About the Book
Author: Denise Hunter
Genre: Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2019
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom (now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a heartfelt story of family secrets, forgiveness, and unexpected romance.
Following a painful betrayal, Maddy Monroe’s love life is a wreck, and her restaurant career is in shambles. When her grandmother goes missing, she and her estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma at the place where their family broke apart is a struggle, and undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the sisters under. In the midst of the storm, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Gram’s maddening neighbor, Connor Murphy.
As the sisters pack up the family belongings, memories of idyllic, slow-paced summers are resurrected. But long-buried secrets also come to light as Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven—nor today in the seemingly perfect lives of her sisters.
As family tensions rise and Connor causes tumult in Maddy’s heart, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become before the bitterness of the past destroys their hope for a future.
Click here to purchase your copy.
My Thoughts
With its North Carolina beach setting, Summer by the Tides couldn’t be more perfect for an entertaining summer read, but it is so much more! Denise Hunter excels at writing contemporary romances with complexity and depth. Summer by the Tides is a perfect blend of atmospheric setting, relationship drama, romance, and inspiration. While I’ve greatly enjoyed all of Hunter’s books, this is definitely a favorite.
The story opens as three sisters – Nora, Emma and Maddy – converge on their grandmother’s coastal cottage due to the fact that she has apparently gone missing, quite possibly by design. Family relationships are at the heart of this story as Nora and Emma deal with unresolved anger and unforgiveness toward the other, with Maddy attempting to be a peacemaker. And then there’s the oh-so-appealing neighbor, Connor, with whom Maddy immediately gets off on the wrong foot. I was drawn to each of these characters instantly, and the chemistry between Maddy and Connor sizzles.
Hunter’s writing is smooth and even, with the pacing just right. Flashbacks to a summer 20 years earlier when everything fell apart shed light on current-day feelings. As in life, characters erect walls and keep secrets, hiding painful realities. This story reminds us that true peace only comes through openness and honesty.
Best of all is the transformation and growth of several characters, both emotional and spiritual. I love that Hunter doesn’t shy away from faith elements, rather making them a natural part of our daily walk. And there’s a realism in the way that reconciliation is shown as a slow, gradual process.
I don’t know if this is the beginning of a series or not, but I’m certainly eager for more of these characters.
Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
About the Author
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.
Read an Excerpt from Summer by the Tides
MADDY MONROE WAS COWERING behind a ficus tree near the hostess station when her cell phone rang. Her hands shook as she silenced the phone before it drew the attention of the staff.She jabbed the elevator button for the third time. “Come on, come on.” A star could be born in interstellar space, a polar valley carved by a glacier in the time it took the elevator to reach this floor. Stairs were not an option, as she was on the twentieth floor of the Waterford building and sporting heels.
She sniffled. Drat. She seemed to be crying. She swiped a hand under her eyes, heedless of her makeup.
She heard voices, Nick’s boisterous laugh. Maddy shrank deeper into the ficus and finally, finally, the elevator dinged its arrival.
“Maddy?” Noelle’s concerned voice tunneled down the hall. “Maddy, wait.”
“Oh, come on,” she muttered, tapping her fingers against her leg until the gold doors crept open. As soon as she could fit, she squeezed inside and punched the ground-floor button.
She didn’t draw a breath until the doors sealed and the elevator began to drop. She placed a palm over a heart that was threatening to beat its way out of her chest. Her white blouse clung to her back, and her skin prickled beneath her arms.
She closed her eyes, the scene that had just transpired playing out in fast-forward in her mind. And then, as if that montage weren’t painful enough, the image of Nick’s face appeared. The look on his face just before he’d kissed her good-bye last night.
Nick. She clamped her teeth together until her jaw ached.
There had been signs. Many of them, really, she was realizing now. They ranged from whisper-subtle to neon-sign obvious. But like so many other walking clichés before her, she was only seeing them in retrospect.
Maddy opened her eyes to the buttery sunlight streaming through her blinds. She scrambled for her iPhone to check the time. But as she did so, the events of yesterday washed over her like a tsunami. She didn’t have to get up at all, because she didn’t have a job anymore.
Her cell buzzed with an incoming call, and she squinted bleary-eyed at the unfamiliar number on the screen before declining it.
She drooped against her pillow, only now aware of how fat and swollen her eyes felt. Of the persistent achy lump pushing at the back of her throat. Her heartbeat made the bed quake. Her eyes burned with tears. Yesterday’s anger had faded, and something worse had filled its spot.
Yesterday she’d come home, changed into yoga pants, and worked in her little garden until she was too exhausted to do anything but flop on the sofa. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after three o’clock in the morning.
She didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t even want to be awake today. She pulled the covers over her head and prayed for oblivion.
- Taken from “Summer by the Tides” by Denise Hunter. Copyright © 2019 by Denise Hunter. Used by permission of http://www.thomasnelson.com/.
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away a finished copy of Summer by the Tides!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the image above or the link below to enter. Giveaway ends 6/19.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader,
June 4
The Power of Words, June 4
Back Porch Reads,
June 4
The Morning
Chapter, June 5
A Baker’s Perspective, June 5
Worthy2Read, June 5
Carla Loves To Read, June 6
Genesis 5020, June 6
Through the Fire Blogs, June
6
Among the Reads, June 7
Quiet Quilter, June 7
For Him and My Family, June 7
The Christian Fiction Girl, June
8
cultivating us, June 8
Girls Living For God’s
Glory, June 9
Moments, June 9
Inklings and notions, June 9
Abba’s Prayer Warrior
Princess, June 10
Coast and anchor, June 10
amandainpa, June 10
Lighthouse Academy, June 11
EmpowerMoms, June 11
Pause for Tales, June 11
Christian Chick’s Thoughts,
June 12
For The Love of Books, June 12
Just the Write Escape, June 12
All-of-a-kind Mom, June 13
Texas Book-aholic, June 13
Hallie Reads, June 13
2014 and Beyond, June 14
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations,
June 14
Simple Harvest Reads, June 14
Living Life Free In Christ,
June 15
janicesbookreviews, June 15
Vicky Sluiter, June 15
Have A Wonderful Day, June 16
A Reader’s Brain, June 16
To Everything A Season, June 16
Lukewarm Tea, June 17
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, June 17
Daysong Reflections, June 17
I would love to win a copy of Summer by the tides. The review and synopsis have caught my attention. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDelete