Review: Secretly Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter

Secretly Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter

Sequel to Smitten

Thomas Nelson / 2013

Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

Summer, fall, winter, spring—Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!

There’s a secret in Grandma Rose’s attic—a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?

The mystery intrigues Rose’s three granddaughters—Tess, Clare, and Zoe—and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?

Join popular romance novelists—and real-life BFFs—Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.

My rating:

My thoughts:

Secretly Smitten brought us back to the town of Smitten, Vermont. Having read Smitten last year, I was looking forward to finding out more about the town and townspeople. 

The book is divided up into four novellas written by four different authors (Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter). Even though each one is about a different character, they all blended well together, and it seemed like one story.

My favorite novella was the last one, Love Blooms. It seemed the most realistic and I liked how it didn't seem like an "instant" romance.

My least favorite was the second novella, Make Me a Match. It just seemed unbelievable how quickly things progressed and there just wasn't much to the story.

I liked the little bit of mystery surrounding what had happened to Grandma Rose's first love. While there wasn't a lot of surprises, it still made the overall story more interesting. :)

Overall, a good read. I'm not usually a fan of strictly romance novels, which is what I'd say Secretly Smitten is, but it made for a nice change. If there are future books set in Smitten, Vermont, I do plan on reading them. 

If you are a fan of romance novels then I think you might enjoy Secretly Smitten. I don't think you have to read Smitten first to enjoy this one -  it's good on its own.

*I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

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The "gals" are celebrating the release of Secretly Smitten with a fun Live Webcast on February 5th. They'll be debuting the *NEW* animated Smitten trailer, giving away tons of prizes, dishing on the book and their friendship. They'll also be wrapping up the Secretly Smitten blog tour, answering audience questions and testing your trivia skills. Don't miss the fun and bring your friends. Click here to RSVP and set up a reminder.