Friday, June 12, 2020

Book Review - Carolina Breeze and Lake Season by Denise Hunter (Bluebell Inn Romance)

My Review of Carolina Breeze
Carolina Breeze tells the story of Mia Emerson, an actress who decides to get away from Los Angeles after she is unwittingly caught in a manufactured scandal.  She just broke up with her fiance, and ends up going on the honeymoon on her own, just as a way to escape  This takes her to Bluebell Inn in North Carolina  There she meets Levi Bennett, who is running the inn with his sisters.  Mia and Levi are both very reserved, but slowly get to know each other.  There are complications with Levi's issues running the inn and Mia's past history.

I wanted to read Carolina Breeze because I enjoyed the first book in the Bluebell Inn series, Lake Season.

This was a very enjoyable read! Levi and Mia are both a bit closed off emotionally, and the reader gets to know them slowly as they get to know each other. They are both very sympathetic characters who want connection - although they approach it cautiously.

There is a fun subplot about a long-ago missing blue diamond that may or may not be at the inn.  I enjoyed the details of the search for the diamond!

There are also subplots about Molly (the protagonist of Lake Season) and her boyfriend and Grace, the youngest sister, who wants to start a business instead of going to college.

The Bluebell Inn series is faith-based and faith is handled beautifully in the books;  characters show their faith by their actions and strength of character.

I recommend Carolina Breeze (and the earlier book, Lake Season) highly for anyone looking for an enjoyable beach read or weekend book getaway!  I already am looking forward to the next book in this series.


My Review of Lake Season
After their parents die in a tragic accident, siblings Molly, Grace, and Levi Bennett pull together to open the family inn that their parents dreamed of.  During the renovation process, Molly finds a letter that was written in 1962 and never sent;  she decides to solve a decades old mystery and contact the letter's recipient.  She is helped by a guest at the inn (and her crush).  Adam Bradford is a reclusive writer working under a pseudonym.  He is immediately drawn to Molly, but he has secrets of his own.

I wanted to read Lake Season because I love Denise Hunter's books.  They are perfect beach reads populated by characters who are so likable and realistic.

Lake Season is a wonderful start for this new book series!  I really liked Molly, who is the focus of this story - and the little glimpses of her siblings too.  Molly and Adam are an intriguing romantic pair -- starting as friends, shyly getting to know each other, and working to solve the 1960's mystery.

And the 1962 mystery!  I loved the dual storyline about Lizzie (Elizabeth) Van Buren and her star-crossed love for Ben Schwartz.  The 1960's setting is charmingly evoked, and it adds so much to the story.  I enjoyed the way readers get to learn more about the mysterious letter as Molly and Adam did.

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed Lake Season!  I loved the characters (present day and 1960's), the romantic stories in both timelines, and the quaint North Carolina setting.  It definitely made me want to read the rest of the series.  Highly recommended for fans of women's fiction, small town romance, and dual storyline novels.

Author Bio
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.

1 comment:

Sara Strand said...

I have this one on my summer reading list because I really liked Lake Season. I'm excited about the third one coming, too! Thank you for being on this tour. Sara @ TLC Book Tours