This year has been an eye opener, so when I got a chance to read this I fell in love with the characters. I also fell in love with the storytelling, side characters and the people you meet in this book. I will definitely read and recommend any more books to come

I thoroughly enjoyed Denise Hunter's newest book Riverbend Gap. From the opening scene I was captivated by Cooper and Kate. Instead of a "meet-cute" it was a "meet-exciting". These two engaging characters experienced very different backgrounds. Cooper comes from a strong family but not without drama. Kate was pretty much abandoned as a child and grew up in foster care. Having experienced a recent devastating loss she's looking for a fresh start in Riverbend Gap. I love stories about family and the need to belong to one - be it one you're born into or one you've become part of over time. This is the first in a new series or trilogy and I look forward to Cooper's siblings' books. There was a bit of foreshadowing in this book but that's all I'll say.
4.5/5 stars rounded up. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Riverbend Gap is the first book in a new series by Denise Hunter. Katelyn Loveland has not had an easy life. She had recently moved to Riverbend Gap. a small town along the Appalachian Trail, to take a position as nurse at the small medical practice started by her collage friend Avery. I loved the small home town vibe of this novel. There was family, friendship, and neighbor helping neighbor along with a little bit of drama. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. Thanks to author Denise Hunter, publisher Thomas Nelson, and to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

Katelyn Loveland is on the way to her new town where her boyfriend lives when she has a near disastrous car accident. The local sheriff's deputy, Cooper, rescues her and there is instant attraction. Cooper is her boyfriend's brother and that causes all kinds of complications. Cooper is running for Sheriff in the next election and Katelyn is trying to get over her brother's death and her parents' neglect. Katelyn is drawn to Cooper's family but the circumstances are causing all kinds of ripples. This was a very compelling story and I had trouble putting it down.



I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Riverbend Gap
by Denise Hunter
Publishing Date: October 19, 2021

My patrons at our library love Denise Hunter so I was excited to receive this advance copy and read it before they get a chance. This was an excellent book and a light enjoyable read! Run to your nearest library and check it out when it becomes available.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

5 star

I did not realize this is Christian romance when I requested this book @Netgalley. I enjoyed the book.

Katelyn is moving to another town and when she has an accident (she nearly goes over the cliff) sheriff-deputy Cooper comes to her rescue. During the rescue they connect and so Cooper is taken aback when he realizes later on that Katelyn is the new girlfriend of his brother Gavin. Katie has only been dating Gavin quite recently (they had about 6 dates) and she also feels attracted to Cooper, but for reasons she keeps dating Gavin. You can imagine the drama when this unfolds later on in the story, but it is written very well.

The story is about family and forgiveness. Katie is also searching for her mother, who she has not seen since she was brought into foster care.

Overall the story tugs at your heart strings. It is not my usual fare, but I can recommend it.

I loved this book. It left me in tears and warmed my heart too. So many themes were packed inside, fear of rejection, temptation, faith, trust, loyalty... too many to list. Kate and Cooper are a great couple and I'd love to read the rest of the families' story too. Maybe the author could do a prequel of the parent's romance as well. A fantastic read for romance lovers, Denise Hunter fans and Hallmark fans.

This was a fun first installment in the Riverbend Romance series!

I really enjoyed the characters! I was a little put off by how long the main character’s kept their feelings hidden and how their feelings greatly impacted others. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the overall story!

The setting was beautiful and I think everyone needs a Momma Lisa! I loved the accidental meeting of the main characters and how everything seemed to be intertwined.

Altogether, this was another good read from Denise Hunter! It releases on October 19, so be sure to mark your calendars!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a nice, easy romance read! Katie and Cooper are in uncharted territory as they realize that Katie is dating Cooper's brother. This aspect for me was a little difficult to wrap my head around. I enjoyed how much Cooper's family rallied around each of the family members and was there for them.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

Denise Hunter always writes a good story and this is no exception. This story begins with Katelyn driving off the road hanging over an embankment. Cooper who is the deputy sheriff finds her and stays with her until help can arrive. There is an instant attraction between both of them. Turns out Katelyn is dating Cooper's brother Gavin. Cooper and Katelyn seem to end up places together and continue to get to know each other and share things that they aren't sharing with anyone else. Gavin & Katelyn continue to date all the while Katelyn & Cooper continue to deny feelings for each other. As you can imaging lots of things happen and everything eventually comes to a head.

