In this competition, it’s not just the house on the line, it’s their hearts. She has the touch when it comes to food, but PJ McKinley’s dream of opening her own restaurant is one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home as prize to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes she was meant to win. Contractor Cole Evans is … Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy–but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that a not-for-profit enterprise will be good for the community.
When the eccentric philanthropist weighs the proposals, she proposes an outlandish tie-breaker: PJ and Cole will share the house for a year to see which idea works best. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into an out-and-out rivalry–with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. But could their magnetic attraction cost them everything they’ve ever wanted?
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So much tension! The competition between PJ and Cole adds an element of resentment to their interactions, and as the reader it felt a little hard to shake as they began to get to know one another but still give priority to their own aspirations. It felt like an all or nothing scenario not just with the property but also with their potential for a relationship. It would have been nice to see thoughts of compromise enter in their consciousness. Overall I enjoyed the characters’ eccentricities, PJ’s overly concerned family members, and Cole’s foster kids. Cole is one tough nut to crack! I appreciated getting to the part where PJ could get through to him and have an effect on how he thinks about himself.
Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
I brought this novel along on our family vacation and proceeded to read it poolside. Despite the wintry scene on the cover, the story actually takes place over the course of a year in the quaint town of Chapel Springs, Indiana. This Hoosier native enjoyed the chosen setting as well as a nod to my hometown of Indianapolis and our Colts! Denise did a beautiful job of capturing the appeal of small town USA.
From the start, PJ and Cole’s dreams set them at odds with one another. Evangeline Wishing Simmons has the ability to make both of their dreams come true by gifting them her family estate – a century old historic home. However, when she cannot decide a winner, she concocts a plan for them to share the house for a year. The run-off competition forces the main characters to to meld their ideas. PJ renovates the bottom floor into a gourmet restaurant, while Cole makes the necessary adjustments to the upstairs in order to accommodate four kids who have aged out of foster care. A storm of emotions brews when these two competitors move in under the same roof. Before the year is up they both acknowledge an underlying attraction for one another. Forcing them to decide between their feelings for one another and the dreams they hold dear.
Denise Hunter’s cast of characters was interesting to me. Cole’s character was very conflicted but it worked well to express the grief and guilt which he carried from his childhood. I was charmed by PJ’s spunky and driven personality. Her family was large, but I didn’t see how mentioning each member in such detail added to the story given the minimal roles they played. On the other hand, I wish the author had devoted more ink to the foster kids and perhaps allowed them to participate more in the running of the house over the course of the year. That would have added an interesting layer to the story which would have endeared them to me. Regardless, the turbulent romance between Cole and PJ shines with moments of heartache and sweet tenderness.
I give The Wishing Season 4/5 stars.
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Christian Shelf-Esteem received a book to facilitate this review. The views and opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guidelines, concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.