Denise is such a great romance writer! Her newest series Bluebell Inn Romance is set in the little lakeside town of Bluebell, North Carolina. I don't know if such a town actually exists, but after reading Lake Season, I really want to visit there!

Molly Bennet gave up on her dream of working at a hotel in Italy after her parents' sudden death. She, along with her brother and sister, decided to continue renovations on the inn their parents owned. 

Their first guest is Adam Bradford, who traveled to Bluebell to research his next book. He's an author who writes under the pseudonym Nathaniel Quinn. He believes that if his readers ever find out who he is, they'll be disappointed because he doesn't resemble the heroes in his books.

When he meets Molly, he thinks he's found his muse. But he soon realizes his feelings are more than that. Issues are complicated because Molly not only reads his books, she's a huge fan with a crush on him.

During the inn's renovations the workers uncover a hidden letter that was mailed in 1964. Adam and Molly work together to find the girl who wrote the letter and the boy she was sending it to. 

Their search will lead them on an adventure they never expected. But when Molly finds out Adam's true identity, will she ever be able to trust him again?

I loved this book! The romance was sweet, but the little mystery of the letter was such a nice touch. It made the story a bit more fun and interesting.

I liked that the characters were different. Adam was kinda nerdy, which I thought was sweet. However, Molly might be the most annoying character of any book I've ever read. And that's a lot of books.

Sometimes I literally wanted to tell her to shut up. But, she was somehow still endearing.

I think this book is still worth reading. It's a perfect book for summer, and will make you wish you were laying in a hammock beside a beautiful North Carolina lake!

Lake Season was a perfect contemporary romance story for me when I read it. I loved the characters right away and it was so cute how the heroine, Molly, was a fan of Adam's novels but didn't know he was the author since he writes under a pen name. She would talk about his books and didn't even know he was the author. lol ;)

I loved the sibling relationships. You could tell that they all cared for each other's well being...even if the brother sometimes seemed too controlling.

All in all, I loved Lake Season and definitely recommend it!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Lake Season

by Denise Hunter

Do you believe in coincidence? The novel Lake Season written by Denise Hunter might convince you that God can work even the smallest details together to achieve His good plan. At the time certain events happen, there may be no clear vision of how it could even begin to be used for good. Then comes to mind the phrase “but God,” as God turns what appears to be a series of coincidences into something amazing.

Molly and her siblings, Levi and Grace, are devastated by the death of their parents in a car wreck, but they make sacrifices to fulfill their parents’ dream of converting their house into an inn. Just as the inn is almost set to open, Adam, who writes romances under a pen name, arrives in small Bluebell, North Carolina, looking for inspiration for his new book. The discovery of a long lost letter unites Adam and Molly in a search to find the young couple separated by the Vietnam War and family disapproval.

Molly and Adam are not weak but are vulnerable main characters with deep-seated emotional pains left-over from their pasts. Both are very likable, but it would take a miracle for their hearts to heal enough to allow them to leave the hurts of the past behind them. As the tale progresses, they touch the lives of others through their kindness and research in ways that have to be more than a coincidence.

Can a publicity shy novelist and a young innkeeper with trust issues find happiness and a way forward together? As author Denise Hunter’s newest fan, I found tears filling my eyes as I approached the end of the book and hoped for the best.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Romance

Notes: I was delighted to discover that this is the first book of the Bluebell Romance Series. Denise Hunter has written over 30 books, two of which have been made, not surprisingly, into Hallmark movies.

Publication: November 12, 2019—Thomas Nelson

Memorable Lines:

“You’ve been very welcoming, and you have a beautiful face—I mean, place. You have a beautiful place.” Why did he have to be such an imbecile with women?

All those times he’d disappointed his dad rose to the surface like buoys, bringing a load of hurt and a feeling of unworthiness that went core deep.

“…I’ve never had God’s work in my life be so…blatant. I mean, I’ve seen Him work in my life so many times. But this particular situation is so convoluted and layered, it would be impossible not to see it as His handiwork.”