I was given a complimentary copy by Thomas Nelson via Net Galley . This review is my thoughts only. ,
I loved this book with Kate Loveland being saved by Cooper one of the famous Robinson's sons, Kate a nurse is working for his sister Avery who is a doctor and Kate is a nurse. She joins them for dinner on a Friday and Coop finds out she is dating his brother Gavin.. Also, Kate moved to Riverbend Gap for her job and to try to to meet up with her mother who let her and her brother go into the foster system. I am going to tell you that it is a MUST READ, one that you don't want to put own. You just have to find out what happens.

My thoughts: for Denise Hunter this was a slow read, and not filled with sexual tension. In fact it was not the best book by her that I ever read. The characters connected but it was mostly filled with them trying to stay apart and being obviously forced together. One could see where it was going and what the black moment would be fairly easily. Still I enjoyed it somewhat and I could connect somewhat with the characters. If you like fairly predictable romance without a lot of sexual tension then this would be a good book to pick up. I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

I can always count on Denise Hunter for a fantastic story, and Riverbend Gap is no exception. My attention was captured from the first page, and I had a hard time putting this book down. The attraction between Katelyn and Cooper was apparent from the start, and the impossible situation that caused ramped up the intensity of the story. I loved the characters in this tale and hope they continue in the series. This is a story of forgiveness, finding oneself, healing, and relationships. I’m looking forward to more books in this series. 4.5 stars

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

You've read books that end on a cliffhanger. Well this one literally starts on a cliffhanger. Katelyn is on her way to visit Gavin and his family and skids off the road and her car is hanging on the edge. One wrong move could send her over.. Cooper Robinson comes her and keeps her calm while waiting for more help to arrive. He is immediately attracted to her. Later he finds out that this girl is his brother's new girlfriend. The more he is around her the more attracted he is to her. There is a chemistry between those two that is not in her relationship with Gavin. He finds himself falling in love with her but he feels in his heart that he can never have her since she is in a relationship with Gavin.

I enjoyed this story as I have all of Denise Hunter's books. I'm looking forward to reading the story of Cooper's other siblings.

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

With shadows of While You Were Sleeping, this romance is filled with tension and people trying to do the right thing and finding grace when they can't. It's about finding a home and restoration. And the romance is plagued with angst and sweet resolution.

Riverbend Gap is the start of a new series by Denise Hunter. The story starts with an intense scene that cements the hero and heroine's attraction and connection to one another. But before they can explore the attraction, they realize acting on their feelings will jeopardize her dreams of family and could cause a rift in his family that might have long-standing repercussions.

The romance is like a train wreck you see coming. You want to stop it, but you also care so much for these characters and want to see them together. From the start with the heroine dangling over a cliff to the proverbial cliff they both face, Hunter does a good job of drawing you into the story and connecting you with all the characters.

The situations handled in Riverbend Gap could be drawn from real life. The characters are real. The setting is enticing. The conflict is heart-wrenching, but the way Hunter handles the emotion keeps you reading long into the night.

I received a copy of Riverbend Gap from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #RiverbendGap #NetGalley

I think this is the second book by Denise Hunter I've read this year. She writes light romances with mostly believable characters and incredible settings. In Riverbend Gap, she takes on the culture of the Appalachian Trail and its hikers. This book won't take long to read and that is one of its better qualities. I am the wife and mother of long distance hikers, and I have learned quite a bit about the culture as well as the support that goes into undertaking a hike on one of the long trails in the US and around the world. Denise has done incomplete research on the trail and its attributes.

Katelyn (Katie) Loveland has grown up in foster care since she was five years old and is moving to Riverbend Gap, North Carolina, to take a new job with her best friend, Avery Robinson. She has some secrets she hasn't revealed to anyone why she is moving to the small town, one of which is that her birth mother lives there and she wants to find out what was so much more important than taking care of her and her brother. She has also the task of spreading her brother's ashes on the trail.

