I've been wanting to read a Denise Hunter book for a while now. I didn't realize that her books are faith based or Christian romance. It didn't bother me, I just wasn't expecting it. When Pastor Jack was introduced as one of the main characters, I was just a little surprised.
Pastor Jack's relationship with Daisy was also a surprise to me. He was in love with her, but she had no idea. They even spent quite a bit of time alone as her counseled her. The saving grace for me was that her friends and his all knew, otherwise I would have found it hard to buy.
Their coming together was sort of reminiscent of the movie You've Got Mail--the friendship that they established in person, the betrayal of him as someone else on the internet and her slow realization that he was actually the one she loved. Since that is one of my favorite movies, I loved it! This book had a lot to do with being brave and going after what you want. It also had a lot to do with grace and forgiveness. It's a lesson we all could use. On Magnolia Lane is a good, sweet, clean,faith based novel.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

On Magnolia Lane, is the third and final novel to the Blue Ridge Romance Series. This one revolves around Pastor Jack McReady.  Jack has had a secret crush on Daisy Pendleton for two long years.  His best friend Noah is trying to get Jack to act before it is too late. Pastor Jack just knows someone like Daisy, who is so kind and beautiful, would not be interested in him.  Besides his extreme shyness with women, Daisy is part of his congregation. He is worried about their 10 year age difference.  To Daisy he is just Pastor Jack, a very good friend who listens to her woes about the single life and all it's problems. You will enjoy how everything turns out in this delightful read.                        I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this book are my own....

Third and final book in the Blue Ridge romance series. It was nice to visit with the couples from the previous books as well as be introduced to some new ones. At no time did I feel overwhelmed by reliving the old books or introductory information. I loved that this story wasn't done before in the series. Yes there were some similarities but the themes and the flow is unique to this book.
The characters are well developed and realistic. They journey through the story in such a way that you can see the growth and change so that the outcomes aren't surprising at the end. I loved that even though this is a work of fiction I can learn real lessons along with the characters.
I look forward the next series. Denise Hunter is a truly gifted writer.

You may know Denise Hunter from her 30 published books or the two Hallmark movies based on her work. I'd seen the two movies but this is my first taste of her writing. I really liked this story. I appreciate a character that's not afraid or apologetic about having faith, praying or attending church. The subject is a necessary part of the storyline and it's handled nicely.

Our hero is Jack McReady. He's in his mid-thirties, a little shy, apparently looks like an Armani ad model and oh yes, he's a pastor in Copper Creak, Georgia. For the past few years he's been fighting, and hiding, his attraction to a pretty parishioner. While there's no set rule, he still wonders how his being involved with a member of his congregation would be taken. He's not even sure she's attracted to him, the man, or only thinks of him as her pastor. It's becoming more difficult to keep his feelings to himself.

Our heroine is Daisy Pendleton. Co-owner of Oopsy Daisy, a flower shop (what else). She's in her mid-twenties, blond hair, a heart of gold and rotten luck with her love life. She has no idea her pastor has romantic feelings for her. She's signed up with an on-line dating app, it's not going well.

When Jack finds out about the dating app he's convinced he must act now, before some other man swoops in and steals her heart. We're treated to lots of angst, guilt, longing looks, dating profiles, rock climbing (not kidding), idols knocked off pedestals, and siblings popping up. It's a fun journey.

Gram delivers a line that touched me. "Sometimes you just have to extend a little grace to people." Isn't that a wonderful motto to add to our lives? These days grace seems to be in short supply.

As this is a romance book there is a happy ending. We'd be disappointed if there wasn't. Receiving a free book ARC is a true privilege and one I certainly enjoy. Being able to share my opinion is a pleasure. Both are free and without obligation. Happy reading.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Thomas Nelson for my unbiased opinion of the book. What a way to finish the series! It is also a great stand alone book, but why would you. lol I loved the main characters Pastor Jack McReady and Daisy. Once I started reading I could not put it down! The ending was great! Thank you, Denise, for writing such a great book and series!

On Magnolia Lane is the third and final book in the Blue Ridge series and turns out to be a wonderful way to end it. This story is about two people who share a love of community and God and a friendship that has grown over the years. Pastor Jack McReady has fallen in love with Daisy Prescott and can’t figure out how to change it into something more. He feels too old for her and is also afraid that once she knows of his crush on her it will totally change the dynamics of their relationship. Daisy likes and respect Pastor Jack and turns to him for guidance and sees him as just her pastor. She wants to find the one so she’s resorted to a dating app and had many first dates. Jack sees her dating other men and it is beginning to grate on him. He reluctantly takes matters in his own hands and does a little subterfuge to see if she could see him as just Jack and not just her pastor.

