Charlotte Simpson has never known the identity of her biological father.
After her mother died, she discovered newspaper clippings that gave her a clue: she’s related to the Robinson family. She hires Gavin Dawson to build her a new barn, both because she wants to turn the family ranch back into a profitable business, and so she can get to know her half-brother. She’s torn between wanting to connect with her newfound family, and worrying about their reaction to a half-sibling who is obviously the result of an extra-marital affair.
Gunner Dawson takes a six-month job as a horse trainer at the Simpson ranch but has no plans to stay.
Charlotte tells him the truth about her relationship with the Robinsons after he catches her spying on Gavin then Cooper Robinson. He’s relieved, because he’s attracted to Charlotte … which is awkward, because she’s his boss. And (predictably) he’s hiding his own insecurities and secrets.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Charlotte and Gunner unfold against the backdrop of Charlotte’s desire to rebuild the ranch, her relationship with her stepsister, and her growing friendship with the Robinson family. As such, I think it’s one of Denise Hunter’s better stories. However, I would have liked to see more of a Christian thread in the story.
Wildflower Falls is the fourth book in the Riverbend Romance series but is a standalone romance.
I read the first in the series (Riverbend Gap) and didn’t much like the underlying premise, so didn’t read the next two. While Riverbend Gap and Wildflower Falls both centre around lies (or withholding the full truth), the difference was the source of the lies. In Riverbend Gap, the characters caused their own problems (which annoyed me and other reviewers).
In Wildflower Falls, Charlotte’s parents caused the problem, leaving Charlotte the unenviable task of determining the right time to reveal the secret. There’s never a right time to spill the beans a father’s infidelity, so there was always going to be a degree of tension and uncertainty about that.
Overall, I enjoyed Wildflower Falls.
Charlotte and her predicament engaged me from the beginning and I read it in almost one sitting. I loved Gunner. After all, what’s not to love about a wounded hero who’s great with children and animals, especially emotionally wounded animals?
Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter is a strong contemporary romance, recommended for fans of authors such as Carla Laureano and Becky Wade. #ChristianRomance #BookReview Click To TweetRecommended for fans of clean contemporary romance from authors such as Carla Laureano, Becky Wade, and Courtney Walsh.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Denise Hunter
Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 books, including “The Convenient Groom” and “A December Bride” which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.
In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest.
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About Wildflower Falls
He’s here to train her horses, and then he’s moving on. She’s keeping her true identity a secret. But their spark complicates both of their plans.
Horse trainer Gunner Dawson has experienced profound loss and intends to avoid it. So he lives on the move without forming close bonds or putting down roots. When Charlotte hires him to work with her horses and help expand her ranch, he commits to staying for a few months. But he doesn’t count on getting caught up in Charlotte’s search for her biological father. Or on falling in love—with Riverbend Gap or with Charlotte. This time, he’s not sure if he’ll be able to move on—or if he even wants to.
The queen of heartwarming, small-town love stories returns to Riverbend Gap with a deeply satisfying tale of love’s healing power.
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Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
