A jilted bride. A struggling innkeeper. And a romantic mountain getaway that changes everything
Rising Hollywood star Mia Emerson is looking for a safe place to land in the wake of a public breakup and celebrity scandal, and she finds it in the lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina—the location of her canceled honeymoon. She wants nothing more than to hide and wait for the tabloids to die down.
the tabloids to die down.
Soon after her arrival at the Bluebell Inn, Mia meets Levi Bennett, who runs the inn along with his two younger sisters. Drawn to one another from the start, Mia trusts Levi to keep her location from the press, and Levi confides in Mia about the precarious financial state of the inn—a secret he’s been keeping from his sisters.
When Mia and Levi discover an old journal that hints at a rare diamond necklace hidden in the inn, they set off on a treasure hunt to find the long-lost heirloom. What they don’t expect to surface are feelings they thought were safely locked away. Mia and Levi must decide if falling in love again is too big a risk—or if it will uncover a treasure of its own instead.
“A breeze of brilliance! Denise Hunter’s Carolina Breeze will blow you away with a masterful merge of mystery, chemistry, and memories restored in this lakeside love story of faith, family, and fortune.” —JULIE LESSMAN, award-winning author
- The second novel in the Bluebell Inn Romance series
- Book one: Lake Season
- Book two: Carolina Breeze
- Book three: Autumn Skies – Available October 2020
- Full-length romance (c. 87,000 words)
- Includes Discussion Questions for Book Clubs
more
Denise Hunter has done it again with a funny, deep, and wonderfully sweet story in Carolina Breeze. Hunter is the master of relatability, especially in regard to characters and emotions, which makes her stories a perfect depiction of real life while still captivating the reader.
I devoured this book. It is so sweetly, achingly romantic, and Mia and Levi’s relationship is perfectly captured, as Hunter flawlessly portrays growth amid faith and love. Hunter is not only a master at depicting romantic relationships, but her ability to write familial relationships is unmatched. I laughed out loud several times when the Bennett siblings interacted, and I was also able to relate to the harder moments siblings can experience in their relationship. Hunter is able to show several sides of relationships, both romantic and familial, in ways that will leave the reader profoundly moved.
Readers will also love seeing the continuation of Molly and Adam’s story from Lake Season (Book #1 in this series), and are offered intriguing sneak peeks into the fiery yet complex Grace, whose story will be the subject of Autumn Skies (Book #3 in this series, releasing October 20, 2020).
Hunter’s books are ones I have only recently discovered, but readers will never be disappointed with one of her books. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Carolina Breeze and any other Denise Hunter book you can find!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Denise Hunter takes us back to North Carolina with her second novel in the Bluebell Inn series. This time we get Levi’s story. Levi and his sisters inherited the inn when their parents were tragically killed in an accident and it’s proving to be almost more than Levi can handle. He was asked by his dying father to take care of his sisters and he’s tried to do that, even keeping their precarious financial situation from them.
Then a jilted celebrity shows up for a honeymoon booking without the groom. Life suddenly changes for Levi when he begins to have feelings toward Mia Emerson. Mia reads an old journal from a previous owner, who happens to be her grandmother she never really knew and she and Levi discover there is an old and quite valuable blue diamond necklace that just probably is hidden inside this inn.
Hunter always gives her readers a swoon worthy hero and a find romance with great inspiration. I never grow tired of reading her books and they sit proudly on my shelves.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Net Galley. The opinion expressed in this review is completely my own.
Carolina Breeze is a nice, clean love story. It is set in the mountains of North Carolina. The area description is nice, but not overly done.
The main characters are the innkeeper and the movie star. Though their characters are not dealt with deeply they are well enough done that you feel like you know them in a not too personal way. The minor characters are done nicely too, to the point you know their basic personalities and flaws.
The story flowed well and kept my interest. I did not skip any pages during reading (which I have done in a slower story). It is not a deep story, it is light and an easy read. This type of book is the “happily ever after” kind. It is a Christian book, but not in a preachy sort of way. More in the way that the main character knows the need for Christ in her life. It was light on Christian and more heavy on relationships.
I received an ARC copy of this ebook through Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing to read and review. A positive review, or any review for that matter, is not required. This review is my own, honest opinion. With that being said, and knowing this is an ARC, I do hope that it has another editing review before publishing. There were a lot of errors, the most consistent was the words with a space in the middle, like this: ex perience. It was annoying. I give this a 3 out of 5 star rating.
A most enjoyable read:
I loved this book! There was just the right amount of mystery, drama, angst, tenderness and romance. The romance between Mia and Levi is gentle and sweet; but they are from vastly different worlds and so it was enjoyable discovering how they were to overcome this. It was also fun seeing straight laced Levi become besotted and fall in love!
Another facet that I enjoyed was that as in book one, this also contains a link to the inn’s past and the investigation to find the “Carolina Breeze” was a nice thread to follow. This book is part of the Bluebell Inn series and it would definitely be advantageous to read them in order. Now I can’t wait for Grace’s story…
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the Bluebell Inn series, Lake Season, which is Molly’s story; and anxiously awaited Carolina Breeze which is Levi’s story. I was not disappointed! I loved revisiting the Bluebell Inn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, getting reacquainted with the engaging Bennett siblings, and meeting the newest lead character, Mia, who is interesting and endearing. As in Lake Season, the plot and characters are well-crafted and believable. This delightful, but sometimes tense, romantic story is easy-to-read and relatable. I also enjoyed the bit of mystery that enhanced the story. I was not very fond of Levi and his controlling attitude in Lake Season, but his story in Carolina Breeze redeemed him in my eyes. The inspiring faith element is present throughout the story culminating in Mia’s revelation about her relationship with God. I highly recommend this book and look forward to Book #3.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley but am under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Once again Denise has penned another great story. I just love her and I try not to miss any of her books!
I just finished this book and it was awesome as always!
With a great plot, and what the characters were thrown into unexpectedly I liked how they all matured throughout the book.
Don’t you just love how life manages to keep throwing twists and turns, misunderstandings, and maybe some adventures? I do it keep it interesting and on your toes that’s for sure!
I’m glad to see Molly, Grace and Levi again! How I’ve missed them and I am glad they’re back.
I felt sorry for poor Levi. I really wanted to reach in and give him a hug and tell him to just give it all to God but really, it isn’t that simple. Most of us want to take things in our own hands thinking we need to control everyone, everything and most of ourselves. He certainly had a lot riding on his shoulders! I wouldn’t want to be him since he had so much responsibilities to protect his sisters at all costs. He deserves love too.
I think the one I really felt sorry for was Mia. She was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time!
And in my opinion it was caused by that ol green eyed monster named Jax! I couldn’t stand him! I wanted to reach through the book and tell him a thing or two!
Although some things seemed far fetched it had to do with Mia but it was still an enjoyable story and that’s what fiction is all about.
I”m like the other readers. Is this a real place? I would love to check it out myself! Such a fascinating history! I love old houses and the name of the town.
I think the message in this book is that God loves us all and He would never abandon us no matter what station in life we came from or who has put us down to make us feel unworthy of their love. All we need to do is ask Him and He will be with us throughout our lives here on Earth. No one can take that away from us.
I loved that Hunter included Molly and Adam. They are such an interesting couple!
I love Molly’s enthusiasm! Her outlook on life sure is interesting! I’d love to have her energy any day!
I”m looking forward to Grace’s story too!
Will she go to college like her brother wants her to or will she end up staying at the inn?
I can’t wait to find out!
At least I won’t have to say goodbye just yet! This is such a beautiful series!
The cover is really inciting! It makes you feel like you are in the picture itself.