Once I read more of the story and saw that it was an updated version of You’ve Got Mail, I was all in. How could I not like it? Daisy has met someone knew on the Flutter app and is slowly getting to know TJ before taking it to the next step and is enjoying the progress of this online relationship. Jack hates hiding behind the profile he reluctantly accepted and hopes Daisy will understand when he has to reveal himself to her. When Daisy’s world gets rocked by a new revelation in her parents’ marriage, she leans on Pastor Jack to get her through it. Daisy’s foundation was shaken and sees things as black and white without the gray in between. Not once but twice she has placed people on a pedestal and has seen them fall from grace and she doesn’t know if what they’ve done can be forgiven. Daisy had a skewed perception of a person being perfect and left no room for them to have faults and make bad or difficult decisions. Daisy had to do a little soul searching in order to reconcile things with people in her life and learn acceptance and forgiveness as the way to grow and move forward.

On Magnolia Lane is a heartwarming story of forgiveness and learning to accept a person’s imperfections. I absolutely loved the unhurried pace of the change in their friendship for Daisy and Jack because it needed to go slow for both these tentative characters. Both are a little insecure about themselves and how they are perceived and it took time for them to see past all that and really get to know one another for the first time. What Jack did might not have been the right way to go about courting a girl, but he learned that not being upfront and honest could have cost him the love of his life. Daisy’s grandmother made a valid point that if one expects forgiveness one should also be willing to forgive. Denise Hunter is one of my favorite inspirational romance writers because she can tackle some thought-provoking topics and surround it with a romance for a very enjoyable read.

If I could give this book and every other Denise Hunter book 10 stars out of 5 I would in a heartbeat. Ms. Hunter’s books are simply magical, I don’t feel as if I am reading the book, but living the story along with the characters. Magnolia Lane was no different and is book #3 in the Blue Ridge Series and as always I can’t wait to see what happens but am so sad when the series ends.
Magnolia Lane lets us sneak inside the wondrous account of Pastor Jack & Daisy, I can candidly say I’m not so certain I’ve ever pulled so hard for two cases who were meant to be together and it felt like it took them forever to understand just that. The cute banter between Jack, Daisy left you wanting them to declare their love for one another, even though they themselves hadn’t figured it all out yet. You will definitely be rooting for the couple from the start, it was obvious that Pastor Jack was smitten, but Daisy took her sweet time to realize that she was good enough for Jack. She was preoccupied with her dating app cyber boyfriend TJ ;).
Not only are we watching the budding relationship between Jack & Daisy we get some insight and some unexpected news involving Daisy’s family. The event’s that shock Daisy to the core, but are no surprise to the rest of the family. Unexpected family members that make an appearance and end up helping to shape several lives.
I know for me, I always learn life lessons and grow as an individual with each book of Ms. Hunter's I read. I am beyond blessed that I stumbled upon her one day and never looked back. Please take some time for yourself, met Jack & Daisy and fall in love with the Blue Ridge Romance series you won't regret it.

It was easy for me to connect to the characters in this story since I met my husband online! It was a familiar concept to me and made me think of some of the really good points of an online beginning to a relationship. And I totally related to how Daisy was feeling about ever meeting someone without resorting to the internet!

I felt like I had a lot in common with Daisy too. I love how well she related with her customers and I also loved how willing she was to help Millie with her schoolwork.

With Pastor Jack, I'll admit to feeling a little conflicted! He had some very wise counsel in this book and I appreciated much of the advice he gave Daisy and felt like it was even good advice for me...but there was another part that I didn't love...but I did love his date ideas throughout the book! No spoilers though!

I loved that this book had more than one story arc. I especially loved meeting Julia and I'm secretly hoping we see more of her in a future book. I also loved that Daisy's mom was more than just a tiny side character. I think that the mom and the grandmother both brought a great dimension to the book.

Overall I loved this sweet story. I loved the town banding together, I loved the friendships new and old, and I loved the romance. But I've never been a fan of any book with very much pretense or secrecy so I did struggle a little bit occasionally in this one even though I knew the storyline was quite plausible. But it was a very cute story and I'm so glad to have met Pastor Jack.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishing company. This is my honest review.

On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter is a uniquely spun story. Pastor Jack McReady has secretly had feelings for a member of his congregation, but he doesn't think she will ever see him as anything other than her pastor. Enter Noah, Pastor Jack's best friend who secretly creates Pastor Jack a profile on an online dating site, and you have a sweet story.

Let me start by saying how much I love the cover of this book. I think it is my favorite cover of this series. It feels so immersive and makes me want to take a picnic lunch to the park.

