Sweetbriar Cottage

August 07, 2017

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 13, 2017)

When Noah and Josephine Mitchell discover their divorce was never actually finalized, their lives are turned upside down.

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?

My Review

This is the second book I have read from this author. My track record is improving. I really enjoyed this book and had a very pleasant time reading it. Although, Noah may have come off as rough around the edges in the beginning, he was all heart by the ending. Yet, his manner did not deter me from warming up to him. I understood where he was coming from and why he was moody.

Instantly, I connected with Josephine aka Josie. She had this innocence about her. She tried to act tough but it came off as more sweet. Yet, she is a fighter. Through all of the adversity that Josie experienced growing up from men, it would have been so easy for Josie to just give up on love all together. I am glad to see that Noah showed Josie what true love looked like. I could feel the labor of love that author, Denise Hunter had for this book. I am looking forward to reading more to come from this author.

Purchase Links

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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.