My ReviewAutumn Skies, the third book in the Bluebell Inn series, is set at a small, family-owned bed and breakfast in North Carolina. Grace is the youngest of three siblings running the inn. She is working to start her own camping/outfitter business. When Wyatt comes to stay at the inn they immediately click. Wyatt's family lived in the house that is now a B&B years ago and he has deep roots in the town of Bluebell -- and a family tragedy from the past to deal with. As they become friends, hiking and camping, working together to find Wyatt's past, Grace and Wyatt become closer and romance begins. However, he is a Secret Service agent and his work has him stationed far from Bluebell. How will they resolve this conflict?
I wanted to read Autumn Skies because I have read and enjoyed all the Bluebell Inn books. They are southern fiction, set in a picturesque small town, and often deal with the past as well as the present. These are all components I enjoy in novels.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Grace is a likable protagonist. She is smart and independent with a kind heart toward others. Wyatt is more reserved, but as Grace gets to know and like him, the reader does too. The past issue that Wyatt deals with, his mother's murder years ago, is so tragic and I was really pulling for Wyatt to find closure and peace.
Bluebell Inn is almost a character in the book; it is such a warm, vividly depicted place. I love descriptions (and history!) like this:
“'The Bluebell Inn has the distinction of being the town’s very first inn,” Molly said. “It was built in 1905 and featured ten bedrooms. Early on it was even a stagecoach stop. And starting in 1957, it housed the post office. We actually uncovered the old mail slot when we were renovating and found an old love letter—there’s a long story there, but I’ll spare you. 'The inn’s been several things over the years, including a saloon, if you can believe it. In the sixties—the lake’s real heyday—other hotels opened, but the Bluebell Inn remained the place to stay. In 1978 it was bought by Governor Jennings and turned into his family lake home. Then my parents purchased it, and my siblings and I had the pleasure of growing up here. Our parents dreamed of turning it back into an inn during their retirement. But sadly, that wasn’t to be. They passed away unexpectedly four years ago. But my siblings and I took it upon ourselves to fulfill their dream'" (Kindle location 1937).
I highly recommend the Bluebell Inn series. It is a warm, diverting series set in a charming town with likable, sympathetic protagonists. Autumn Skies is a fine addition - and finale - to the series.
Book Synopsis
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and A December Bride (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes the third and final novel in the Bluebell Inn series!
When a mysterious man turns up at Grace’s family-run inn, it’s
instant attraction. But she’s already got a lot on her plate: running
the Bluebell Inn, getting Blue Ridge Outfitters off the ground, and
coping with a childhood event she’d thought was long past.
A gunshot wound has resurrected the past for secret service agent
Wyatt Jennings, and a mandatory leave of absence lands him in Bluebell,
North Carolina. There he must try and come to grips with the crisis that
altered his life forever.
Grace needs experience for her new outfitters business, so when Wyatt
needs a mountain guide, she’s more than happy to step up to the plate.
As their journey progresses, Grace soon has an elusive Wyatt opening up,
and Wyatt is unwittingly drawn to Grace’s fresh outlook and sense of
humor.
There’s no doubt the two have formed a special bond, but will Wyatt’s
secrets bring Grace’s world crashing down? Or will those secrets end up
healing them both?
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Author BioDenise 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.
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