Good Afternoon Guys :)
Thanks for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.
Recently I had the opportunity to advance read Denise Hunter's upcoming spring release, Honeysuckle Dreams. This was a book I was really drawn to from the synopsis about two friends turning fiancees, in order for the male main character to be able to keep custody of his six month old son.
As many of you probably are aware, I wasn't a huge fan of the first novel in this series, and you can read that review here, but I was determined to go into this one with an open mind, especially since I've loved so many of Denise Hunter's other novels.
Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter:
Source: Publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: May 1st, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
******synopsis from goodreads*****
My Review:
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was a little leary going into this one, as I hadn't truly loved the first book in the series, Blue Ridge Sunrise. This one, however, was exactly what I've come to expect from a Denise Hunter story, and I found myself really drawn into the beautiful story I was reading.
Hope and Brady are friends who are forced to become something more. Brady's indiscretion led to a baby, a baby who means the whole world to him, and that he now has sole custody of. His whole world is ripped apart when its discovered that he has no biological claim to his son, and that the biological grandparents are determined to take him away. Hope and Brady devise a plan, a plan to enter into a marriage of convenience in order for Brady to be able to retain custody of his son.
As Brady and Hope start to spend more time together, real feelings start to develop between the two of them, but both have many obstacles they need to overcome on their way to love. In flashback chapters, the reader is shown the devastating events that Hope had to overcome with her first love, and the consequential fear, panic and anxiety that plague her in the present at the thought of trusting herself to let anyone close again. Brady has always felt unwanted; ever since his birth mom dumped him on her family, and his first wife left him when he was no longer of convenience to her. The tensions, fears, and insecurities that exist from these life circumstances really brought the the character's to life for me, and I felt that Denise Hunter wrote about all of it in a way that made the reader feel they were experiencing everything right along with the characters.
Brady and Hope were both characters I liked right from the start, and I felt their growth over the course of the story only endeared them more in my eyes. They both come to find that they can't overcome the past without help from their Heavenly Father, and I enjoyed the way this is accurately represented, and the way they both struggle to come to terms with this notion. Fear is perhaps one of the things that has the potential to pull Christians the furthest from God, and Denise Hunter did a spot on job of representing this throughout Honeysuckle Dreams.
All in all, I loved the romance, the focus on a non-conventional marriage that starts with the couple as friends growing into more, the way that Hope and Brady both have to overcome their fears, the cast of supporting characters, the way that faith plays a much bigger role than it did in the first novel, and the way that once again Denise Hunter is able to write a romance novel that keeps the reader glued to the page all while keeping the content completely clean. I gave this one four out of five stars, and I'm already looking forward to the next release in the series. Denise Hunter is definitely one of my all time favorites, and this was exactly the kind of beautiful story I've come to expect from her.
Thanks so much for reading guys! And thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing the complimentary copy for review!
The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
Thanks for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.
Recently I had the opportunity to advance read Denise Hunter's upcoming spring release, Honeysuckle Dreams. This was a book I was really drawn to from the synopsis about two friends turning fiancees, in order for the male main character to be able to keep custody of his six month old son.
As many of you probably are aware, I wasn't a huge fan of the first novel in this series, and you can read that review here, but I was determined to go into this one with an open mind, especially since I've loved so many of Denise Hunter's other novels.
Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter:
Source: Publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: May 1st, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
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.******synopsis from goodreads*****
My Review:
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was a little leary going into this one, as I hadn't truly loved the first book in the series, Blue Ridge Sunrise. This one, however, was exactly what I've come to expect from a Denise Hunter story, and I found myself really drawn into the beautiful story I was reading.
Hope and Brady are friends who are forced to become something more. Brady's indiscretion led to a baby, a baby who means the whole world to him, and that he now has sole custody of. His whole world is ripped apart when its discovered that he has no biological claim to his son, and that the biological grandparents are determined to take him away. Hope and Brady devise a plan, a plan to enter into a marriage of convenience in order for Brady to be able to retain custody of his son.
As Brady and Hope start to spend more time together, real feelings start to develop between the two of them, but both have many obstacles they need to overcome on their way to love. In flashback chapters, the reader is shown the devastating events that Hope had to overcome with her first love, and the consequential fear, panic and anxiety that plague her in the present at the thought of trusting herself to let anyone close again. Brady has always felt unwanted; ever since his birth mom dumped him on her family, and his first wife left him when he was no longer of convenience to her. The tensions, fears, and insecurities that exist from these life circumstances really brought the the character's to life for me, and I felt that Denise Hunter wrote about all of it in a way that made the reader feel they were experiencing everything right along with the characters.
Brady and Hope were both characters I liked right from the start, and I felt their growth over the course of the story only endeared them more in my eyes. They both come to find that they can't overcome the past without help from their Heavenly Father, and I enjoyed the way this is accurately represented, and the way they both struggle to come to terms with this notion. Fear is perhaps one of the things that has the potential to pull Christians the furthest from God, and Denise Hunter did a spot on job of representing this throughout Honeysuckle Dreams.
All in all, I loved the romance, the focus on a non-conventional marriage that starts with the couple as friends growing into more, the way that Hope and Brady both have to overcome their fears, the cast of supporting characters, the way that faith plays a much bigger role than it did in the first novel, and the way that once again Denise Hunter is able to write a romance novel that keeps the reader glued to the page all while keeping the content completely clean. I gave this one four out of five stars, and I'm already looking forward to the next release in the series. Denise Hunter is definitely one of my all time favorites, and this was exactly the kind of beautiful story I've come to expect from her.
Thanks so much for reading guys! And thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing the complimentary copy for review!
The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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