Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter is the second in the Riverbend Romance Series, focusing on the blended Robinson family in a small town along the Appalachian Trail. This title can be read as a standalone, but it's worth reading the first book in my opinion. In the second novel, we follow Avery's story - an accomplished workaholic clinic doctor - as she faces an uncertain future and falls in love along the way.  It is unquestionably a wholesome romance with elements of faith woven into the plotline without being heavy-handed. Typical of the author's talents, it's an easy to read "clean" contemporary romance - heartwarming with notes of poignancy as Avery learns about living life to the fullest.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from @thomasnelson fiction via @netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mulberry Hollow is a wonderful romance between two very likable characters. It is the second book in the Riverbend series, yet can easily be enjoyed even if you have not read book one, Riverbend Gap. I recently read book one in the series, so it was fun to return to this community and to the family of characters that I got to know in that story.

I loved the way the connection grew between Avery and Wes. They were two people who both had some heavy baggage hanging over them, were not looking to fall in love with each other, and thought that Wes would only be around for the short term. I liked that Wes was determined to do the best job he could on renovating the carriage house for Avery not only to repay his debt and but to also help her out.

Their journey from friends to more was sweet and packed with a very realistic chemistry, yet it seemed as if there was not much hope for a future for these two, which created just the right amount of angst and heartache for them to overcome. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

(4.5 stars)

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

This is the perfect beach read that includes a small-town setting, wonderful characters, and unexpected love. Both Avery's and Wes's lives are strongly influenced by their past, and neither of them is looking for a relationship. But the more time they spend together, the less control they have as they each work their way into the other's heart. The only question is whether they will be able to get past the roadblocks to find a happily ever after. I loved how even though Avery's brothers were protective of her, they also were supportive when needed along with her parents. There was also a good mix of humor in the story.

Dr. Avery Robinson is running on fumes. She has set a pace to become a doctor and set up a clinic in her small town of Riverbend Gap. She knows she is in need of help and is looking for a doctor who wants to settle in a small town. Wesley Garrett is on a mission. He is going to hike part of the Appalachian Trail in honor of his best friend who died. He ends up at the clinic so sick, that, Avery wants to send him to the hospital. They work off the bill in trade. He is going to fix the carriage house. It is the start of a beautiful friendship. Both are holding back. Each have secrets. In the end, it is Landon's sister who gives Wes the push he needs. Avery gets the push she needs from her dad. I love the second book in this series! I can't wait to read the next book.

Mulberry Hollow was an easy, fast read and enjoyable.
I liked the way that the characters carried themselves and it had loyalty and duty woven through the storyline.
You are waiting for the ending and it leaves you wanting more when you are finished reading a chapter.
You want to know how the story ends!!

I enjoyed this second story in Denise Hunter’s Riverbend series! Mulberry Hollow is a sweet, quick read with lovely romance and an engaging plot. I’m excited for Gavin’s story next. 4/5 stars

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

Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter is the second of three books in A Riverbend Romance Series. The first book is Riverbend Gap. I fell in love with the first book and couldn’t resist another vist with the characters and the town of Riverbend Gap.

If you haven’t read the first book yet, you don’t have to as these books do well on their own but, I highly recommend this series. It is just the kind of place and the kind of people I would like to live in and around. There is one more book to this series and I can’t wait for that one but, on the otherhand, I’m not looking forward to the end. I always hate to see a good series come to an end. I think I could live in them for a long time.

Denise Hunter has a writing style that just brings her stories to life. You don’t have to think about it. It flows so easily and pulls you forward from page one. There is not a great mystery other than what happens to the characters and where life will lead them. Her characters are full of love for their town, family and helping where they can.

If you love a good clean story that has characters that mean something to you and worm their way into your heart, this is a series for you. It brings out all the feels and makes you happy you found the little town of Riverbend Gap. I hope you’ll join me in reading this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Netgalley, #ThomasNelsonPublishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"A person tended to move quickly when she didn't know how many good years she had left" (location 553). That's true for Avery, at least in terms of her work and desire to leave the town protected if she succombed to a hereditary disease. It's not so true when she looks at her relationships. Avery has closed herself off from others out of fear. But when a sick hiker ends up at her doorstep, she can't help but respond to him.

This was an interesting book. Wes made a promise to a dying friend and feels he knows best how to carry that out. But as someone said, "Love doesn't play fairly." He's drawn to Avery even while knowing his future lies in Albany with Lillian.

