticipating the release of Married ’til Monday, which is due to release in June of 2015.

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Filed under Chapel Springs Series, Christian, Contemporary, Denise Hunter, Rated B+, Review, Romance, The Wishing Season, Thomas Nelson Publishing

Review: Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter

dancingTitle: Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter
A Chapel Springs Romance Book Two
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Contemporary, Christian, Romance
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Jade returns home to Chapel Springs after years of protecting her fragile heart. Then along comes Daniel, making her long to dance again.

Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she’d never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.

The mayor of Chapel Springs, Daniel Dawson, has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years. While his own home life was almost non-existent, Daniel fit right into the boisterous McKinley family. He’s loved Jade for years, but she always saw him as a big brother. Now that she’s back, his feelings are stronger than ever.

As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she’s hiding secrets from her family, and she’s strangely attracted to the man who’s always called her “squirt.” Finding her way home may prove more difficult than she imagined.

The Review:

Denise Hunter’s Dancing with Fireflies is a lovely novel of healing, friendship and unexpected love. Jade McKinley left the small town of Chapel Springs to begin a new life in Chicago. When she returns a year later, she finds herself depending on close family friend Daniel Dawson as she tries to get her life back on track.

Jade and Daniel have been friends for years but while Jade’s feelings for him have always been friendship, Daniel’s feelings for her have much deeper. Daniel watched as Jade fell in love with another man and he was there for her when she lost the love of her life in a tragic accident. Jade never recovered from the heartbreak of that loss and she has no intention of ever experiencing a pain like that again. When circumstances force Jade to seriously plan for her future, she seeks Daniels assistance in finding employment and a place to live and their friendship deepens. A surprising suggestion from Jade takes their relationship in a new direction, but will Jade’s fears stand in the way of their future?

Jade is close to her family but she has valid reasons for keeping her secrets from them. She is independent and determined to make it on her own, but she does not let her need to succeed on her own keep her from accepting help when it is offered to her.

Daniel is such a wonderful, caring man. He loves being the mayor of Chapel Springs but his parents’ expectations for his political future weigh heavily on him. Daniel never hesitates to give Jade whatever she asks, and while it is great that his support for her is unconditional, it is a little heartbreaking watching him get hurt in the process.

Jade and Daniel’s shared history provides a wonderful backdrop for their evolving relationship. Their friendship is easygoing and uncomplicated despite Jade’s current predicament and Daniel’s longstanding love for her. Jade slowly begins to view Daniel as a man (versus a male friend), but she does not examine her changing feelings for him too closely. Daniel’s feelings for Jade continue to deepen, but fearing she would reject him if he confessed his love for her, their relationship remains platonic. After Jade’s unexpected proposition, they become even closer, but will their friendship give way to romance?

The circumstances surrounding Jade’s pregnancy are unexpected but Ms. Hunter adroitly handles a difficult subject with a great deal of sensitivity. This part of the plot is never downplayed, but it never overshadows the overall storyline either. Jade’s reactions are realistic and it is easy to understand the reasons for the decisions she made for her future.

Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter is an engaging and heartwarming novel. The characters are well-developed and appealing. The storyline has plenty depth and the relationship between Jade and Daniel is believable. A lovely faith-based romance that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Chapel Springs Series, Christian, Contemporary, Dancing with Fireflies, Denise Hunter, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Thomas Nelson Publishing