Sunday, November 17, 2019

Review: "Lake Season" by Denise Hunter


Any day is a great day to read a Denise Hunter book! I'm always eager to read her new releases, and Lake Season is no exception.



A lost letter, a new love, and old secrets beckon this summer at the Bluebell Inn.

When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream: turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina home back into an inn. The situation would just be temporary—three years at the most—then they would sell the inn and Molly could get back to chasing her own dreams.

Adam Bradford (aka bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn) is a reclusive novelist with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to the setting of his next book, a North Carolina lake town. There he immediately meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego.

Molly and Adam strike up an instant friendship. When Molly finds a long-lost letter in the walls of her inn she embarks on a mission with Adam to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets of his own. Past and present collide as truths are revealed, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 12, 2019




Lake Season is the first novel in Hunter's new Bluebell Inn series, which follows the Bennett siblings. Following the unexpected death of their parents, Levi, Molly, and Grace decide to complete their parents' project of turning their home into an inn. Just as the inn is about to open, reclusive author Adam shows up looking for a place to stay, and he and Molly quickly form a friendship. They soon begin a search for the author and intended recipient of a letter found in the inn's walls, a quest that takes them in places they'd never anticipated.

This novel has just what I've come to expect from a Denise Hunter romance: sympathetic characters, swoony romance, and sizzling chemistry. This book also has a bit of mystery to it, with the search for Lizzie and Benjamin, and there's also some great comedy (something I haven't noticed in Hunter's other novels).

Lake Season has a bit of a split-time aspect to it, as some scenes from Lizzie and Ben's summer together are interspersed throughout. This is the one part of the book that didn't totally work for me—I cared much more about Molly and Adam in the present, and I wouldn't have minded if Lizzie and Ben's story had been solely revealed through letters and the people who remembered them.

There's a twist in this book—a twist I saw coming a mile away. And as I got closer to what I knew would happen, I kept thinking about how obvious it was, and I was mentally removing a star from my review. But then what I expected to happen happened—and it was so beautiful, so emotionally resonant that I wanted to applaud. And I gave the star back 😀

Lake Season is a wonderful start to the Bluebell Inn series, and I can't wait to go back to the inn in the next book! 4-1/2 stars.

Read an excerpt.
Buy the book. (affiliate link)
Read my reviews of other Hunter novels.
Follow the blog tour:
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 12
My Devotional Thoughts, November 12
The Power of Words, November 12
A Baker’s Perspective , November 12
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, November 13
Mia Reads, November 13
Back Porch Reads, November 13
Carla Loves To Read, November 14
All-of-a-kind Mom, November 14
Among the Reads, November 14
Genesis 5020, November 14
Wishful Endings, November 15
Reflections From My Bookshelves, November 15
CarpeDiem, November 15
Older & Smarter?, November 16
Cultivating Us, November 16
Inside the Wong Mind, November 16
Blossoms and Blessings , November 16
Sara Jane Jacobs, November 17
Christian Chick’s Thoughts, November 17
Avid Reader Nurse, November 17
Through the Fire Blogs, November 18
For Him and My Family, November 18
Jeanette’s Thoughts, November 18
Splashes of Joy, November 18
Robin’s Nest, November 19
Mary Hake, November 19
Baker Kella, November 19
Simple Harvest Reads, November 20 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 20
SusanLovesBooks, November 20
Lights in a Dark World, November 20
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 21
Vicky Sluiter, November 21
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 21
Quiet Quilter, November 22
Andrea Christenson, November 22
Pause for Tales, November 22
Just Your Average Reviews, November 22
Hallie Reads, November 23
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, November 23
To Everything There Is A Season, November 23
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 23
Texas Book-aholic, November 24
janicesbookreviews, November 24
A Reader’s Brain, November 24
Inklings and notions, November 24
Batya’s Bits, November 25
Livin’ Lit, November 25
The Christian Fiction Girl, November 25
Remembrancy, November 25


Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 25 books, including A December Bride and The Convenient Groom, 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 green tea, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are rapidly approaching an empty nest. To learn more about Denise, visit her website DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: deniseahunter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in this post are affiliate links; this means if you click the link and purchase an item, I will receive a small commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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