I love Avery's family. Her overprotective brothers made me laugh and groan. I appreciated her parents' wisdom. The town of Mulberry Hollow is something special. I look forward to reading Gavin's story in the next book.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.

Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter is book two in the Riverbend Romance series. This story is a nice stand alone story, yet it takes over where the first in the series ends, so it is best to read in order.

This is Avery Robinson’s story. She is the only physician in a small town and is overworked. She needs to upgrade her property to be able to hire an additional physician. When hiker, Wes Garrett, ends up at the clinic door steps needing care and unable to pay, they make a deal for him to do the work she needs done.

This is such a good story I struggled with putting it down. Both of the main characters are wonderful caring people who put others before themselves. Both are also struggling with making the right decision to move forward with their lives. I enjoyed the Robinson family and the way they cared for each other, especially her father’s way of allowing others to seek his advice.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Mulberry Hollow brings us back to the mountain town of Riverbend Gap along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, and to the Robinson family. This book focuses on Avery, the town's doctor, and Wes, a hiker who stumbles into her clinic one rainy night. They are both complicated characters, with tragedy in their pasts and regrets they are allowing to shape their futures. Although neither one was looking for a relationship, their pull towards each other and the fact they bring out the best in each other is undeniable. I enjoyed this book much more than the first one in the series! If you are looking for a sweet, clean, small-town romance, you will love Mulberry Hollow.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book!!

It was very nice to be back in Mulberry Hollow, a little town at a trail head on the Appalachian Trail. The last time we were in town we met the Robinson family, and the story was about Gavin and Cooper, who are brothers, their sister Avery, and her friend Katie. Avery had tried to play matchmaker and set up Gavin and Katie, but as it turned out, Cooper was more her match. In this book, Cooper and Katie are wedding planning and tying the knot.

Avery is filled with mixed emotions. A successful doctor in her own practice, she is constantly filled with dread about contracting the disease that took her Mom's life. So much so that at 30 she's given up on love and children. The night of her 30th birthday she comes home from a family party and finds a very sick man passed out on the clinic's doorstep.

Meeting Wes makes Avery doubt everything she has believed all these years. He is a good man, he helps her get an apartment ready for welcoming a new doctor to the practice, all the while he is dealing with his own ghosts and promises he made.

I won't tell any more since I don't do spoilers, but I think you'll really like this book as much as I did. I can't wait for the next book in the series that will likely focus on Gavin and if he finds love.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Mulberry Hollow by Denise Hunter is the second book in her Riverbend Gap series, but definitely a standalone novel. Mulberry Hollow exists right off the Appalachian trail. Avery is a doctor running the only medical clinic in town while fighting her deepest fears. Wes finds himself on Avery's doorstep when he is too sick to go on walking the Appalachian trail in memory of his friend.

There's nothing like getting lost in a Denise Hunter book. Her books have wonderful romance and characters that I always want to invest in. Avery and Wes are two people who are working through the hard parts of their lives becoming something better. I enjoyed watching them change and fall in love. Avery's family is filled with people you want to know who care deeply for each other. I found myself wishing I could move to the town of Mulberry Hollow, and have dinner with Avery’s family. The other women who work in Avery’s clinic are funny, and help make the book delightful.

The story's themes of sacrificial love, learning to live with another person's sacrificial act, and remembering that every day is a gift resonated with my heart. I highly recommend this book.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a positive review.

Ohhh, this book is delightful!

Denise Hunter has cemented her place in my shortlist of "authors whose books I must immediately purchase and read" (and/or request from NetGalley, LOL). :)

This second installment in the Riverbend series is easily on par with book 1, Riverbend Gap. I do recommend reading them in order, as spoiler alerts would abound otherwise--not to mention context and depth!

Revisiting the town and familiar characters was a joy, and I'm so excited we get to see Gavin's story in the upcoming third book in the series.

_Mulberry Hollow_ explores both the medical and construction worlds, both of which I have a keen interest in between work (medical industry) and thinking ahead to homeownership. I was particularly intrigued by the ongoing plot point of whether or not to pursue genetic testing, and how (not) doing so could impact one's life--sometimes significantly. Hunter did a great job at inviting the reader to place themselves in the story and ask what they would do in similar circumstances!

