Review: Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter

About the book:

Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she'd never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe--a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 
When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she's the only person in town who doesn't expect her to give up the life she's established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?

Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love, Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their "break," not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now--five years later.

As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe's head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn't sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.

My rating:
2 stars
(View my rating system)

My thoughts:

Blue Ridge Sunrise is the start to Denise Hunter's new series and I have such conflicting thoughts about it. Not the series, just this particular story.

It started off so well and I thought I was going to love the book, but the redemption/forgiveness/repentance part of the story I kept hoping to see never really seemed to happen (or at least I didn't pick up on it). This really just felt like a clean-ish mainstream novel and if it wouldn't have been labeled Christian Fiction I probably would have given it at least 4 stars. I just have different standards when it comes to Christian vs. mainstream fiction.

Putting that aside, the writing was superb and the storyline held my attention. I didn't particularly care for the heroine, as I found her naïve and some of her actions to be very foolish. I loved her daughter, Grace, and I also liked Brady and Hope (I can't wait to read their story - Honeysuckle Dreams!).

All in all, as I said above: I have such mixed feelings about Blue Ridge Sunrise…It was written very well, but the story isn't something I loved. So, I can't recommend this one, but I recommend most of Denise Hunter's other books (seriously, her previous two series are favs of mine!).

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Find the book on:
Amazon, Goodreads

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