Denise Hunter began building curiosity about and empathy for Gavin in book 1 of the Riverbend series. Finally, through tension stretched across nearly the whole book, the reader discovers why he divorced Laurel and what happened to his young son.

Through Gavin and Laurel's fresh grief for their deceased friend and their forced proximity while caring for their friends' toddler daughter, we revisit the highs and lows of their relationship from early in high school through tragedy and separation.

Laurel remained insecure and frightened of losing Gavin throughout their relationship, despite his reassurances. Gavin took their relationship for granted, allowing his need to succeed (where his own father failed) to become his top priority.

Grief, stress, and their love for a little girl eventually strip away their hurt, fear, and barriers, allowing them to discover who the other is now.

I'll miss this series, not only for the well-written romances and true-to-life characters, but for the the family dynamics of the Robinsons. Scenes between siblings Gavin, Cooper, and Avery were among my favorites, as were family dinners. They exhibit the best of family life. Sure, they're all up in each other's business and know all the buttons to push to rile one another, but they love, forgive, and tolerate a lot of well-meaning annoyances.

Two last thoughts: The covers in this series are among my favorites. Gorgeous. Also, the mountains and the little mountain town where the books are set make for a wonderful character in and of themselves. I loved the hikes interspersed throughout the stories. Luckily I'm headed to a patch of the Appalachian Trail next week!

I received a review copy from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

This book is fabulous. The entire series is fabulous! Denise Hunter has quickly become a favorite author. This is the third book in the Riverbend Romance series. The future of a little girl is at stake after her parents are killed in a plane crash. Emma's parents have named Laurel and Gavin as guardians. The problem for the court - Laurel and Gavin are divorced and do not live in the same town. Can they make this work for Emma's sake? The alternative is foster care or allowing her estranged grandmother, whom Emma has never laid eyes on, to have sole custody. Can they take on someone else's child after the death of their own? This one is a bit of a nail-biter and a tear-jerker. In otherwards 5 Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Harvest Moon
by Denise Hunter
Pub Date: September 6, 2022
Thomas Nelson
# 3 Riverbend series
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. When a tragedy leaves a divorced couple with guardianship of their friends’ little girl, Laurel and Gavin drop everything for the sake of the child. Meanwhile, a case worker begins searching for a more suitable arrangement, and the estranged couple move into their friends’ home to provide temporary care for Emma and manage the on-property apple orchard. As they work together to comfort the grieving child and manage the busy harvest, tempers flare—as does the passion they both remember so well. But will the seeds of love, still growing inside them, thrive and flourish? Or will grief and regret strangle the feelings before they can fully blossom?
Great book! This is a favorite author in our library. I have already preordered this one!
5 stars

I admit that it started out slow and you knew how it was going to end up.
I got hooked and pleasantly surprised with the storyline and it exceeded my expectations!
I enjoyed it and it tells of forgiveness and grace,

"Laurel's throat thickened with tears she would not allow to fall. At the hospital, shock had held her in its grips. On the forty-five-minute drive from Asheville, worry for Emma had taken precedence. But now, with her ex-husband nearby, was definitely not the time to give in to grief. She mentally locked her heart in a safe and threw away the key."

When their best friends are in a plane crash, Laurel and Gavin are given custody of their daughter, Emma. Normally this could work well. But in this case, Laurel and Gavin are now divorced. They have not spent time in the same room in years, so trying to co-parent sounds impossible. But they both love Emma.

This book is full of potential landmines: trauma after loss, divorce and even financial woes. And a romance featuring a divorced couple could go all sorts of wrong directions. But the author has faced these challenges head on and has written a compelling story that is full of hope.

What I appreciate about this book is the fact that both characters acknowledge their own mistakes in their failed marriage. Several years have passed since their divorce. A tragedy is what started the proceedings. That is not glossed over.

What else I liked about the book is the fact that passion was not in the driver's seat. While there are a few kisses, the emphasis is not on reinstating a physical relationship. That is not the point. Instead, the couple has to get to know each other again as friends first.

The author handled tough topics with grace. This book is connected to the characters in the previous books, but in an unusual way since the relationship was filled with heartache. I really enjoyed the whole Riverbend series and was sad to see it finished.

I did get to read an advanced copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. I wanted to review this book.

Talk about an interesting plot line. Sad but joyful, hopeful and yet irritating. All the normal but beautiful things in life. I almost finished this in one day. I wanted to see what would happen as quick as possible. I felt like the end could have been developed a little more. It felt a bit rushed to me. And would have liked more details of the inner life of the characters and a little more romantic tension. But the story was interesting and I really liked it.
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley. I was in no way required to write a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Denise Hunter has such a way of creating flawed characters that grow and develop over the course of their stories. Wow. So good. I devoured this book. I couldn't put it down! Although it's the third in the series, there's enough of a backstory you could read this one on its own and not be lost. There's just the right amount of swoon, angst, and drama. This one particularly squeezed my heart with it's theme of lost loves being brought back into each others' lives.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

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

In my opinion, there are not enough exs to lovers that deal with formerly married couples and that needs to change. Denise Hunter is one of those authors where once you start reading her books, it takes a lighting your socks on fire to put it down. In this book, Denise explores real-life, hard-hitting topics such as abuse, abandonment, grief, and death in a way that everyone can relate to. I loved Gavin and Laurel's story. Their journey together as they try to raise baby Emma while working out their past struggles and trying to find a better future is a beautiful redemption story.