Tragedy befalls Molly and her siblings when their parents die in a car accident. In order to keep the family together, they agree to finish renovating and opening their family home into a B&B as their parents had planned. Their first guest is a sweet, nerdy-cute bookish type, Adam, with whom Molly instantly connects. They are drawn together by the desire to research and solve the mystery of a lost love letter from 50 years ago. God moves in their lives and in the lives of other characters in amazing ways but Molly and Adam need to learn to trust each and in God’s plan for things to work out.
Denise Hunter does a great job of writing a Christian romance that isn’t overly saccharine. Her characters give God a strong place in their lives but they are still three dimensional believable and likable people with passions and flaws. You root for them to get that HEA. My only critique is really more of a question- why release this summer romance in the middle of winter? I delayed reading it (even though I really enjoy Denise Hunter) because I was in winter/Christmas reading mode when it came out.

Another great contemporary romance by Denise Hunter. Her writing comes off the page like a Hallmark movie.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed how the characters interacted Nd the mystery behind the lost letter. I immensely enjoyed how the relationships with the letter turned out.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you netgalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

Lake Season was written by Denise Hunter, and is book one in the A Bluebell Inn Romance series.
Summary: Molly Bennett and her siblings are forced to put their own dreams on hold with the sudden death of their parents.
They agree to stay in Bluebell, North Carolina so the youngest sibling Grace can finish high school, and decide to complete their parents’ dream of turning their childhood home into an inn.
When Molly discovers an old letter during renovations, she can’t help but be drawn into the tragedy written on its pages-a heart-broken plea from a girl to her sweetheart that never reached its intended recipient.
Adam Bradford is a writer with no story. In desperate search of inspiration for his next novel, he takes his mother’s advice and visits the town of Bluebell, and stays at the inn.
But when Adam agrees to help Molly in her quest to solve the riddle of the mysterious letter, he may just get more than a story out of his time in Bluebell-his life just might change forever.
My Thoughts: I loved this book. It is one of the best contemporary romance novels I have ever read. I liked that it wasn’t too sappy, had a great storyline, fascinating characters, and a really beautiful love story.
It definitely hit the sweet spot for me, and is the perfect romantic read.
This book is one I would re-read over and over-which I rarely do. It was SO GOOD. In fact, I am already thinking about reading it again.
Anyway, I say all this to say it is worth buying-definitely one of my favorites.
I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I read one of Denise Hunter’s books last year, Honeysuckle Dreams, and I enjoyed the characters and writing style. Denise is kicking off a new series featuring a new family and setting with Lake Season, which is book one in the Bluebell Inn Romance series. Levi, Molly, and Grace’s parents’ unexpectedly die in a car accident, and they inherit their historic childhood home that their parents have been lovingly restoring back into the inn it once was. While their parents’ dream was to run the inn in their retirement, the three siblings have very different dreams for themselves. Grace is still in high school, playing volleyball and worrying about boys. Levi lives on the west coast with a career of his own, while Molly is in college with an internship in Italy on the horizon.

Molly and Levi put their lives on hold so Grace can finish out high school and live in their childhood home while they all pitch in and finish the renovations and run the historic inn together for a few years until they can sell it for a profit. At least that is the plan until Molly finds a long lost letter that was stuck in the mail slot that had been boarded over from the inn’s time as the town’s post office. Molly is moved by the letter and how it never reached it’s intended recipient more than fifty years ago, so she enlists the help of their summer-long occupant at the inn to help track down the writer of the letter and who the letter was addressed to.

Adam Bradford is in the picturesque lakeside town to hopefully break his writer’s block for his next book, and he’s instantly taken with Molly’s charm, non-stop talking to fill the silence, as well as her girl-next-door beauty. But Adam writes under a pen name since he’s very private and insecure when it comes to his success, and he’s horrified to find out that he’s Molly’s favorite writer. When Molly finds the letter in the wall, he’s quickly sucked into her plan to find closure for the subjects of the letter, and he needs to follow it through no matter what happens between he and Molly as the summer progresses.

Molly is such a smart, friendly, book-loving friend to all that meet her, that you can’t help but like her. But she’s been burned by her last boyfriend, so she has some deep trust issues when it comes to men. Adam has some very big self-esteem issues, especially when it comes to his success and worthiness in regards to his intellect. Both their relationship together and with their families were very real and nice to read about. I especially enjoyed the bickering and teasing between Molly and her siblings, but they backed each up other so much as well. Adam’s relationship with his mother was very supportive and realistic as well. I wished we saw a bit more of those two.

