Review - - The Second Story Bookshop

The Second Story Bookshop

by Denise Hunter

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

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?

PJ's Thoughts:

I enjoy when characters are given second chances to make different choices. That's the main premise of Denise Hunter's The Second Story Bookshop, a heart-tugging, small-town story that engaged my interest, my emotions, and kept me turning pages right up until the end. 

Shelby and Gray never stood a chance when they were teens. Gray never stood a chance, period. The people of Grandville were against him from the beginning. But now he's back, fulfilling the wishes of one of the only people who was in his corner: Shelby's late grandmother. He only wants to help Shelby save the bookshop that is her grandmother's legacy. She's dating someone else. The town is still against him. There's no future for the feelings for her that he never lost. Or is there? 

I so enjoyed this book. Hunter has crafted a complex, heartwarming story of growth, redemption, and finding one's purpose and person. The characters are beautifully developed with layers that are gradually revealed as the story progresses. The recaptured feelings between Gray and Shelby are organic and true, slowly evolving as they work together to save the bookshop. There's a bit of a love triangle - she's been dating someone for a few months - but I was okay with it as Shelby deals with the situation as soon as she realizes in which direction her feelings are taking her. 

The secondary cast of characters have significant roles in Shelby's and Gray's journeys with individual storylines that dovetail neatly into the main one. And underneath it all, there's the journey of the Grandville community, a collection of citizens who are forced to confront their own biases when their actions hurt one of their own. 

As a fun side note, I was only a couple chapters into the book when the town of Grandville and Shelby's bookshop began to feel familiar. It didn't take long to discover why. During a visit to North Carolina, the author visited an independent bookstore in a small college town that inspired the location - and bookshop - for this book. I know that town...and that bookstore! For ten years, that was my local bookstore, with a cozy vibe and welcoming staff that gives readers the same warm hug feelings as The Second Story Bookshop. Hunter captured it well.   

Tour Review & Giveaway - - Autumn Skies

Autumn Skies

by Denise Hunter

A Bluebell Inn Romance -  Book 3

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: October 20, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

 

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?

PJ's Thoughts:

Denise Hunter saved the best for last in this heart-tugging, inspirational series about three siblings whose lives are forever changed with the sudden, and unexpected, deaths of their parents. Grace has been my favorite since first meeting her as a high school student in book one, Lake Season. From the beginning, she's seemed older than her years, determined in her focus, and dedicated to the future she envisions. In Autumn Skies, we discover the events in her past that have helped form the person she is and the unexpected connection with a mysterious guest that just may determine the course of her future.

Hunter delves into some heart-wrenching issues in this book, giving the story a more serious foundation while also balancing it with Grace's upbeat, adventurous spirit. I enjoyed the attraction between Grace and Wyatt, the low-key flirting, and the slow-growing relationship that developed between them. My heart ached for Wyatt as his difficult history - and current quest - were revealed and my admiration for Grace grew stronger as her connection came to light. These two had both suffered unimaginable emotional trauma. I appreciated the care that Hunter took to delve into their pasts and guide them toward the future and eventual healing. I loved them together and was in their corner cheering them on the entire way.

Once again, the realistic dynamic among the Bennett siblings shines bright and I was happy to see all three of them, and their partners, at the center of this book. The conclusion to the series was exactly what I had hoped and even though I know this is a product of Denise Hunter's imagination, I'm still convinced a short drive into the mountains would bring me to the doorstep of the Bluebell Inn and some of my favorite fictional characters. 

If you enjoy Christian romance with humor, heart, and realistic, engaging characters into whose lives you'll become completely immersed, give Denise Hunter's Bluebell Inn trilogy a try. Though each book can be read on its own, I highly recommend reading them in order: Lake Season, Carolina Breeze, and Autumn Skies. 

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Do you read inspirational romance?

Do you enjoy books with plenty of chemistry but no sex on the page?

Have you read any of Denise Hunter's novels? Do you have a favorite?

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, October 23, 2020 will receive a copy of Autumn Skies.

*Must be 18

*U.S. only

Review - - Carolina Breeze

Carolina Breeze
by Denise Hunter
Bluebell Inn - Book 2
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 19, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
  

A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything

Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup and celebrity scandal, and she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide and wait for the tabloids to die down.

Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along with his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, and Levi confides in Mia about the precarious financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.

When Mia and Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia and Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.

PJ's Thoughts:

Denise Hunter returns to one of my favorite places - Western North Carolina - for this second book in her heartwarming Bluebell Inn series. As with book one in the series, Lake Season, I was immediately immersed into the fabric of the Bennett family and their newly renovated and reopened Bluebell Inn. Hunter brings them all to life on the page as well as the beautiful lake and mountains surrounding them. 

In book one, Levi is a bit of a taskmaster but in this story the author delves deeper into his character, allowing us to discover the layers beneath the surface and the motivating factors driving him. I enjoyed watching him begin to relax and find enjoyment in the friendship, and gradually deepening emotions, that slowly build between him and Mia. I also appreciated that Hunter didn't make Mia a stereotypical starlet but, rather, gave us a multi-layered, genuinely likable woman with relatable issues. I liked her and was in her corner the whole way. There's no sex on the page between these two but there's enough flirtation and simmering emotion to fully buy into their attraction. The relationship they form is built on a solid foundation of friendship, faith, desire, shared values, and enduring love. I happily accompanied them every step of the way.  

