A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter

 

A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter

Books and a beach? Yum!

Let’s begin with the summary:

When Western novelist Sadie Goodwin must pen a romance novel to rescue her lackluster sales, there’s only one tiny problem: she’s never been in love. 

Desperate to salvage her career, Sadie accepts an invitation to hole up at her friend’s beach duplex for the summer and devote herself to this confounding genre. After all, where better to witness love than on the beautiful South Carolina shore?

But Sadie soon finds many ways to procrastinate the dreaded task—like getting to know the beach regulars and installing a Little Free Library on the property. She even attempts conversation with Sam Ford, the frustratingly stubborn neighbor on the other side of the duplex. But things take an unexpected turn when Sadie finds inside her library an abandoned novel with a secret compartment—and a beautiful engagement ring tucked inside.

Suddenly, locating the ring’s owner becomes the perfect way to put off writing that romance. Sadie draws a reluctant Sam into her mission. And as the two close in on an answer to the mysterious proposal, she discovers a tender side to him. She begins to wonder if he just might make the perfect hero for her romance novel—or maybe even her heart.

And now, my review:

I love the setting of this book. As you can see from the cover and summary, it’s beach front and there’s a free library involved! Bookish fun!

The setup is that an experienced author must pen a full novel in a new-to-her genre, quickly. She’s a people person who’s never been in love, so it’s just a matter of time. That’s when Sam appears in her life.

These two engage in the fake-relationship trope—one of my favorites. And the heroine uses the neighbor in this story as the inspiration for the hero of her novel. They team up to solve a romantic mystery, which was an interesting layer.

The heroine is full of words, and they gush from her. This wasn’t my favorite element, and I had to skim her long speeches. I think it’s believable a character can be over-the-top in this way, and it did make her unique, but reading her dialogue was a chore at times.

The heroine makes friends easily, trusts readily, and engages with the community instantly. She seemed a little naïve, but she also drew people to herself, an extrovert who never a stranger.

In perfect contrast, the hero was introverted, less verbal, and closed off. He’s cautious, world wise, and perceptive of dangers Sadie doesn’t always see. A very strong mirror for comparison. He’s also a little jealous at times, which motivated him to reconsider his lonely life.

There are romance-writing tips at the beginning of each chapter, which are fun. They also provide hints of what’s coming in the following scenes.

Denise mentions a few fellow authors, which is enjoyable: Colleen Coble, Debbie Macomber, Jenny Hale. Sadie’s free library makes for some cool encounters.

It was a bit unbelievable to me that anyone could write a novel in a new-to-them genre in five weeks. From experience, I know it takes years to master any genre.

Full disclosure, I found a lot of similar elements to the bookish novella I’d written prior to reading this book for review. I know those coincidences happen. It was interesting to see the parallels.

Readers who love bookish fiction, beachy romances, and who may themselves be aspiring writers will enjoy this story. Denise shares from her own experience as a best-selling author, both by example and by sharing tips. I applaud that fun approach!

Memory Lane by Becky Wade

 

Memory Lane by Becky Wade

Book one in the Sons of Scandal series.

This is an indie-pubbed book by a fantastic author of contemporaries. I really enjoy Becky’s work.

Let’s begin with the summary:

After surviving a trauma several years back, Remy Reed relocated to a cottage on one of Maine’s most remote islands. She’s arranged her life just the way she wants it, spending her time working on her wood sculptures and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s quiet and solitary—until the day she spots something bobbing in the ocean.

Her binoculars reveal the “something” to be a man, and he’s struggling to keep his head above water. She races out to save him and brings him into her home. He’s injured, which doesn’t detract from his handsomeness nor make him any easier to bear. He acts like a duke who’s misplaced his dukedom . . . expensive tastes, lazy charm, bossy ideas.

Remy would love nothing more than to return him to his people, but he has no recollection of his life prior to the moment she rescued him. Though she’s not interested in relationships other than the safe ones she’s already established, she begins to realize that he’s coming to depend on her.

Who is he? What happened that landed him in the Atlantic Ocean? And why is she drawn to him more and more as time goes by?

There’s no way to discover those answers except to walk beside him down memory lane.

Travel to the rocky coast of Maine for "opposites attract" banter, witty humor, a fascinating mystery, and destiny-changing love. This sweet contemporary romance kicks off Becky Wade's new Sons of Scandal series!

And now, my review:

I love the setting of this novel. Our heroine is in hiding-out mode, living on an island off the coast of Maine. She’s content in the safe life she’s built for herself. In her hideaway, she can craft her art and avoid dealing with the challenges that led to her decision to hibernate. But not for long.

