Anita Ojeda 
I love sweet romances, and these two new releases from best-selling inspirational authors hit the spot!
I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.
Are You a Fan of Sweet Romances?
Call them Hallmark movies for people who’d rather read, but I love sweet romances. I don’t mind a bit of sizzle, but I prefer it if characters keep out of the bedroom and keep their clothes on. Call me old-fashioned, but to me, sweet romances need to stay clean, too.
Two of my favorite authors have sweet romances coming out this month—Denise Hunter and Irene Hannon (who also writes edge-of-your-seat suspense stories). If you’re debating between a chick-flick or an evening snuggled up with a good book, check out these sweet romances.
Mulberry Hollow
By Denise Hunter, Thomas Nelson, April 2022, 336 pages.
Dr. Avery Robinson’s past defines her present and her future. After watching helplessly as her mother dies, young Avery vows to become a doctor and come back to her small town of Riverbend Gap and open a clinic. By the time she reaches 30, she has carried out her plan. But along with her thirtieth birthday comes the burden of the disease that killed her mom.
Avery has no plans of love, marriage, or childbearing. Nor does she want to take a blood test that would reveal whether she inherited her mom’s disease. She just wants to hire another doctor for her thriving clinic, raise money for more equipment, and figure out how to prevent her overprotective family from driving her crazy.
Wes Garrett knows what his future holds. As soon as he finishes hiking the Appalachian Trail in honor of Landon, the friend who lost his life while saving Wes, he’ll head to Albany, NY. Once there, he’ll court Landon’s sister, Lillian. He promised Landon he’d take care of Lillian, and marriage seems like a good way to fulfill his promise.
But when sickness sidelines Wes on the steps of the Riverbend Gap Medical Clinic, his well-laid-out plans run amok. Wes won’t go into debt, so he agrees to help the beautiful doctor renovate her carriage house to pay off his bill. But the more time he spends with Avery, the less appealing his mapped-out future feels.
What I Loved About This Book
Hunter’s sweet love story brings a small Appalachian community to life. Readers will admire Avery and Wes for their high standards and desire to do what is right. Avery’s interfering brothers bring moments of comic relief. While both Avery and Wes believe in God, they grow as they learn that God’s calling on their life can change in different seasons.
Fans of Joann Bischof, Irene Hanon, and Emma St. Clair will enjoy Mulberry Hollow.
You'll love this sweet romance from @DeniseAHunter and @ThomasNelson! #amreading #bookreview #inspy Click To TweetSea Glass Cottage
By Irene Hannon, Revel, April 2022, 352 pages.
Jack Colby, Hope Harbor police officer, and best-selling author, has made a life for himself far from the Midwest where he lost his family and felt the devastation of betrayal by the woman he thought he would marry.
Ten years have passed since wealthy socialite Christi Ricci broke his heart, and Jack has let the bitterness and disillusionment go. Or so he thought. But when Christi shows up in Hope Harbor looking worn around the edges and asking for a loan, those feelings burst to the surface again.
And when he finds Christi trespassing at Sea Glass Cottage the next morning, he starts to question everything he thought he knew about her. What turned the shallow girl into a woman desperate for a loan? Does he even want to know the answer?
Christi Ricci has come a long way from the thoughtless, shallow, self-indulgent young woman Jack knew back in Kansas City. Desperate for a loan to help her friend fund her dream, Christi makes an impulsive drive from Dallas to the Oregon Coast, hoping the one person who could give her a loan has forgiven her enough to consider her proposal.
Christi doesn’t expect the tiny coastal town to welcome her with open arms. Along with a charming view, Hope Harbor holds the unexpected: job offers, a place to stay, and ways to get back on her feet and regain her confidence. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll find a way to regain Jack Colby’s trust.
It took her too long to find out the depth of her love for him, but now she wants a second chance.
Why I Loved This Book
Book eight in Hannon’s Hope Harbor series includes familiar characters such as Charley the fish taco chef, the resident gull couple—Gladys and Floyd, as well as protagonists from previous books in the series. Although part of a series, readers can enjoy Sea Glass Cottage as a standalone novel (but the rest of the series will delight you as well).
Hannon has created a community within the pages of her series where second chances and forgiveness seem possible—no matter how great the offense. Christi and Jack discover the power of changed lives to alter the present and the future. Readers will come away inspired to look at resentments they’ve allowed to burrow into their lives.
Fans of Denise Hunter and Jan Karon will enjoy Sea Glass Cottage.
Don't miss the latest Hope Harbor novel from @IreneHannon! You'll fall in love with the characters and the town. #amreading #inspy #sweetromance Click To Tweet