I highly recommend this book for ages 13+ for some adult themes.

Trust me, this 3 star rating, PAINS me. I adore Denise Hunter's book. I devour them in one day, almost in one sitting. This one was such a miss. I loved a lot of it, the plot, the Robison family, Emma, so much of it. But I just couldn't get with Laurel and Gavin's story. I pretty much skipped all the parts of their flashback. I didn't care for Laurel at all. I mean she seems perfectly nice. She'd just be one of those people that in real life I would say, "there's just something I don't like."

This book is still absolutely worth picking up and I hope that at some point, there's another trilogy/series that checks in on these 3 lovely siblings.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4795087685

Be still my heart! Walking between passion and conflict is an excellent description for this fiery couple. My stomach twisted in knots and my heart pounded at an accelerated pace as Laurel and Gavin come back together. There is so much emotion and unfinished business throughout the entire story! I love how their backstory is woven throughout, as it truly brought their current issues to a heightened level. Laurel and Gavin have grown tremendously over the last few years, but they have never truly moved on. I love this story of second chances, family, and redemption. I truly felt wrung out by the end, but my heart was fully satiated. All the siblings have an appearance and updates are provided. I believe Denise Hunter saved the best for last in this beautifully emotional, and restorative conclusion. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Denis Hunter has a true gift of storytelling. This is the final book in her current series and this one covers the love story between Gavin and Laurel. There are many wonderful but also heart wrenching circumstances and situations that bring this couple together, pull them apart, and reunite them again. In the end we see love conquers fear and forgiveness is the greatest gift to give and receive.

Great book, awesome characters, incredible writing. I was drawn in from the start and I was kept there the entire time.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

I really enjoyed this novel by Denise Hunter. It took me a bit to read, but my schedule is super busy. I love the way the author brought it all together and that there was redemption in the end. Sad in spots, sweet love story throughout. Great Read!

In 'Harvest Moon' Denise Hunter explores the effects of real life crisis on humans. The book is kind, loving, heart wrenching and hopeful. I particularly can identify and as my surviving adult children say Laurel and Gavin 'Get a Pass' on how they accomplish their grieving. I strongly recommend her Riverbend Romance series. While the family is covered, I hope there can be more to come.

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

This is a very emotional and heartwrenching story. That being said, it is filled with so much love and beautiful , trusting friendships too.
The story takes place in Riversbend and it's about two divorced people who never truly allowed themselves to get over some devastating pain while married. (I am so careful not to give away any spoilers because it's so important to read the story as it unfolded)
Laurel and Gavin have unexpected decisions to make about their friends little girl. Will this help them to finally talk out the past and come together and build a future?
The story goes from present time and back to when they met in high school and how their romance began.
This is one of those books that will make you cry, make you have feel good moments and make you want to not put the book down until the end. It also touches on the sadness of a person dealing with dementia and how family is also affected by it.
This is another beautifully written story by Denise Hunter

This book is packed full of emotion and will definitely tear at the heartstrings. I strongly recommend this wonderful series by Denise Hunter, you will not want to stop reading this novel.
Gavin’s best friend Mike and his wife Mallory have just died in a plane crash.
Laurel Is devastated to learn that young Emma will never know her parents, she must put her own grief aside to work with her ex-husband Gavin as Emma’s guardians!
Lauren and Gavin have previously dealt with their own loss. As they struggle to face the immediate realities of continuing their friend’s livelihood and providing for Emma, the future begins to reveal more possibilities!
I loved this beautifully written novel, the rawness of emotions, the history of the characters, truly a journey of discovery!

Thanks so much to the publisher, NetGalley and the very talented author, for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gavin and Laurel Robinson's friends Mallory and Mike have tragically died in a plane accident. It is found out that despite the fact that Gavin and Laurel have been divorced for three years that Mallory and Mike didn't change the fact that they made them guardians of their daughter, Emma, in case of their deaths.

We get to know Gavin and Laurel from their beginnings in high school, and all the way to the tragic death of their little boy, Jesse. I thoroughly enjoyed Harvest Moon.

This is a great book. You will not want to put it down. The two main characters are Laurel and Gavin. They have known each other all their lives and have been dating since high school. They got married and had a soon Jesse, but he died. It tore their relationship apart, they got divorced. Their two best friends were married and had a little girl named Emma. They were flying home and their plane crashed, they died. In their will they left guardianship of Emma to Lauren and Gavin. They decided to apply for permanent guardianship of Emma and in the process learned they still loved each other. They got married.

In Harvest Moon, Denise Hunter has created a story of second chances and forgiveness. When Laurel and Gavin divorced after the death of their son, they never imagined they would have a reason to interact. But when their friends die, naming them as guardian of their toddler, Laural and Gavin are thrust together. Putting the needs of their friends' daughter first has them reconsidering their past. The death of a child casts long shadows, but the novel sweetly deals with the pain and the opportunity. A satisfying conclusion to the series.

Gavin is coming back from a hike when he gets a call from Cooper. His best friends plane has gone down. His best friend, Mike’s, wife, Mallory, is his exes, Laurel’s, best friend. Mike and Mallory’s daughter, Emma, becomes their focus as they look for answers to her long term care and try to call a truce to their hurts from the past. Page turning story as we get to know these two and learn a bit about their past relationship as well. We see the Robinson clan, meet Mike’s parents and Aunt as well as Mallory’s mom and Laurel’s mom. Can’t forget Sunny too. She’s a big help with Emma.
A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.