We see a strong heroine and a role reversal from the beginning as she rescues the hero from drowning. Then, she cares for him as he recovers physically. His memory recovery will take a bit longer.

The whole time he's healing, she struggles with his presence in her world, how he upsets her routine. There’s obvious chemistry and attraction between them, which was delicious in this “sweet”* romance.

As an sculptor, the heroine artist escapes through story into her fantasy worlds. It’s a coping mechanism that fosters her escape from reality, and that dissociation keeps her productive. But the fatal flaw’s time runs out, forcing her to face reality. 

Fellow artists, and perhaps especially authors, will relate with one delicious element—she invents stories via a vivid imagination.

There are some fringe elements in this novel, namely a telepathic character with "powers" in the artist’s imagination, and the use of hypnotherapy to recover memory in an amnesiac. I think the story would have worked without those elements, and as a Christian reader, I wonder how those elements would be received by CBA readership. That said, they are easily overlooked in light of the enjoyment of the rest of the book.

One of the Christian elements includes the fact our hero wants to attend church. He has experienced God’s presence, and even before he gets his memories back, he craves God.

One of the ingredients Becky always includes, that I’m sure readers will love, is chemistry and swoon-worthy moments. She’s a master at this and lovers of sweet romances will enjoy watching these characters explore their attraction in a “clean” way. This was my favorite part of the book as we get realism and intensity, while remaining wholesome. 

Check out this fantastic setup: The heroine must test the waters to recover from her past trauma. The hero volunteers himself. 'Nuff said.

I enjoyed this book, overall. Definitely looking forward to more novels in this series! 

*Sweet romance is a genre of wholesome romance.

Wyoming Wild by Sarah M. Eden

 

Wyoming Wild

This story is a Proper Romance, by one of my favorite authors!

Let’s begin with the summary:

Wyoming Territory, 1876

Hearts collide when a sheriff’s daughter asks a hardened US Marshal to join her fight for justice and rid a small town of her corrupt father.

US Marshal John “Hawk” Hawking is one of the most respected lawmen in the West—a fair but firm man of principle and decisive action—so when a telegram arrives from the small town of Sand Creek warning him of a death threat against him, he immediately begins an investigation.

Posing as a farmer, Hawk heads to Sand Creek, a town ruled by a violent and corrupt sheriff who uses his position to menace, exploit, and tax the townspeople to the point of starvation. Only one person is trying to stop him—Liesl, the sheriff’s own daughter. When she meets the self-assured and attractive new farmer, John, she hopes he might help her in her long and lonely fight for justice.

John is completely unfazed by Sheriff Hodges’s attempts at intimidation, and Liesl is quickly swept up by Hawk’s courage and integrity. Just as quickly, Hawk finds himself falling for Liesl’s strength and bravery, as well as her grace and beauty.

When Liesl discovers that John is not who he claims to be, she feels betrayed. Despite her lingering distrust of Hawk, Liesl agrees to work with him to enact a dangerous plan that will put the criminals away forever. Liesl must put her life, and her heart, in the hands of this lawman if she has any hope of saving her family and her town.

And now, my review:

Oh, I loved this story! Such a fun rom com. A perfect balance of humor, romance, and peril.

Our heroine is strong and courageous and wise. Our hero is a great strategist who risks his life to help others.

The story’s opening chapters begin with the hero going under cover. His characterization of John Butler (a farmer, see summary) is so much fun. This was my favorite aspect in the novel because he couldn’t remain in this character. Great tension! I enjoyed how the heroine and hero interacted while he played John. How he had to pretend to be naïve and yet he knew so much more than others thought—a mirror to how the heroine conducted every day of her life. Their chemistry was palpable.

Our heroine is a woman of mercy, reaching out to help others in danger, even though the threat is very close to home. She can be impetuous, and though the hero worries for her, he admires her as well.

I really enjoyed their interactions in these opening chapters—their banter and attraction. The author hooks us right away and keeps us engaged. Themes include mercy, nobility, sacrifice, service, and recognizing we all have different sides to ourselves. Which one will prevail?

The MCs have to outwit their opponent, and the conflict of the corrupt sheriff being the heroine’s own father (see summary) is excellent for providing tension.

Is the hero the gentle, undercover version of himself, John? Or is he the colder version of himself, Marshal Hawk. This inner conflict kept me reading because even Hawk was torn. Great characterization and layering!

Such a good read! This author is masterful at creating excellent wholesome romances, which is why I love her work.

Highly recommended!