Besides this being a Denise Hunter book (and the cover), I was initially drawn to this book because of the pastor. Growing up with a pastor for a father, I enjoy fictional books that feature them as characters because I feel there is a relatableness that I have to them. The same was true for Pastor Jack.

Noah has been one of my favorite characters in this series ever since reading Sweetbriar Cottage, and I enjoyed the role he played in this book. I found the character dynamics to be engaging and fun. The online dating site was an exciting twist that forced the story to take a unique angle on the already compelling relationship.

I enjoy the way Hunter creates charming characters, like Daisy, is the owner of the local flower shop. I know. I'm a sucker for small towns!

On Magnolia Lane might just be my favorite book in this series. From the small town feel to the unique storyline, Hunter crafted a story that was equally sweet and fun.

I’ve enjoyed the other books in the Blue Ridge Romance series and On Magnolia Lane just might be my favorite of the series.

I found both the lead characters, Daisy and Jack, to be likable. Sometimes I struggle with the likability factor of this author’s female leads, but I really liked Daisy here. She was kind and I felt like all of her reactions to some of the bad things she found out about were reasonable. I really liked Jack, too, though the whole dating site deceit storyline did keep me from really loving him.

Speaking of the dating site, that part of the plot really reminded me of another one of Hunter’s books. In the interest of full disclosure, I only read a couple of chapters of that book before I decided it wasn’t for me. I have to admit that while it didn’t ruin the book for me or anything, I really didn’t like it any better here. In a different book, I probably would’ve been ok with the male lead being a little dishonest about being the online suitor. I got that he wanted her to get to know him without the Pastor title she associated with him. BUT, I feel like as a Pastor he should’ve handled it better. I have a really hard time excusing his deceit in light of his occupation.

Which brings us to the message of forgiveness. Even though we have a tendency to place certain people on pedestals, everyone is just human and fallible. It’s only by grace that we are forgiven. This is a really easy truth to accept until you’re faced with being betrayed by someone you care about. In addition to Jack’s deceit, Daisy finds out things about her parents that was hard to get past. I found myself in a similar situation over the past year so I found this very relatable and it’s probably the biggest reason this is my favorite book of the series. It made me realize I still have a little ways to go when it comes to forgiveness, too.

Overall, I enjoyed On Magnolia Lane. It was a quick, easy read that I flew right through. I liked the characters and the message of forgiveness and grace. I believe this is the last book in the Blue Ridge Romance series and I thought it ended well. I recommend it to fans of Contemporary Christian Fiction.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

Aww what a sweet read! I really liked this one. This is the final book in the series. This book was centered on Pastor Jack and Daisy. Jack has been counseling Daisy for 2 years and developing feelings for her along the way. Daisy is oblivious to it his love for her. Thanks to his best friend Noah, Jack, under a different identity, is on a dating website that Daisy frequents on. Well they start talking on it and the story goes from there. There was a lot of drama in Daisy’s story in regards to her family that sometimes this story felt like her story than Jack’s. There wasn’t much drama in Jack’s story other than the dating app. I wish we learned more about Jack. I loved that Jack was very humble when he owned up to his mistakes. It was very admirable. The buildup of the romance didn’t happened till much later but nonetheless the story was really sweet. Daisy and Jack were great characters and the supporting characters were just as great. A good conclusion to the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a sweet read. Jack & Daisy make a cute couple. Jack is a young pastor lacking self confidence when he’s talking to Daisy. His feelings come out in the awkward way he converses with Daisy when they are talking personally. It’s the reason why his friends manage to draw him into the deception with the dating app.

Daisy lacks self confidence due to her dyslexia & how she perceives that as not being smart enough. It takes working with another young girl to get her diagnosed to make Daisy realize that it’s a disability, not ignorance. Daisy also has a problem with putting people up on a pedestal & not seeing them as human beings with faults. Her faith gets a work out when a secret from her parents past becomes known & Daisy struggles with forgiveness. She has the same problem with Jack. Can they find a way to their future together?

These characters are real with faults that everyone has. I love that this story shows a pastor as a typical young man with his own faults & not perfect. Too many people expect them to be above temptations & godlike instead of typical humans capable of making mistakes. There are so many supporting characters that aid in telling this story & they all have vital parts. This was an enjoyable read for a dreary weekend day.

On Magnolia Lane is the last book in the Blue Ridge Romance series. This has been my favorite in the series. Jack and Daisy are adorable. This is a mix of You’ve Got Mail and friends to more.

Jack or as he is known to Daisy, Pastor Jack, has had a crush on Daisy for almost two years. She is oblivious. And although Jack is confident in most areas of his life when he talks to Daisy he is a mess. Which makes him adorable. Jack’s friends all know and decide to help him out.

