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Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter Review

 Happy Monday Friends :)

I hope you're all having a great start to your week and a great end to your long weekend. I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Unfortunately, our city is going through another heat wave, and the beautiful fall like temperatures of last week have pretty much disappeared. I always get a little impatient at this time of year when summer seems to be too stubborn to leave, and I'm really anxious for cooler temperatures, and plenty of the beautiful rainy fall days.

That being said, I recently had the chance to read an upcoming Christian fiction release that definitely gives off lots of fall vibes, and today I'm hear to share with you all what I thought about it.

Keep reading for my full review.

Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter:


Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: October 19th, 2021

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary

Series: Riverbend Romance


Synopsis:

She came in search of the family she’d always wanted—and found the kind of love she’d never dared to imagine.

When Katelyn Loveland’s car veered off a winding Appalachian Mountain road, she thought she was done for. That is until Cooper Robinson, local sheriff’s deputy, came to her rescue. And though Katie narrowly escaped her brush with death, she still fell. Hard.

She wasn’t the only one. But soon Cooper learns that the woman he’s more attracted to than any he’s ever met is his brother’s new girlfriend—and therefore unquestionably off limits. Yet, despite his best efforts, Cooper and Katie can’t seem to avoid running into each other. Or ignore the undeniable chemistry between them.

As they grow closer, Katie shares the secrets of her past and the real reason she moved to their small North Carolina town. She also wins over Cooper’s welcoming and bighearted family. But they don’t know that her feelings for Cooper keep growing—all while she’s dating his brother. Soon the stakes of their emotional connection become higher than either of them could have imagined. Katie stands to lose the first family she’s ever had, and a scandal could doom Cooper’s campaign for sheriff’s office. Suddenly they find themselves on the edge of another precipice—and they’re forced to make a decision that could change their lives forever.
 

(synopsis from goodreads)


My Review:

Denise Hunter has long been one of my favorite authors, and I always look forward to her new book releases. Unfortunately, I didn't realize going into this one that it's largely about cheating, and that is not my cup of tea, and this ended up not being at all what I was either expecting or hoping for.

As with every one of this author's books, I did appreciate the vivid storytelling, and the setting that truly comes to life on the page. Hiking is not something that's too big in my area of the world, so I loved learning about the culture of it, and hearing the stories about the many communities that depend upon the travelers coming to their trails for their livelihood. I also loved the emphasis on family being so much more than just blood relations, and the way that faith is intermixed throughout a large portion of the story.

However, I just couldn't get behind the romance at all, and I'm sad to see this kind of scenario playing such a prominent role in a Christian fiction title. The part that bothered me the most is that Kate and Cooper seemed to only have a problem with their actions because of Cooper being Gavin's brother. The reader was left feeling like if Kate hadn't been dating Gavin's brother, then the cheating wouldn't have been an issue. Not what I was expecting or wanting from a contemporary romance, and definitely disappointing.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)



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