Lake Season is a novel from the heart. Denise Hunter has beautifully penned of story of three siblings dealing with the sudden loss of their parents in an auto accident. Levi Bennett is the eldest of the three. With a business degree, he is pursuing a career in California. Grace Bennett is the youngest. Still in high school, she balks at the idea of selling the family home in Bluebell Lake, NC. Her friends, her school, her life and support system is here, as is the rambling inn their parents had dreamed of turning into a lakefront bed and breakfast. Molly Bennett is in the middle. She has almost graduated college with a hospitality degree and is looking forward to an internship in Italy the following fall. Molly has dreamed of this ever since a friend sent her a postcard. She had even learned Italian in preparation for this day. And yet it is Molly that proposes that she and Levi come home and make a go of the inn, doing what she thinks will be best for Grace and the memory of their parents.

With hard work, the three diligently move toward their goal of opening the inn in time for lake season. Just prior to opening, an awkward and unassuming young man begs Molly for a room and she relents, which Levi points out could cost them their license. But Levi relents, allowing Adam Bradford to stay until they are licensed as a friend of the family. In the area for research, author Adam is taken by Molly, and, in exchange for his few days free, Adam agrees to help Molly do research on an old letter found in the wall.

This is a lovely story of family, friendship, and a surprising quest. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Lake Season follow three siblings whose parents die. They decide to turn their parents house back into an inn as it was their parents dream to restore. Soon after opening the inn, a guest at the inn becomes friendly with Molly (one of the inn owners). However, Molly does not realize that this guest is really her favorite author as he writes under a pen name and his identity is anonymous. The story follows the interaction between these two characters.

This is a sweet romance book. It is predictable like a Hallmark movie, but that did not take away my want of reading it. The big deception in the book is slightly overplayed, but I can understand that it really is the main conflict in the story line.

Adam Bradford, a best selling author under the pseudonym Nathanial Quinn, is suffering from writer’s block. With a deadline looming ahead of him, his mother suggests he visit Bluebell, a small lake town in North Carolina, hoping he’d find inspiration there. He ends up at an inn, with all the lake houses already rented out for the summer, and finds a muse in Molly Bennett, the young innkeeper. They strike up a friendship as he discovers she is a lover of books like him. When she finds a long lost letter while the inn is undergoing renovations, she turns to him for help locating the correspondents. Adam is only too happy to help, finding their little project is interesting him more than working on his new novel.
After reading about arrogant, proud romantic heroes, Adam was a breath of fresh air. He has to be the sweetest, kindest hero I have ever read. He stole my heart away, right alongside Molly’s. Despite being a bestseller, he’s incredibly insecure about himself since he has been always been a disappointment to his father who wanted a more athletic son. That insecurity has seeped through into his sense of self worth, leading him to hide his true self from the world. I loved how he came to realize this, thanks in part to Molly, and how he eventually accepted and revealed himself to others. I was so proud of him!
Molly is outgoing, kind, curious, and loves reading. She’s a huge fan of Nathanial Quinn and believes herself in love with him, not knowing that Adam is the author. <spoiler> This understandably has big repercussions as she’s afraid to trust Adam again, having already been deceived by a con-artist in the past. </spoiler>
After her parents suddenly past away due to an car accident, she is continuously haunted with regret at how she last treated them. Which is why finding the corespondents of the letter is so important to her. I liked how we see her face and overcome her own insecurities.
The subplot with the lost letter is very cleverly woven into the novel and I enjoyed learning more about Lizzie and Ben as their research progressed. I’ll admit it did feel a little contrived at first. I was left wondering how a twenty-something in this day and age did not know how to use the internet. Has Molly never heard of google? It feels like a plot devise that forces Adam and Molly to interact. But as their research got more technical, it got more understandable, and I was willing to overlook it. The way this subplot resolved itself was very unexpected, I didn’t see it coming at all. And yet it very satisfying to read. It left my heart full with joy.
Since this is a Christian novel, I should mention I was nervous picking it up as I’m not Christian myself. However, I did not feel preached at once to my relief. In fact, I found the elements quite relatable to my own cultural background.
I noticed there are a lot of formatting errors throughout, with different dialogues in the same paragraph or sentences breaking off suddenly only to continue on in a new paragraph. I believe this could just an issue with my ARC, but it make reading the novel a different at times as I had to pay extra attention to who was speaking.

Please note: I received an advance digital copy of this book through NetGalley from Thomas Nelson and Denise Hunter in exchange for a honest review. This does not influence my opinions in any way.