Very well done. Now my only problem ...I have to wait for book 3 to come out! :)

4/5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is so good! It's well written and the author brings the story to life with her words. It's a clean sweet inspirational romance that will keep you turning the pages. Wes and Avery's story is full of emotions, it will make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. Loved it!
I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson--FICTION via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Denise Hunter never disappoints me. 'Mulberry Hollow' is an emotional and loving story about real-life problems and honor and commitment. Avery's mother died from an horrible disease that she fears that she may also have. Wes had an incredibly difficult childhood but has grown to be an honorable man struggling to do what he feels he must to fulfill his father's debts and care for the sister of the man who lost his life while saving Wes'. I actually didn't know how this could possibly turn out positively, but Denise Hunter is so skilled in spinning a story that is deeply satisfying in a believable manner. I look forward to the next in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Mulberry Hollow is the second book in the Riverbend Gap series. While we meet most of the characters in the previous book, and there are references mentioned from that one, I do believe this could stand on its own without having read the first. That said, I do believe you'll get the most out of the story by reading them in order to get a fuller understanding of the back story and family dynamics.

This story focuses on Avery. Due to her uncertain future, she has decided against love and family for herself... that is until it quite literally lands on her doorstep! Wes has been on a hike honoring his late friend when sickness hits and he finds himself needing Avery's help. This book was truly just a fantastic read, just as the first in the series was. Honestly, anytime I pick up a book by Denise Hunter I know I'm in for a good read--- she offers such fantastic characters with great depth... and oh, the chemistry! The chemistry between Avery and Wes jumped off the pages... and I enjoyed every second of it.

If you enjoy a good, clean romance, this is certainly one book (and series) not to be missed.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

I am really enjoying the Riverbend stories. You meet the Robinson family in the first book. They are also in the second book but this could be a stand alone without having read the first one. Avery is a physician who runs her own clinic in Riverbend. She takes it upon herself to take care of the whole town. She is a wonderful caring person who is on call 24/7. She is looking for another doctor to help her with her practice. She has a run down carriage house that she wants to fix up to entice another physician with a great place to live. Unfortunately, she needs someone to do this for her at a price she can afford. In walks Wes, well he crawls there practically from the AP trail he was hiking, because he is really sick with a fever and upper respiratory infection. Avery finds him there when she gets home and proceeds to nurse him to health. Wes is very handy with tools and to pay her back he starts to renovate the carriage house. And so this heartwarming book goes. It pulls at your heart strings and then some. Denise Hunter has a way with romance that makes you wanting for more. I highly recommend this book and after reading this book I am wanting for more!

Thanks to #ThomasNelson, #Netgalley and @deniseahunter for an ARC of this book

It’s a return to the small community of Riverbend Gap. Avery is an overworked doctor who desperately needs some additional help. Wes is a carpenter who is on his way to fulfill an obligation. They interested at Avery’s clinic and the attraction grows daily. Both have baggage that needs tending, but is there room for each other in their future plans?
Hit the trail to Riverbend Gap and see if it all works out.

Denise Hunter has written another sweet romance that pulls you into the story right from the start. I really enjoyed Avery and Wes’ love story. They were fun, relatable, and likable characters with very compelling personal stories. Avery faces an unknown future and Wes fears he’ll turn out like his dad and stubbornly sticks to a self-imposed duty to fulfill a promise. As their romance blossoms, it’s clear they need to face their fears in order to have a future together. Avery’s story is very heavy, and Hunter did a great job of making me feel the tension within her and to live her angst of not knowing. And Wes is such a decent guy, I wanted to have a conversation with him to tell him to stop worrying about becoming his dad. I think you can say I was invested in the story, which is always a good thing. I’m a huge fan of Denise Hunter and Mulberry Hollow doesn’t disappoint. Five stars all the way.

I enjoyed this romance story. This is a new author for me which I enjoyed her writing style and her attention to details that made her story pop. This is a story that is fast paced and where the characters kept the story engaging. This is a well written story about Wes and Avery. Their story where oweing a debt turns into something so much more. What will fate have in store for these two? Will they find the courage to love and let go of things to let a future happen? I enjoyed both these characters. They have great chemistry and great growth throughout the story. They really made the story for me which made the story easy to read. I enjoyed how the characters are supportive of each other as well as how connectable they are. This is a great romance story that I highly recommend.