Sweetbriar Cottage is an emotional read. Noah and Josephine find out their divorce was never finalized and the two are still married. Josephine shows up at the ranch where Noah is working to deliver the final papers needed for the divorce to actually happen. The two are stuck together when they are stranded at his cottage during a snowstorm. This forces them to talk about what went wrong during their marriage. Josephine finally tells Noah of her painful past. Will this be enough for Noah to change his mind about the divorce?

Sweetbriar Cottage is a perfect reminder why I love Denise Hunter's writing. She really knows how to talk to the reader's heart. At first, I was not sure how I felt about Josephine. Once her past was revealed, I had a better understanding of who she really was, and I then felt a connection to her. That is when I realized, I really wanted Noah and her to forgive one another and save their marriage before it was too late.

A beautiful story of how to heal from a painful past and learning forgiveness. I would highly recommend this book and give it 5+ stars.

I received this book from the publisher but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Noah gets a letter from the IRS that stirs his anger like nothing else can. He pays a visit to his accountant that gets him nothing in the way of information and sends him to his lawyer. What the lawyer tells him is beyond all he can bear. His divorce was never finalized and in order to straighten it out, he has to face Josephine once again.

Josephine has secrets that she has never told anyone and has no desires to tell anyone. She wants things between Noah and her finished as well. When he asks for their papers, she brings them to him and then gets stuck at his house in a storm that goes from bad to worse.

Denise Hunter has written a real "screen scroller" with Sweetbriar Cottage. The plot is what makes this book as good as it is. The characters are a bit two-dimensional, but their interactions in their predicament did make the book more readable. This is a strong four star book.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book.

LOVED this book by Denise Hunter. Noah and Josie's story kept me riveted to the end. I was rooting for them the whole book and felt like I was a part of their lives in the Blue Ridge mountains. Highly recommended.

Sweetbriar Cottage is a delightful contemporary romance, one that tugs on your heart and encourages you to take a chance and rediscover the healing power of love.

When Noah Mitchell discovers that his divorce with Josephine was never finalised, to say he is shocked might be an understatement. After the marriage ended, he gave up his job and retreated into the mountain, away from town and reminders of what happened and what he lost. Now, though, he and Josephine must reconnect if they want the divorce to be filed. Josephine is just as shaken as Noah when she learns of the news and sets out to smooth the process as much as she can, after all she feels the end of the marriage was her fault. But a sudden and dangerous storm leaves her stranded at his ranch and when they are forced to confront the wild weather, they also discover that confronting their past just might lead to healing for them both.

Sweetbriar Cottage is a standalone novel. It is written from both Noah and Josephine's perspective during present day, but includes a number of chapter flashbacks to both the beginning of Noah and Josephine's courtship and Josephine's past. And that's when this novel really digs its heels in and gets serious about the topics of faith, mistakes, and forgiveness.

In her author notes, Denise writes about her approach to and process of creating this book. There was so much love poured into this novel, and you can tell. It is written beautifully, handled with the tact, grace, and love it deserves. And I heartily agree with her, this story needed to be told. I find that sometimes, Christian novels steer around the really difficult topics. Not all, of course, but some that I have read focus on problems that are easier to discuss. Sweetbriar Cottage tackles some important and heavy themes, including infidelity, divorce, and sexual abuse. And throughout, it gives these topics space to unfold realistically, but also a good measure of grace and mercy. I also loved, that while it showed the darker nature of sex, it also alluded to the desire and joy experienced between a couple. I loved that balance.

This novel is delightful, so much fun to curl up with, but it never takes the easy or clichéd route and I was so grateful for that. The romance sparkles, tempers flare, snow falls in great heaps, and love, dare I say it, wins the day. Loved it!

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Denise Hunter delivers a story that will linger in the minds of the reader for a while. I have to admit, I'm not usually one to read books with "sensitive" material but this one has to be an exception. This one really packs a punch in its lesson on forgiveness and unconditional love. The vibe I took from this novel was similar to the way I felt reading Redeeming Love last year except Denise Hunter isn't quite as graphic as Francine Rivers.

I recommend this book for the more mature teenagers\adults for sensitive content.

This book was really good. I liked how their story intertwined with their story pre-problems. Why I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because the story dragged a little bit. Otherwise really good.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Denise Hunter’s powerful new standalone novel, Sweetbriar Cottage. It features a divorced couple, Noah and Josephine Mitchell. Divorced, that is, until Noah receives notification from the IRS that they are still married. It appears that the paperwork was never signed and finalized by a judge.
Noah decides to take matters into his own hands. He refiles the paperwork and asks Josephine to sign it…again. Josephine, feeling guilty for the infidelity that ended the marriage and for her failure to follow through on the initial divorce paperwork, attempts to help by picking up the papers and delivering them to Noah at his mountain ranch.
There’s a winter storm, icy roads, a car that won’t start, and a power outage. Noah and Josephine find themselves stranded together for several nights. As they are forced to rely on each other for warmth, they begin to talk about their marriage and the choices they have made. As their situation worsens, they find themselves fighting for their very lives in the cold, winter woods.
This is not a typical Christian romance. It is darker and deeper than a simple love story. The author wisely chooses to tell the story in alternating chapters of past and present. As the past is revealed, we relive the passion and romance of their courtship and marriage. Then, as the wounds of Josephine’s teenage years are revealed, we begin to understand why she would break her marriage vows. In the present, we feel Noah’s hurt, confusion, and anger and Josephine’s deep remorse for the mistakes she has made. And we learn that, even after the deepest betrayal, love does not always die.
I highly recommend Sweetbriar Cottage to readers of Christian fiction and Christian romance. Readers will find this a moving portrayal of faith, sacrifice, forgiveness and unconditional love.