I give Lake Season a 4.5 out of 5. I really loved the complicated characters, small town vibe, and blossoming romance with a few complications thrown in for good measure. This is Christian fiction so it is a clean read, but there are definitely elements of a complicated nature both in the historical flashbacks and present day. While some of the things that happened were a bit predictable, I still enjoyed the journey since Denise Hunter infuses such emotion and realism into the situations. Everything is wrapped up in this book, so you’re not left hanging waiting for book two. I’m looking forward to seeing who gets to be front and center in the next book in this series.

Oh my word. I loved this so much. How did I not know about Denise Hunter's books?

The lovely small town of Bluebell, North Carolina is the perfect setting for this book, and so idyllic and summer-y. I absolutely love small town settings like this one. I wish Bluebell was a real place so I could go visit!

Hunter lays the backstory for the whole series very well early on in the book without giving you an info dump. This book is centered around Molly, one of three siblings, and the next two books will follow her brother and sister. Being so close with my own siblings, I greatly enjoyed that aspect of the book, and the sibling interactions were so realistic and relatable, they had me chuckling out loud at times. Speaking of characters, I fell in love with our main characters from the start. Molly is so innocent and sweet, yet a past relationship has her having a hard time trusting. I found it very easy to relate to Molly, and I think she and I would get along very well in real life. Adam was, in a word, adorable. Ridiculously shy, nerdy in the best way, and an author? Hello. I adored him so much. His backstory was very intriguing as well and I loved the happy, but realistic conclusion to that aspect of the story.

I think I found a new favorite with Lake Season! I will definitely be grabbing the rest of the series as soon as they release. I highly recommend this book if you love sweet, summer-y settings, realistic characters, a tiny bit of mystery, and sweet romance. Well done, Ms. Hunter!


FTC DIsclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

I enjoyed this delightful foray into North Carolina and some of the history associated with the place and people in the town of Bluebell. As a writer, I particularly enjoy novels that cast an author as one of the characters, which this does in a fun way—a writer with a pen name who wishes to remain out of the public eye. So what could happen when a new innkeeper who is an adoring fan rents him a room? Plenty of adventures, including a link to the past that they try to unravel. The story bursts with life and suspense and enough drama to keep the connection between reader and written word along with the hunger to find out what happens next in hopes of a wonderful ending. The package contains enough surprises to pique curiosity and satisfy the reader. Great characters and interesting plot. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. There are some twists that I didn't see coming, but which made the story even more enjoyable. It is a great story to read at the beach. I live stories that are present day and include pieces from the past.

I loved this book. The meet cute is perfect. I love Adam and his shy ways and insecurities. Molly is just as lovable with her rambling and her sunny personality along with her fears. They are relatable characters. I loved the plot twists. It was engaging from the very beginning. I would highly recommend this book.

Every now and then I’ll read a Christian romance that makes me sad to read the last page of the story because I’m not ready to let those characters go. That was the case with this book. I loved the Bennett siblings and their commitment to carry out their deceased parents’ dream. But even more touching was their commitment to their younger sister, Grace. The siblings decide to work together to allow Grace to finish high school in their hometown. They open “The Bluebell Inn” and the siblings become innkeepers.

This book centers on the romance that develops between Molly, the oldest Bennett daughter, and one of the guests, Adam Bradford. Molly is outgoing, talkative, and loves to help people. Adam is a shy guy who finds himself intrigued with Molly. Adam is also hiding a secret from her: He’s actually the author who has a string of best-sellers written under the name Nathaniel Quinn. Molly thinks she has fallen in love with
“Nathaniel Quinn” because of his books. As Molly and Adam work together to solve a mystery from the past, they draw closer together. The secrets they uncover being huge surprises for both of them.

I’ll say it again: I loved this book. And I’m happy that this is the first book in this series and will be able to read more about The Bluebell Inn.
This book showcases the reasons that Denise Hunter is one of my favorite Christian romance authors.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

LAKE SEASON is one of those stories that is a delight to read! It has wonderful characters who will pull on readers' emotions, and a small-town setting full of family and friendships. Fans of inspirational romance and the genre should definitely not miss this one!

