About the Book:
Shelby Thatcher adores working in the charming small-town bookshop her grandmother opened years ago. Since high school she's helped Gram turn the shop into a community hub for book lovers in the lakeside town of Grandville, NC. When her beloved grandma passes away, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But to her shock, Gram leaves half ownership to Gray Briggs, the man who broke Shelby's heart years ago.
Grandville residents have been vilifying Gray as long as he can remember. After graduating high school he couldn't skip town fast enough, even though it meant leaving the girl he'd fallen deeply in love with and alienating her family once and for all. Now he's back, the beneficiary of his elderly friend's will. Facing the town's animosity is difficult, but seeing Shelby again is sheer torture. No one could ever stir his heart the way she did.
As the adversaries are forced to work together, Gram's beyond-the-grave scheme is working--Shelby's old feelings for Gray begin to resurface. But the problems that destroyed their relationship before still remain, and a new one surfaces--one that threatens Gram's beloved bookshop. Is their love doomed to fail again, or will they find a way to make it work this time around?
My Review:
I liked this entertaining Christian romance. There are certainly many obstacles to reigniting a romance that died years ago. But a grandmother who knows what best for her beloved granddaughter creates the necessary opportunity.
Many themes are included in the plot, such as a teen being bullied and wrongfully accused, judging a son for the sin of his father, and overcoming previous hurts. My favorite part of the book was Shelby's struggles running the bookstore her grandmother left to her. Having been a bookstore owner myself, I identified with the struggles. My one criticism is that the largest adjustable expense is labor and Shelby's wide use of employees is not an accurate representation of the retail situation. Sacrificing her own time away from the business to lower expenses would have been much more realistic.
I was surprised at the emphasis placed on the physical aspect of a budding romance. While nothing immoral ultimately happened, there is more physical desire and expression than I'd like in a Christian romance. The genre has come a long way since Grace Livingston Hill!
This is the kind of romance where you sigh at the end, happy to see how so many problems are overcome. It is a fun novel if one ignores the misrepresentation in profitably running a bookstore and the emphasis on the physical contact in romance. I listened to the audio production of this book which was very good.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author:
Denise Hunter is the internationally published, bestselling author of more than forty books, three of which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won the Holt Medallion Award, the Reader’s Choice Award, the Carol Award, the Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking chai lattes, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana, where she and her husband raised three boys and are now enjoying an empty nest and four beautiful grandchildren. Follow Denise at DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: @AuthorDeniseHunter; X: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: @deniseahunter.
Thomas Nelson, 368 pages.
I received a complimentary audio book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
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