From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: Sweet Briar Cottage by Denise Hunter

Author: Denise Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date of publication: June 2017

Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job, settling at a remote horse ranch in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia, putting much-needed distance between himself and the former love of his life. But then Noah gets a letter from the IRS claiming he and Josephine are still married. When he confronts Josephine for the first time in months, they discover that she missed the final step in filing the paperwork and they are, in fact, still married.

Josephine is no happier about the news than Noah. Maybe the failed marriage—and okay, the botched divorce—was her fault, but her heart was shattered right alongside his, more than he would ever believe. The sooner they put this marriage behind them, the better for both of their sakes.

But when Josephine delivers the final paperwork to his ranch, the two become stranded in his cottage during the worst spring snowstorm in a decade. Being trapped with Josephine is a test of Noah’s endurance. He wrestles with resentment and an unmistakable pull to his wife—still beautiful, still brave, and still more intriguing than any woman he’s ever known.

As they find themselves confronted with each other and their shared past, old wounds surface and tempers flare. But when they are forced out into the storm, they must rely on each other in a way they never have before. Josephine finally opens up about her tragic past, and Noah realizes she’s never been loved unconditionally by anyone—including him. Will Noah accept the challenge to pursue Josephine’s heart? And can she finally find the courage to trust Noah?

Sweet Briar Cottage is the latest stand alone novel from Denise Hunter. She is one of my favotire christian literature writers. The story follows Noah and Josephine who find out that their divorce was never finalized eighteen months prior. They end up caught in a storm and have to spend 3 days stranded with each other.

I'll be honest, I really struggled with his story. Anyone who has followed my reviews for a while knows how I feel about infidelity. I have a hard time liking characters who are cheaters. That being said, I gave this one a shot because I love this author. In the end, I did like the story, I just didn't love it..

Through flashbacks, we see the very quick courtship between the couple and the betrayal that ripped them apart. We also see what happened to Josie when she was a girl and how that shaped her outlook toward men and her self. Clearly, the relationship was rushed, but after reflecting on it, maybe the divorce was as well. I think revelations about her past help Noah to find forgiveness. And I do think that Josie was on the right path to fixing herself through therapy. In the end though, I had my reservations about the HEA. I felt like the forgiveness came a bit too quickly for me and I would have liked to see them in couples counseling.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad book.It was well written and full of emotion. I definitely think it's worth reading. The message of forgiveness is one I think we can all benefit from.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

“Sweetbriar Cottage is a wonderful story, full of emotional tension and evocative prose. Josephine and Noah, though deeply wounded, are easy to love in this story of second chances and unconditional love. Hunter slowly feeds critical pieces of backstory to keep the pages turning. You’ll feel involved in these characters’ lives and carried along by their story as tension ratchets up to a climactic and satisfying conclusion. Terrific read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” —FRANCINE RIVERS, bestselling author of Redeeming Love

“Denise Hunter’s newest novel, Sweetbriar Cottage, is a story to fall in love with. True-to-life characters, high stakes, and powerful chemistry blend to tell an emotional story of reconciliation. Readers will sympathize with Josephine’s tragic past and root for a happy ending as old wounds give way to new beginnings.” –BRENDA NOVAK, NYT bestselling author

“Hunter crafts Noah and Josephine’s convoluted relationship with remarkable depth, immersing readers into a fragile and soul-searching experience.” —Publisher’s Weekly

About Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than twenty-five books, including A December Bride and The Convenient Groom, which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won The Holt Medallion Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Carol Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking green tea, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are rapidly approaching an empty nest. You can learn more about Denise through her website

DeniseHunterBooks.com or by visiting her Facebook page at facebook.com/authordenisehunter.

Connect with Denise

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Denise Hunter’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, July 17th: Reviews from the Heart

Wednesday, July 19th: Cafinated Reads

Thursday, July 20th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Wednesday, July 26th: Books a la Mode – author guest post

Thursday, July 27th: Just Commonly