Customer Reviews

Sweetwater Gap (Women of Faith Fiction)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great story that pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until you close the book at the end! Denise Hunter is a wonderful storyteller. I have enjoyed several of her books, and this one tops them all.

Josie Mitchell wishes she could go back and change choices she made in her past, but life doesn't give do-overs. When she returns to her family-owned apple orchard to help her pregnant sister through one more harvest, she much face these painful issues and decide if there is a future worth living for. Grady Mackenzie is a hero that lives up to the name in so many ways. The secondary characters are enjoyable and the setting is well done. The faith elements are well-woven in and totally believable

A must read!

This book was enjoyable from beginning to end. The main character Josie has been running away from her past and finally must come home and help her family. When she returns to help her expectant sister and assist with the family's apple orchard she finally comes to terms with the guilt she has felt by keeping her secrets for so long.
This captivating story of love, family ties, and the power of God's redemptive love is beautifully told with detailed descriptions that really bring the reader into the scene.

This book is a fairly mild-mannered "Christian" romance novel with some interesting plot twists. Howver, I felt the characters weren't well-developed. For that reason some of their actions just weren't believable. However the reason I only gave this book one star is that it includes my pet peeve for religious romantic fiction: a believer getting romantically involved with a non-believer. I won't include a spoiler that tells the ultimate conclusion, but the conclusion doesn't really matter. If the romance is portrayed in a positive light and lures the reader into rooter for it's success, that's a huge red flag for me. This isn't Biblical and it turns a previously innocuous three-star romance into a one-star danger zone as far as I am concerned. I work with young Christian men and women and I don't like to see anything that portrays such romances, since this is such a potential hazard that leads many young Christian men and women into sin.

Couldn't put it down, & I'm a guy. Like taking one bite of a Gala apple--one bite & you eat to the core.

SWEETWATER GAP is a tale of two protagonists. One a Christian 'hunk', trust-less, cautious from previously being wronged -vs- an 'inwardly good' chick with her own past burdens to bear. If these 2 were made for each other; it would make a good story. [It did.]

The adamant declaration by divorced Grady on page 54, absolutely no relationship with Josie--ever, is the golden preview to the book's outcome. A tad predictable, yes, like the apples in the orchard the 2 are picking. Will they make a good apple pie? And will it be sweet? But how much venom will pass between the characters in conflict prior to a kiss?

Then the story offered readers the realization of why Josie ran from the orchard years earlier, the secret only she suffers from. Well actually she has 2 secrets. And then there's the birthday issue. Sacrifice and guilt bridge the 'gap' at Sweetwater Creek.

I've a bit late in finding this author and this book. I'm buying more. Not a heavy read, but good characters with some issue meat to chew afterward. Inspirational, and the Women of Faith Fiction seal agrees. 2 thumbs up from a guy.

I enjoyed reading Hunter's last five books so eagerly anticipated diving into her newest book. I liked Sweetwater Gap, though not as well as her novel, Surrender Bay, which is one of my all-time Christian Fiction favorites.

As the story unfolds, Josie crumbles under her load of guilt and searches for answers. She has flawed thinking and is a wanderer who finally finds her way home. Home is where she was hurt and home is where she'll be healed.

Sweetwater Gap, Surrender Bay, and A Convenient Groom are written on two levels. The story stands on it own, yet also has another layer. Surrender Bay and A Convenient Groom are spiritual allegories. Sweetwater Gap also has another layer, but the illustration isn't as strong as in the other two books.

Sweetwater Gap's redemptive thread is move obvious than in Surrender Bay which is good. A person could read Surrender Bay and never see the beautiful rich second layer. Hunter writes about salvation in a natural, unpreachy way.

The first few chapters were a bit stiff in places, but once the story got going, the rest flowed well.Though Sweetwater Gap isn't as good as Surrender Bay, it does a great job of showing man's need of a savior, and the healing and peace that only comes from God.

If you enjoy Karen Kingsbury's books, then you will like this book. It is very similar and written in the same style. It is an enjoyable afternoon read (as another reviewer described it). I enjoyed Josie's character in this book. As opposed to a lot of Christian fiction that can get really mushy, this book wasn't. I was glad for that. The book told an interesting story and was enjoyable to the end!

This is the first book I've read by Denise Hunter, and I found her writing style to be laid back and easily readable ... nothing high-brow or very vexing about her approach to storytelling! The characters are all plotted out in an acceptable amount of depth, and the story follows a realistic and pleasant timeline to the obvious natural conclusion.

While it is obvious this is a christian book (there are no explicit sex scenes, for example) it's not super preachy - in fact, it doesn't really get terribly religious until the last chapter, when a more in-depth plunge into faith is required to wrap up the story. I'd recommend this book to anyone open to issues of faith, whether they are christian or not. This is solid entertainment, sure to fill your lazy summer afternoon with an uplifting romance and of course, a happily-ever-after.

Life has not been easy for Josie Michell: ever since she let the ghosts of her past chase her from her beloved family apple orchard & hometown to the hustle & bustle of city life, things have gone way downhill. And fast. When her brother-in-law calls her, begging her to come home & help in the orchard while her sister, Laurel, is preparing to have twins, Josie must begin to face her past while facing off with the orchard's new manager, Grady Mackenzie, who seems to have a big problem with her sudden appearance. And it's never an easy thing to confront a haunted past full of guilt and pain...

I really enjoyed this story: the characters were realistic, the foreshadowing was well done: a bit predictable, but not overly so...there were moments when I believed one thing about the character, until the truth was then revealed. I really liked the tension between Josie & Grady, two of the main characters: it created some good angst without too much reader frustration. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a compelling read about life, love and second chances!

Josie has spent her life running away from Shelbyville. Even her father's funeral could not bring Josie back home to face the memories she was running away from. It took a call from Nate, her brother in law, informing her that Josie's sister Laurel was pregnant with twins and he needed help with the family apple orchard. If the apples were not harvested, Nate and Laurel could lose everything.

Josie's love for her sister brought her back home to Shelbyville and back to the place she had been running from. Josie knew everyone in small town Shelbyville, but when she returned she was introduced to handsomely rugged Grady, the orchard manager.

Grady was well liked and respected around Shelbyville, but he was upset when Josie had been called in to help. After all, he viewed Josie as a person who ran away from her family. As the harvest season arrives and Laurel's pregnancy progresses, so does the relationship Josie and Grady are trying to avoid.

Grady discovers Josie is struggling with an illness that she has kept hidden from her family. While Josie fights to ignore her symptoms, which she believes she rightly deserves, Grady ends up fighting for Josie life.

Denise Hunter does a beautiful job of showing God's unconditional love, even when we turn away from Him. Sweetwater Gap captured me by the first page and had me soaking in the beautiful scent of apple orchards and small town life.

I expected this book to be good. I've read some of Denise Hunter's book and have really enjoyed her style and story lines. I was amazed at how much I really loved this book. Simple enough premise - two sisters grow up, one leaves home never to return because of past memories and the other stays to live her life there. Through a series of events the prodigal needs to return and help out. She does so reluctantly and then has to face her past as well as her future and see how God is going to work everything out... so if the concept is that simple then why did I absolutely love this book so much? Denise's writing style and her characters and her spiritual insight all come together in this book to make it a keeper. Whenever you have the chance to get one of Denise's books - do yourself a favor and pick it up.