In the newest release by Ms. Hunter, Lake Season is the first book in the Bluebell Inn series. This charming, romantic book is a great edition for any fan of Ms. Hunter. If you have never read one of her books, I highly suggest you read this one. As you turn the page, the story will continue to draw you in to see how it ends. After reading this book, I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. I cannot wait to read what happens after this book! This book focuses on one of the Bennett siblings, Molly. Together with her other two siblings, they are trying to have a prosperous business at their inn. As they began on this journey, Molly meets Adam who is looking for a place to stay in their town. Adam is actually Molly’s favorite author, but no one knows who the real writer is. Molly gets Adam’s creativity churning after he has a dry writing spell. Then, Molly discovers a long-lost letter. Together with Adam they embark on a journey to reunite the writer and the intended recipient of the letter. This was an awesome story to read! I highly recommend you read this book! You will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.

I've read many of Denise Hunter's books, but this one has quickly become one of my favorites! I couldn't put it down. Hunter ventured into split-time territory with this novel, but she handled it beautifully. I was invested in both storylines and found myself desperate to find out what happened next. Fans of emotional, tender romances will find a lovely home for their hearts in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel via NetGalley and courtesy of Thomas Nelson. All expressed opinions are my own.

This book was a classic feel good, and make you warm inside type of a book.  From the first chapter little by little Denise Hunter drew me in, she fed me little nuggets of information about the characters, arousing my curiosity about how the book would end. It was great getting to meet a famous author and a new innkeeper and her family. Plus, Denise Hunter threw in a bit of a mystery with an ending I totally didn’t see coming. All the characters (not just the main ones, as this book is the first in a series) were developed in such a way that I felt personally invested in their lives. By the end of the book I felt like I genuinely knew the characters and their struggles, which doesn’t always happen in books. It was also interesting to see how Denise Hunter weaved in a dual plot-line; I really loved the glimpses into the past. I think I am already looking forward to learning about the rest of the family in Bluebell, NC.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars for the hint of mystery, the end I totally did not see coming, and for leaving me in want of the next book in the series. Personally, I think that the best books are about what really happens in life and the ways that God can use anything for His good. In Lake Season, Denise Hunter put this into perspective for her characters and for anyone who reads Lake Season.

I'm always happy to pick up a new book by author Denise Hunter. I've been reading her books for a long time and always enjoy the stories she creates. This is the first book in a new series and it's off to a good start!

If you love sweet, gentle romances, this is your book. It's predictable like a Hallmark movie but I LOVE Hallmark movies! It kind of has a story within a story with some flashbacks to the past as Molly and Adam are trying to find the people associated with a long, lost letter. In the beginning the story progression was slow. It seemed to spin in the same place for a long time before moving forward but it really gave me time to get to know the characters of Molly and Adam- who are endearing and so easy to root for.

I don't think this is my favorite book by Denise Hunter but I did enjoy it and I'm looking forward to the next book!

Content: kissing, Christian fiction elements

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Denise Hunter has done it again! With a charming cast of new characters, an enchanting setting, and a mystery to top it all off, this story has all the necessary requirements for an armchair vacation.

I'd recommend it to fans of Contemporary Romance, and Hallmark Movies.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)

I enjoyed Hunter's delightful romance. She has a way of crafting characters I love, dialogue that makes me smile and a plot that requires a box of tissues be handy. I really like how Hunter intertwined historical and contemporary romance stories so well. They both tugged at my emotions. I liked how the main characters had self worth and guilt issues that needed to be overcome. I liked the romantic tension and the danger of romance being lost. I like how the plot included a good example of the work needed to be healed of past betrayal. I liked the setting of a small town and the family rallying to restore and run the inn.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. If you like engaging characters with real flaws that are overcome, clever dialogue that keeps you smiling, an historical romance mystery that tugs at your emotions, and a contemporary romance where you'll want to cheer the couple on through their obstacles, you like this novel.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Hunter's Lake Season has it all, romance, mystery and a dual timeline! 5 amazing stars!

Lake Season by Denise Hunter is one of the best books I've read this year!

Hunter is well known to be one of the best writers of romance, but it was a lovely surprise to see her branch out to include a mystery involving a long lost letter which then leads to the story becoming a dual timeline. All told, three of my favorite genres all together in one book, total perfection!