As Katie is approaching town, a deer runs in front of her and she loses control of her car. Soon after her car goes over the embankment, Cooper Robinson comes upon the site and finds Katie in a rather precarious position. Neither of them know that Katie's current boyfriend is Cooper's brother, Gavin. This is where the book goes sideways for me. The attraction between Katie and Cooper nearly tears Cooper's family apart, and to a degree it does tear Cooper's family apart for a short time.

The tension in the book is exacerbated by Cooper's run for county sheriff and his opponent's shenanigans to keep him from winning. That would have been enough for the book to have held my interest.

What Denise got right about hiking the Appalachian Trail:
The hiker towns depend on the business of the thru-hikers for a large part of their revenue.
The residents of the hiker towns, for the most part, love the hikers and often provide Trail Magic or act as Trail Angels for them.
Water caches are extremely important for the hikers.
Trail Names are one of the most fun parts of hiking. If a hiker gets a trail name on one trail, it carries over to the other trails the hiker pursues. My son is Pathfinder, my husband is Wayfair. It is bad form for hikers to give themselves a trail name. There is usually a reason for the Trail Name--that's one thing Denise got right, down to the last detail.

What Denise missed:
Thru-hikers for the most part choose to hike NoBo (NorthBound--Georgia to Maine), but there are a significant number who choose to hike SoBo (SouthBound--Maine to Georgia).
Resupply packages are more often the way hikers get their food supplies. There are a number of hikers who will resupply in the towns, but sometimes that just isn't always possible or even feasible. Getting to towns with the post offices for picking up resupply boxes is vitally important.

My biggest criticism is that the relationship with Cooper and Katie didn't have to destroy Cooper's family the way it did and the book would have been just as compelling to read. Three stars.

Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was such a wonderful romance. I was swept away and was sad when it was over.
Highly recommend.

There are some books that just grab you the moment you begin the first chapter. This is one of them! I immediate was interested and captured for the journey the author would take me on. There is a scene early on that establishes the path of the book. Two characters are drawn together in a crisis and they souls unite. It sounds almost silly write that, but that is how it made me feel.

Of course, there would not be a story without a complication, and it is a huge one. I read with my heart in my throat for most of the book, not seeing a path to a happy ending, but I knew the gifted author, Denise Hunter, would find a way. This book is a Christian based romance, so while it is not over the top, but a constant presents, is God’s love and his protection. Without that concept in this book, I think the story definitely could go wrong. The characters are mature, grateful, righteous and moral which makes the plot believable.

In this book, there is a theme of a family unit being those who you love, not just those related by blood, a concept I agree with. Forgiveness, grief and guilt are also flowing throughout the plot. At the core of the plot is love though, not just romantic love, but love of family, friends, community and even those that caused hurt, since there is usually a reason behind actions, and a Christian will contemplate that fact and find a way to heal.

I absolutely recommend this book! I was engrossed in the story, care about these characters and look forward to the next book in A Riverbend Romance series!

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson-FICTION for the pleasure of reading a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter

Storyline 4 stars
Depth 4 stars
Faith 3 stars
Love Story 3 stars
Overall 3.5 stars

Like we have said before, Denise Hunter is one of our go to authors. We love her stories and her writing style. All that to say, it is hard when we have to write a review and give it only three and a half stars. This story started off with a bang and we jumped right in! We immediately were intrigued by both of the main characters, Katie and Cooper, and were excited to see where their stories came from and where they were going. That all changed when we found out Katie was actually dating Cooper's brother. We treaded lightly as we read on and hoped it would not be too drawn out. We didn't feel right rooting for a relationship to work out when technically Katie was still dating Cooper's brother. We enjoyed getting to know Cooper's family and are eager to read more in the series. This one just tiptoed too much around what is right and wrong. However, it was good to see the consequences that came from the mistakes Katie and Cooper made. Forgiveness was sought and we were happy to see how Denise brought closure to it all. We look forward to revisiting Riverbend Gap in the future.