Blog Tour: Secretly Smitten by Coble, Billerbeck, Hunt & Hunter

Authors: Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter
Publisher:Thomas Nelson
Date of Publication: January 2013

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?

Secretly Smitten is a collaborative novel by four authors who happen to be friends in real life. Each author has written a novella with a central story arc. The story takes place over a year and deals with three sisters and their mother.  Each one finds new love as they try to find out what happened to Grandma Rose's first love, David.  I have to give the authors a lot of credit because they did an excellent job with each story and the transition between stories was flawless.  Their writing was very similar, so it was hard to pick which one was my favorite. 

While I loved all of the couples, I think that Anna's was the one I loved the most, with Tess being a close second.  Anna and Michael were so cute together.  I loved the scene in the barn.  Even though the couple is older, they acted like 2 young teens finding love for first time.  Tess's story was the easiest in which to relate.  I think we all have moments of self doubt, especially when it comes to body image.  It was refreshing to read about a woman who isn't physically perfect and about the man who sees nothing but a beautifully genuine and smart woman he can love.

I won't spoil the story and tell you what happens in the search for David.  It would ruin the overall story arc.  I definitely recommend Secretly Smitten.  It is a very clean and heart warming romance novel.  I didn't realize going into it that it is the sequel to Smitten, which came out in 2011.  I never felt like I was missing anything as the book really focuses on this family.  There are some mentions about other couples, but that only made me want to go back and read the first book. 

About the authors:

RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including “Tidewater Inn”, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.

Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include “A Billion Reasons Why” and “What a Girl Wants.”

Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including “A Cowboy’s Touch” and “Sweetwater Gap.” She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. 

Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate.


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.