I have yet to read a Denise Hunter book that I did not thoroughly enjoy. She writes in such a way that I am immediately swept up into the story and lose track of time, reading well past when I should have been asleep. Noah and Josephine's story was expertly told and went back and forth between present day and past events. I highly recommend Denise Hunter's latest book, Sweetbriar Cottage!

I’m not usually one that likes to read contemporary romance novels because the plots seem to follow certain patterns and I get bored with them. However, “Sweetbriar Cottage’ by Denise Hunter was a surprise exception. Noah Mitchell has given up his job to move to a horse ranch outside of town after a particularly painful divorce. It has been three years and he has not gotten over his ex-wife’s deception, but is still trying. Enter the IRS. Noah receives a letter regarding his tax return and upon delving into the matter finds that the divorce was never finalized. He blames his ex, Josephine, for not following through and making sure all the “t’s” were crossed and the “i’s” dotted.

He confronts her in her place of business and she promises to take care of it. He is not happy about the delay. He wants it done with. Josephine decides to help him out by delivering the court papers to his cottage in the mountains, not realizing that the weather is closing in. She becomes stranded there for the duration of the storm, while Noah keeps his distance and his attitude surly. Circumstances occur which cause them to venture out in the storm, where they become stranded in the freezing weather. Their unwanted togetherness causes them to reconnect and they find that their attraction for one another has not diminished. Josephine is on the verge of death from hypothermia and opens her heart to Noah.

Ms. Hunter does not sugar-coat the character or personality of either Noah or Josie. She gives the reader a great insight to what can be solved if each party just listens to each other.

I received a Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley.com but no review was required.

Sweetbriar Cottage is a stand-alone book by Denise Hunter. It's the story of Noah and Josephine Mitchell, a couple who thought they were divorced but it turned out the papers had never been signed by a judge. Josephine goes to Noah's home to hand him the divorce signed divorce papers so they can be filed but while at his mountain home gets caught in a storm and is forced to stay there. At first I didn't like either of the characters. I thought Josephine was a little too flirty with her barber clients calling everyone sugar and honey. I thought Noah was way to bitter and harsh with Josephine. It was not until later in the story that the characters begin to understand what went wrong in the marriage. We see that Josephine went through some horrendous things in her childhood that influenced what she did as an adult before marriage and what contributed to the downfall of her marriage. I highly recommend this book even though the topics are a little more heavy than most of her books and the storyline a bit more darker. It is a novel of forgiveness and redemption

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Thomas Nelson for providing me an e-copy of this book to read and review. Sweetbriar Cottage is due to be released on June 13, 2017.

Enjoyed this book so much. It wasn't predictable as far as the character's past. More real to life. Didn't have slow times with too much filler info. It stayed flowing and entertaining throughout. One of those books you looked forward to being able to sit down and start reading again.

A little darker than other Denise Hunter's books, this one takes me back to the style of another difficult read 'Finding Faith'. In fact all of her New Heights series stories had a similar feel. Its been a while, and felt a little different as a reader since reading something so 'raw' from Denise.

Tackling the subject of childhood sexual abuse, is so hard to read, but she so expertly writes a genuine development for Josephine's character, from that pivotal event in her life when she was 12. I wondered all the way through how she was married for 2 years and for Noah to be completely none the wiser. However, I think she answered that so very well. There's a tedious feel to the angst between Noah & Josephine as they find themselves stranded first in the house and then within the mountains. There is no hurrying this story along, and although it may feel frustrating, its needed to retain the realism of the affect the divorce has had on these two characters.

I appreciated the underlying similarities between Kismet and Josie. Although Noah can't see this immediately. The raw emotion of their broken hearted state, and the ability to heal despite all the odds. An interesting question is posed, 'Is unconditional love expected or achieved in a marriage'? I think this is a difficult one to answer. Noah raises the question, so what if unconditional love is required does that give a free pass to infidelity or abuse? I think that's entirely a valid thought process. Often I feel like I have a unconditional love for my children, yet for my Spouse I have a different kind of love. There are expectations in behavior (not that I am saying the kids get a free pass - just this is a different kind of love). Certain lines should not be crossed within marriage. Of course, that does not mean that any of these things cannot be worked through. Protection from harm is entirely a serious issue that must be of paramount importance. But our approach to marriage must be to preserve what we hold highly, and accept that all marriage will require forgiveness, work and a effort to love the other - and as Josephine says so beautifully, to guard your spouses heart.

While this book did not leave me with a the feel good joy others from Denise have more recently, I found 'Sweetbriar Cottage' a deeper look into the real challenges in the world we live in today, and how we handle the broken souls that are just in desperate need of the same love we may have so generously received from our own parents. This sends me a message to do better, for my own children, but also be mindful of those I may meet who may have not been so fortunate. Extend the gift of love and less judgement to those who, expect nothing but harsh unkind treatment, because that is, what they have always known.

FYI - This is more edgy that most Christian books out there on the market.

Thank you to Netgalley & Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

A sweet story of marital reconciliation and unconditional love. Although not my favorite of Denise's it is certainly well-written and engaging.