I loved the picturesque lakeside small town setting in Bluebell, North Carolina. If ever there was a fictional town and Inn I'd like to visit, Bluebell is it.
The characters are were Hunter really excels and pulls the reader into her story. The three Bennett siblings, Molly. Levi and Grace are well drawn. The Inn guest, Adam Bradford has to be one of the most appealing men Hunter has profiled and made readers fall in love with. Who would have thought this researcher and book nerd, secretly a best selling author, could be a love interest in a romance? I love him all the more because at first glance his average appearance is the antithesis of what is often a stereotype concerning female attraction. His intelligence and ability to express himself so well with the written word are what wins Molly over. Such a great lesson on looking at the heart.

Solving the mystery of the letter by finding its owner was one of the feel good discoveries of the book and reminiscent of one of the special moments often found in a Donna VanLiere book, and I love those types of miraculous connections!
I am already anticipating the next book in the Bluebell Inn series, Carolina Breeze, and see what obstacles to love Hunter puts in Levi Bennett's way!
I appreciate receiving a complimentary copy of Lake Season from Thomas Nelson through Netgalley. All opinions are completely my own.

What a wonderful book to get lost in, and that I did, and I sure wasn’t disappointed.
If you love a good mystery, this one will keep your attention, and this one is not the usual, more like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces.
Your heart will go out to these siblings, two of them put their lives on hold to help finish raising their youngest sister, and in turn they help fulfill their parents dream.
See how a love of reading and a dream of living in Italy, solve one part of the puzzle.
Is it a mistake we are at a certain place at a certain time, I find that a God thing, and so do these characters as amazing facts begin to unfold, you won’t be able to put this one down!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors. With that being said, Lake Season is my absolute favorite book by her.

First of all, a novel set in my home state? Yes, please! The first of a new series by Hunter (Bluebell Inn -Romance), and I already can’t wait for the other two books in the series where we will get to know Molly’s siblings even better.

When Molly discovers a letter in the wall of the inn she and her siblings are renovation, she’s off on an adventure with ‘researcher’ Adam. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a more reserved, cerebral hero, but I adored Adam. I’m considering asking my husband to become an author. OK, I’m kidding. Or not. Adam is intelligent and reclusive, and welcomes this research adventure with Molly. I enjoyed the glimpses into the past, and thought that was handled very well. Dual timeline books can be tiresome to me, but I thoroughly appreciated the story-line from the past.

After I finished reading the book, and was contemplating what all loved about it, I realized one reason I thoroughly enjoyed it was there was no unreal suspense in it. Lake Season has a very believable story-line, and tied together beautifully.

Lake Season has made me want to pack my favorite books in a bag, and slip away to Bluebell Inn in sometime very soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I feel like I need to preface this review by saying that when I read this book I was kind of in a book-slump mood where I wasn’t really enjoying anything I picked up. I started several different books that I set aside after a few chapters, but I decided to keep reading Lake Season even though I felt the same way about it as all the others. Maybe if I had read it in a different mood, I would have enjoyed it a little more.

-The story begins right after Molly’s parents die. She’s discussing next steps with her older brother, Levi, and younger sister, Grace, and when Levi proposes Grace moves in with him – to another state – she throws a tantrum which ends up with her siblings giving up both of their current life paths to move back home and open the inn their parents were planning to do. I know that they obviously had just gone through a lot, but Grace came off as such a brat that I couldn’t stand her. It really set me off on the wrong foot with the story.

-I never really got on board the whole letter thing. Molly becomes obsessed with it and while I kind of understand the reasoning, I just found it pretty boring. I also thought it was kind of odd that she needed Adam’s help because she’s just “bad with computers.” It was like she barely knew how to Google something. Yet, she’s a millennial who was in college, so it’s basically impossible for her to not know how to use a computer.

-There are a few flashbacks to the letter writer in the ’60s and I just didn’t really think they were well done. They were very few and far between and not really enough to get me invested in the story. I could kind of tell the author wasn’t that invested in them either.

-Knowing that Adam keeps his author identity a secret and that Molly’s last relationship ended because of lies, you know what the big romantic conflict is going to be. This type of scenario is never my favorite and it was made even worse by Molly’s hypocrisy. She lied to Adam about things, too, but that didn’t really seem to matter. She also was kind of dating his best friend just because she thought he was actually the author. Not to mention that she also kind of cheated on him with Adam. I just found her a little hard to like.

-One prevailing thought I had while reading this was that it was pretty light on the Christian for being a Christian Fiction. However, the lessons came in really heavy handed towards the end. I don’t necessarily mind the strong push at the end, but I would’ve preferred it to be more evenly involved throughout the whole story.

