Review: More Than Friends by Denise Hunter

On April 15, 2026 By vickleaIn Book Promo, Book Review2 Comments

About the Book

ISBN-13:9781400348732

Publication date:04/14/2026

Pages:320

Synopsis (from the author’s website)

Jenna Greene has been very clear with her boyfriend: She is not ready for marriage. Too bad he didn’t listen. Turned out a rejected proposal was a sure way to lose a boyfriend–and a job. Because, yes, he’d also been her boss. But it seems the firing has come at the perfect time. Back on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, Jenna’s widowed mother has returned from a cruise–with a new boyfriend in tow. Something isn’t right, and Jenna decides to return home to find out what’s going on.

Tyson Parker has a pretty great life on Chincoteague. He’s gainfully employed at his parents’ bed and breakfast–in the very home where he grew up with his three brothers, right across the street from his best friend, Jenna. He loves volunteering for the island’s illustrious fire company and being one of the saltwater cowboys who cares for Chincoteague’s wild ponies. If only he could’ve skipped the whole part where he’d married a two-timing woman. Still, he’s elated to have his best friend back when Jenna returns to the island, even if it is only temporary. And he’s happy to help her figure out what her mom’s suspicious new beau might be up to. But soon his feelings for Jenna begin to shift into. . . something different.

Jenna expected to enjoy visiting her mom, Tyson, and his whole family. She’d expected to feel closer to her deceased father on the island where the foal they’d named years ago now roams the wild salt marshes of Assateague like its ancestors have for hundreds of years. What she didn’t expect was for her feelings for her best friend to change. But she’s always sworn she’d never date a firefighter. Plus, Tyson is fresh off a betrayal. And also, there’s that teensy commitment problem she seems to have. Would she even have the courage to finally give her heart away? And should they really risk their beautiful friendship in the hopes they could someday be something more?

My Thoughts

This story was a perfect read from beginning to end, with a fairytale setting, lovable characters and an immersive and magical plot. Jenna Greene returns to Chincoteague Island after a she loses her job in Alexandria and is comforted by family, friends, and her childhood best friend Tyson Parker. Feeling at loose ends, jobless and without a boyfriend, Jenna seeks solace in the familiar routine of working at the kayak business that she worked at in her youth. She and Ty fall into a familiar routine, too, of talking to each other frequently and sharing all of their challenges and dreams. This book has a dual storyline, one being Jenna’s story and the secondary one is the story of Jenna’s mom who meets a new guy on a cruise. Both stories are well crafted, offering drama as well as delightful budding romance. The plot is charming and refreshing and the setting painted a vivid picture of the pony swim from Assateague to Chincoteague, an event that we took our children to and thoroughly enjoyed so I was happy to relive those happy memories as I read this novel. Of course, the romance between Jenna and Tyson was destined from the start, but it wasn’t without a lot of bumps in the road and some possibility of imminent failure. The trope is friends to lovers and is told in a way that is absolutely fun, flirty and made me cheer for all of the characters who found their HEA. This book is a slam dunk winner for me and all that I enjoy about romance: clean, flirty, warmhearted and with appealing characters.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on The 700 Club and been featured in Woman’s Day and Southern Living.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories, peopled with layered characters who struggle with real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are currently enjoying an empty nest.

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her FaceBook page and her website at Denise Hunter Books

Purchase Links

Review: The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

On October 9, 2025 By vickleaIn Book Promo, Book Review4 Comments

About the Book

ISBN-13:9781400348695

Publisher:Nelson, Thomas, Inc.

Publication date:10/07/2025

Pages:368

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 Thoughts

What a wonderful feel-good story with the trope of second chance at romance/enemies to lovers being the center of an engaging and entertaining read! Shelby inherits her grandmother’s bookstore, but what surprises her is that she is expected to share it with her old flame from high school, Gray Briggs. The story is somewhat predictable, but the plot twists that the author included are delightful, romantic and at times humorous as Gray and Shelby work together to make Gram’s bookstore financially solvent. I loved the relatable characters and the sparkling, just under the surface love story that began to bloom as the two are forced to work together. I thought that the characters were realistic and enjoyed getting to know them. Mostly, I was really absorbed in their story and how the author was going to work everything out since they were both so different, with different lives and goals after years of separation. This is a light-hearted story that begins somberly with the death of Shelby’s grandmother and then flows quickly and smoothly into the current predicament of Shelby and Gray and how they both need each other but don’t know it yet. What a heart-warming and wholesomely beautiful story that the author has shared for the enjoyment of her readers! This book offers the themes of hope, forgiveness and moving forward instead of looking back.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her FaceBook page.

Purchase Links

Review of BEFORE WE WERE US by Denise Hunter

On September 10, 2024 By vickleaIn Book Review1 Comment

About the Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:9780840716682

Publisher:Nelson, Thomas, Inc

Publication date:09/10/2024

Pages:304

She can’t remember. He can’t forget.

When Lauren Wentworth wakes up in the hospital after falling from a ladder, she has more questions than answers. Way more. She knows where she is—the wilds of New Hampshire. But she’s apparently lost the last four months of her life. Is she really contemplating forfeiting her big-city dream job for a position at a rustic resort? And how did her number one nemesis become her adoring boyfriend?

Jonah Landry is crushed to learn Lauren has forgotten their entire summer together. Terrified of losing her for good, he determines to help her remember their deep connection as she finishes her obligation to the resort. But soon it becomes apparent Lauren doesn’t want to remember falling in love with him or rethinking the entire course of her career. She wants to pretend the summer never happened and move on with her life. Without him.

As Lauren falls back into the steady routines of resort work with Jonah, she’s relieved her memories haven’t returned and remains resolute about her big-city future. But as autumn leads into winter, she begins to see glimpses of the Jonah she’s forgotten. Will she be able to resist the steady love of this patient man? Or is her heart destined for its own freefall?

My Thoughts

This is a carefully plotted romance about a young woman who loses her memory and breaks the heart of the man who loves her because she doesn’t remember him at all. Lauren Wentworth is a newly graduated events planner and goes to New Hampshire to work at a small family camp while she waits for her the date when she will report to her dream job. She never counted on the fun and flirty relationship that started with the owners’ son, Jonah Landry. The novel goes back and forth in time between the current time after Lauren got injured and lost her memory and the past when she and Jonah were getting to know each other and courting. The conflict is very realistic in that Lauren cannot remember Jonah but she does recall that she has a dream job waiting for her in Boston after the first of the year. This is a slam dunk great love story, with a well-crafted plot and appealing characters characters. I really enjoyed the dog Graham, too, who acted as a buffer of sorts between the couple who seem to be fated to separate. The story is satisfying, engaging and heartwarming, with family and relationships that matter front and center.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”