The Bennett family dynamics are a central focus of this series as they work together to turn their late parents' dream of creating the Bluebell Inn into reality. It's heartwarming to watch their journeys as the siblings breathe new life into not only their home but also their family unit, as well as their individual lives. I'm enjoying Hunter's parallel journeys of rebirth and renewal. And, I have to say, as the oldest of five children, she really nails the sibling dynamic. I'm enjoying getting to know the siblings better in each book and am already eager for youngest child Grace's story, Autumn Skies, to be released in October.  


Do you read any faith-based romances?

Any authors or books you'd like to recommend?

Tour Review - - Lake Season

Lake Season
by Denise Hunter
A Bluebell Inn Romance - Book 1
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: November 12, 2019
    

When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream of turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina, home back into an inn. Staying in town would be temporary—three years at most—then they plan to sell the inn, and Molly can 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 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 and Adam embark on a mission to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets he isn’t ready to share. Past and present collide as truths surface, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting.

PJ's Thoughts:

This is such a lovely read. Sweet and poignant, it follows two love stories, one that began in 1962 (when the lost letter found at the inn was written) and Molly and Adam's journey in present day. I like how Hunter slowly unveils the earlier couple's story through flashbacks as Molly and Adam uncover clues. It feels like watching two romances unfold side by side, both stories equally intriguing, both couples capturing my interest and engaging my emotions. 

I was with Adam and Molly every step of the way as they worked together to solve the mystery of the lost letter and cheering on their romance. They needed some help, Adam especially, but I never lost faith that he would find the courage he needed to open himself to the woman he's falling in love with. I enjoyed how it all played out and the twist at the end had more than a few tears falling. 

But this is not only a romantic love story. It's also a story of families and Hunter has created one that I want to know more about. Molly and her siblings have suffered a devastating loss that has affected each of them in a different way. I enjoyed watching the dynamics of this three-sibling unit shift and change as they work together (some reluctantly) to turn their family home into an inn and I look forward to, hopefully, watching those relationships evolve as this new series continues.

If you enjoy a story that flows well, has realistic characters, plenty of heart, a setting so wonderfully depicted that I wanted to hop into my car and go there, a mystery, a happy ending, and a promise of more to come, pick up a copy of Lake Season. I hope you enjoy these characters as much as I did. 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Denise

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Tour Review - - On Magnolia Lane

On Magnolia Lane 
By Denise Hunter
A Blue Ridge Romance - Book 3
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Pastor Jack McReady has secretly carried a torch for Daisy for two long years. She’s a member of his congregation, after all, and she’ll never see him as more than a trusted counselor. Jack’s best friend Noah has taken every opportunity to encourage his lovesick friend, but when Noah catches wind that Daisy has joined an online dating site, he takes matters into his own hands and orchestrates a meet-cute of the most unconventional kind.

Owner of the local flower shop, Daisy Pendleton is content with her small-town life, but she’d sure like someone to share it with. After several disastrous first dates, she’s about to give up—and then she finds a seemingly wonderful man online. Daisy gets to know TJ through a series of messages but finds herself spending more time with Pastor Jack outside of the church at the same time. What she doesn’t know is that her online prospect and Jack are one and the same.

Just as Daisy’s love life starts to look promising, a mysterious woman appears in town. Daisy is faced with a revelation about her family that turns her world upside down, and she looks to both TJ and Jack for help.

Jack must find a way to reveal himself as her online suitor without breaking her heart and losing her trust. As Daisy faces Jack’s betrayal, she’ll have to learn to extend grace to herself, her family, and the man she’s grown to love.

My thoughts:

This is a sweet, humorous, and heartwarming Christian contemporary romance set in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of northern Georgia. It's the third book in Hunter's Blue Ridge Romance trilogy but, while characters from previous books make appearances and I'm guessing Daisy and Pastor Jack have evolved over the course of the series, I had no difficulty reading - and enjoying - this third book on its own. 

One of the things that brought this story to life for me is Hunter's depiction of Daisy and Jack. Both are fully dimensional characters, rooted in their faith, but oh, so human, with all the insecurities, challenges, frustrations, and errors of judgment that encompasses. Jack, in particular, is such an endearing character. I liked him so much that I found myself giving him encouragement and advice as I traveled his journey with him, especially during those scenes where his shyness with women - Daisy, in particular - is on display. It took me a little longer to embrace Daisy. In the beginning, I wondered if she and Jack really could be a good match but the growth she exhibits during her journey, especially as it relates to an unexpected obstacle life throws her way, brought me into her cheering section as well. In the end, I happily embraced them both, individually and as a couple, with the confidence that their HEA will be filled with laughter and love - of each other, of their families, of their small community, and of their Lord. 

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Do you enjoy pastor heroes in the books you read?

Do you have any favorites you'd recommend?

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