Overall, Lake Season just wasn’t for me. I know I listed a lot of negative things, but I did enjoy some things about it, too. Even though I had some issues with it, there were some good romantic moments. I also fully admit that if I read this at a different time, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more and given it a solid three stars. However, I found it pretty hard to get through and so I need to give it a slightly lower rating.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2.5 Stars

Lake Season is the first book in the Bluebell Inn Romance series by Denise Hunter. I don't usually read romance books because I often find the characters/plots to be annoying or silly, but I have to say I really enjoyed this book.

I loved the choice of main characters: Adam and Molly. The author has done a careful job of character building with plenty of background information that gave me a chance to know and understand what hurt each of them in them in the past and made them nervous about trusting another person. The romance is slowly and carefully advanced as the characters get to know each other and work through issues that come up along the way.

I highly recommend this book.

I'm not typically a romance reader, but I enjoyed LAKE SEASON. The small town southern setting is quaint and charming and the Bradford siblings are likable. After the sudden death of their parents, I immediately sympathized with them and wanted them to succeed. Based on the book's description, I expected to read more about how they got the inn up and running, whereas that wasn't really a focus of the story. The inn's success and failures are mentioned only in passing and as part of the overall background to the story. But I liked how the relationship between Molly and Adam developed, especially given that Molly didn't know his true identity. The historical story didn't keep my interest quite as well as the present-day timeline. I expect this is the start of a series and future books will tell the stories of Grace and Levi.

A wonderful, romantic, mystery that will leave you wanting to know more.

After losing their parents, siblings, Molly, Grace, and Levi set out to restore an old building into an inn. Famous author, Adam Bradford aka Nathaniel Quinn comes to the Bluebell Inn for research on his next story. Soon Molly and Adam are searching for clues to solve the mystery of a missing letter that was found in the inn. Who are Benjamin and Elizabeth? Will they find all the answers? Will Adam tell Molly who he really is? The Lake Season will have you on edge and wanting to know more.

I received a complimentary e-copy from Netgalley for a review. All opinions are my own.

This book gave me the chills at one point. I'm not sure I've ever had that happen! Hunter is an amazing author.

The premise of this book wasn't really a new idea - but the direction Hunter took it in made it unique and interesting. The pivotal moment was so well done I never saw it coming and it sucked me in!

There were some fun moments in the story that I won't spoil, but I'll say I loved. I really liked the characters, but there were times their flaws became a little overbearing for me personally. I think I just didn't relate to their specific issues. I also always struggle keeping up with time slip novels.

Adam had some really great romantic gestures in this book and I really enjoyed his character a lot. Molly's flaws annoyed .e - but I loved how Adam handled her.

I'm looking forward to more in this series!

I received an advanced copy of this book through the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

An inspiring love story with a subtle Christian message. 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.

4.5 stars) - A romance wrapped in a romance

This is such a tender, sweet story. Molly is recovering from a really bad relationship followed by the unexpected loss of her parents. Adam is struggling with insecurities from his upbringing.

When Molly finds a letter in the wall of the inn she & her siblings are remodeling, she and their guest, Adam, end up trying to find out if it's still possible to get it to the intended recipient.

What they find is a love story that was interrupted & as they try to help those involved find closure, they find God's healing & a romance for themselves as well.

It's very touching and was told in a way that was believable. There are coincidences (God-incidences), but they're entirely plausible.

The author's writing pace is steady but a little on the relaxed side, & it felt like Molly took longer than necessary to reach her epiphany - read it when you're in the mood for something savory as I was, not when you're feeling impatient - other than that, I thought the story was perfect.

*Clean romance level: sweet kisses
*Religion: generically Christian, some talk & Scripture verses about trusting in God, but not at all in a preachy way

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher at my request via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own)

Lake season is a positively sweet read!
I have probably read 20 Denise Hunter's books so I am familiar with her style and always enjoy the way she crafts her characters.
Lake season is something quite unique!
The hero is absolutely adorable and I love his social awkwardness and his inner dialogue. He was so relatable and sweet!
Molly was a bit harder for me to identify with, and at times I found her a bit unreasonable, but I loved how the story developed.
There was a bit of a mystery from the past that brought these two characters together and I really didn't expect the twist in the end!
This is a great light summer/beach read for when you just need a bit of escape.
So sweet and enjoyable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. My review is my own.