Blue Ridge Sunrise (A Blue Ridge Romance Book 1)

Zoe is a singer who really wants to believe in love, but life has been hard for her. With her mother deceased and a controlling father, she feels as though she has to escape the little town where she was raised. Singing with Kyle’s band in Nashville was like a dream come true until it wasn’t, so when her grandmother bequeathes her the peach orchard she loved when she was growing up, Zoe changes her whole life to be able to make a living there. I really enjoyed the story of Zoe, Gracie and Cruz because it was realistic, filled with drama, bad choices that needed to be rectified and a love that was just waiting to be realized. Zoe isn’t particularly smart with her choices, waiting until she is desperate to call on help from God. But she is dynamic and relatable, as is Cruz. The cuteness of Gracie binds the story and makes the whole family coming together them believable. The pace is perfect for the story that needs to be told, of conflict and resolution and coming full circle to where you belong in life.I checked this book out from my local library using the Libby App. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loved this plot. The characters are great!! The action packed story has your heart strings from the beginning!! Highly recommended

Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter is a good story. Like all Hunter novels, the pacing is super fast — pages flew by! I enjoyed the small-town setting, and found the camaraderie and support of the characters as a community heartwarming. The premise of the story is good, as all Hunter stories are. There is a perfect blend of romance, character growth, and suspense. As far as the characters go, they are relatable and quite realistic. Cruz is a good man. He didn’t get the best cards dealt to him as a child and teen, but Cruz didn’t let that get him down. He is a really hard worker, he’s incredibly loyal, and he is uber protective (in a good way, not a clingy, ick way). Cruz is exactly the man Zoe needs in her life. Gracie, Zoe’s 4-year old daughter, is absolutely precious. She is my favorite character in this story. I loved every moment she is on scene because she is sunshine and sweetness and innocence and hope. She genuinely made me smile every time she showed up in the storyline. Zoe, the heroine, is complicated. I liked her, but I also really struggled with her. As a teen/young adult, she is a rebellious, selfish girl. As a 24-year old, single mother, she is still oddly immature and self-focused. I say oddly because the last four years of her life were rough. Usually people tend to grow up a bit because of the toughness. But Zoe doesn’t seem to do that. She is still impulsive. She still makes knee-jerk reactions. And she does something that is SO dangerous and utterly stupid it’s more the actions of a sheltered teen than a grown-up woman. These things made it really difficult for me to like her. My feelings about Zoe aside, I still really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it. I am very excited to get my hands on book 2 to see how things work out for Hope and Zoe’s brother, Brady.As with all Denise Hunter novels, I did enjoy my time with Blue Ridge Sunrise and I do highly recommend this read. If you are a fan of page-turning Contemporary Romances with relatable characters and themes, then this is definitely a story for you.I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on July 22, 2021, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Great story about second chances and what really is important in life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone. Love it

I think it's been a while since I've found myself talking out loud (well, almost) to a character . . . but I can't tell you how many times I commented, "Zoe, what are you doing? Use your HEAD!"--yet I loved her character and found myself pulling for her the whole time! She makes countless foolish choices (and her poor daughter--good grief, that child may need some therapy)--yet I loved the whole cast of characters, and I couldn't wait to see how it would all turn out. Without giving too much away, the story comes to a big peak involving Zoe and the two guys, and by that time, I was coaching Zoe to marry the hero! (And Denise Hunter knows how to write a hero!) Loved every page . . . I was so sad when her Summer Harbor series ended, but I daresay this one is even better!Note: Even though Sweetbriar Cottage is marketed as a stand-alone novel, I recommend reading it before this one. She does a great job filling in details, so you won't be lost either way, but I think reading that one first will enhance this series even more.Denise Hunter is becoming one of my favorite authors. She has three more novels in the works after this one, and I look forward to devouring them all!

" . . . . . .second chances were one of life's sweetest offerings."Zoe Collins had been a red-headed spitfire in her day, but now it seems that life has doused the fire out of Cruz Huntley's "leona"; except that she's not his lioness any more. Maybe she never was, nevertheless, she's back in Copper Creek and they are going to have to find a way to get along, since she just inherited her grandmother's peach orchard and he is the orchard manager.Zoe Collins is determined to make a fresh start, finally summoning the courage to leave her arrogant, over possessive boyfriend; hopeful that she might be able to raise her four year old daughter on the land of her legacy. She just never counted on having to face Cruz again so soon. He held her young heart in his hands and dropped it, but that was five years ago. Can they put their differences aside when there is still such a gaping secret between them? So much is at stake.When circumstances take a turn for the worse, Zoe can practically hear her grandmother's words of faith whispered softly in her ear, " He's got me this far. I guess He can carry me the rest of the way". Enjoy Denise Hunter's ability to weave a somewhat predictable story into one that has a remarkable ending!

This is an excellent read ! I just finished this book and it was so good from beginning to end !! Kept me up late for 3 nights

Two people with insecurities about being worthy of love from fathers come together as young love that is looked at in 3 parts very cleverly by Denise Hunter. Ruth, Cruz, Hope, Bella/Gracie, Beau are all easily to relate to characters. Zoe and her dad not so much but their motivations are made clearer throughout the book. This book hooked me in