I pretty much could not stop smiling through most of this story. I just loved every minute! I loved getting to know these characters and seeing the romance blossom. I literally laughed out loud at moments and wanted to cry at others. It's a story with all the feels about a place and family that I can't wait to come back to next year with the next book! I also liked that the inspirational element wasn't preachy or overly strong, but felt naturally part of these characters' lives. This makes a good read for general romance and women's fiction readers as well.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Delightful characters, a charming setting, some heartbreak, a bit of a mystery, and a sweet romance made for the perfect read. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!

Content: References to a unwed pregnancy, but clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Lake Season hits all the right notes! Wounded pasts, insecurities, attraction, romance, and even a bit of suspense with a resolution that resonates with the overall faith theme of God masterfully orchestrating the events of our lives, foreknowing the exercise of our free wills, with a loving, merciful hand. I also appreciated the appeal of the "nerdy" hero - one we don't see often enough. One of Denise Hunter's best!

What I love about Denise Hunter's books is how much the reader can sense her enjoyment in writing them. She has such a feel for the wonderfully embellished setting and for the quips and foibles of her leads that you can just imagine her sitting there smiling at a witty turn of phrase or unexpected romantic moment. In short, a delightful romance brimming with personality. I truly enjoy her bird's eye view of the settings that become the canvases for her story worlds as well as the lovely Hallmark flair in which she establishes small communities. As a sucker for an author hero, I was madly in love from the first page.

A delight!


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Have you ever felt like the world was crashing in on you and you couldn’t see God’s light in the tunnel? Well that was Molly’s life in Lake Season. She knew God was with her, even when he parents were taken from her and her sibling in a sudden and traggic way. But she was deffinatly looking for a life line.

Lake Season was a page turner for me. When I should have been doing my own work, I was busy reading away at this captivating story. I couldn’t contain the need to see what would happen next. Boy was I left feeling fulfilled.

Molly’s life is on a rollercoaster ride of sorts. She losses her parents and completes their family project of turning their large family home into an inn. She was most definitely not counting on the mysterious and charming book nerd, Adam. He had her in all sorts of knots and to my frustration, she was missing all the queues.

Now, let me unpack Adam. Being a writer, I get it. All of it. If you wonder what it is like to be a writer, pay close attention. His insecurities for his childhood poured into his adult life. Personally and professionally. I can relate to that 100%. Sometimes those insecurities can be debilitating. Thank God for putting people in the path to pull him (&me) out.

** I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through CelebrateLit. The views expressed are all my own and a favorable review was not required.

This is a nice series opener for Denise Hunter. The characters are all very likable. I am really looking forward to finding out the stories of romance for each of the siblings. I loved the mystery attached to this romance that was solved by doing some research and using geneology information and DNA. There was a sad romance as well as a happy romance and both ended in a good way. I loved that! This is a feel good story that i finished with a smile.

Denise Hunter's latest Summer romance was slow to start but picked up and ended up being a delightful read. Denise did an excellent job with the split time aspect of the book, and both were equally easy to follow. It has a unique plot, great characters, and depth of the novel's storyline.

A favorite element that lifts the romance factor in Denise's novel was Adam's speaking the truth of his feelings for Molly in Italian, believing that she didn't know what he was saying when, in fact, she did!

I am happy to recommend Lake Season and highly anticipate the next books in this series. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the story for this my honest review.

Denise Hunter Delivers AGAIN!

When you pick up a book from an author that you really love to read, expectations can be high. It's a lot of pressure for an author. What if your readers don't like it? What if you can't write as well as your other books that have previously received 4 & 5 star ratings?

Well, you over come that fear by just writing what you love and love what you do; Denise Hunter does that SO well! And man! She delivers on this first book of a new series. I could NOT put this book down! I love, love loved it.

As usual, the characters are whole-hearted and realistic. The plot is spectacular told. The flow is excellent. I could go on but all I'm going to say now is READ THIS BOOK! It's bookshelf-worthy; you won't regret having it to read again and again--or let your friends borrow. :)

Well done Denise Hunter and Thomas Nelson.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and not required by the publisher. ...Honestly, I just don't want you to miss out!