Daisy works at their florist, Oopsy Daisy, with her mom and grandmother. She loves living in the small town and wants to find someone to settle down with. Her dating life is comical.

Denise adds an additional storyline that has Daisy rethinking about her dad who has passed away. This storyline is woven beautifully into the story. In addition, we have the storyline of the girls from the orphanage and Jaime helping them. It is amazing how you see others so differently than yourself even when you both deal with the same issues. I don’t want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that.

I recommend this book. It was a sweet and enjoyable romance with some good life lessons thrown in too.
Two of Denise’s books have been made into Hallmark movies and I can see this becoming another one.

The characters in On Magnolia Lane make the story come alive. They are well-developed, with real hopes, insecurities, and problems. I especially enjoyed Daisy. The story kept my interest and the happily ever after ever left me feeling very satisfied.

This is a wonderful heartwarming romance. Jack has been in love with Daisy for over two years, but Daisy sees him only as her pastor and confidant. Daisy is tired of blind dates and meeting men through Flutter. When Jack's friends create a Flutter account under his initials, Jack sees a way for Daisy to know him online as a man. I receive a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love this book. This is the first book that I have read in this series and it can be enjoyed as a standalone. I definitely plan to go back and read the rest of the series. Both Daisy and Jack are well rounded characters that you will enjoy knowing. Daisy starts to see Jack as more that a pastor while being drawn to her new online friend. Jack is very sweet, but shy around Daisy. I recommend this book.

I've read some of the books of Denise Hunter and always enjoyed it. This book is about Jack and Daisy. I love how cute and heartwarming it is, reminds me of Hallmark movies. She also included real-life problems without making it sound so depressing.

What I also love about this book is that she's not preachy and still talk about inspiring life lessons.

I highly recommend this for fans of clean contemporary romance. This complimentary copy was provided by Thomas Nelson through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story focuses on Jack and Daisy, whom he’s loved for a long time. Daisy doesn’t seem to know he exists, aside from being Pastor Jack. Jack’s friend decides to help him out a bit. Daisy is hit with a lot of things at once and trying to keep things together on top of a very busy schedule. I enjoyed getting to know them, and seeing some of our old favorites. Many plot lines keep this story moving and make it hard to put down. A great addition to this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In “On Magnolia Lane”, author Denise Hunter continues the Blue Ridge Novels series, as we learn more about the relationship between Daisy and Pastor Jack.

Pastor Jack McReady has long loved Daisy, proprietor of the local flower shop “Oopsy Daisy”. But as her Pastor and sometimes counselor, Jack feels he cannot cross that line to reveal his heart. So he remains silent….but is slowly dying inside as he watches her look for love, going on dates with people who can’t know or appreciate her the way he does.

Daisy’s dad passed away and she, her mom, and Gram are still very close. When Daisy finds out her mom is going to sell her childhood home, she is taken aback by yet another change in her life….and then accidentally discovers a potentially difficult secret about her dad. With all the change, she almost gives up on the dating app, Flutter, that she has been using.... but.....

...when Jack’s (and Daisy’s, for that matter) well intentioned friends secretly set up a profile for him on Flutter, they connect on the app. But as they have more written "conversations" and grow increasingly closer- but Daisy has no idea it’s Jack in real life AND online…and she begins to feel conflicted about her feelings for both men. And Jack feels guiltier with every interaction.

This is a stand alone book, but as (almost) always, you will find much more enjoyment when you read the entire series in order. The supporting cast and their relationships, and decisions in this book, will make a lot more sense and it simply adds to the depth, IMO. But hey, my opinion is why I make the big bucks here. J

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

"Jack McReady had fallen in love with Daisy in one-hour increments." So begins, On Magnolia Lane, Of the three books in this series (four if you count Sweetbriar Cottage) this one is hands-down my favorite!

Daisy Pendleton is young, vivacious and, apparently, clueless. "Pastor" Jack is her go-to sounding board, someone who has been giving her wise counsel for two years, and a fixture in their group of friends, but she only ever sees the pastor, not the man behind the persona. When he finally gets up the nerve to ask her to dance at the weekly group dinner outing - even though he really has no rhythm - she starts to see the man, but feels completely unworthy of him. Her months of online dating have shown her that she's not very adept at finding the gems among the lumps of coal. Then, she gets a nudge from TJ, and starts to fall for a man she's never met. Or has she? What happens when she starts to have feelings for Jack, as well as TJ? How can she choose?

Jack feels permanently stuck in the "pastor-zone" with Daisy. Much like the "friend-zone", the pastor-zone puts him out of consideration as a viable date, when dating Daisy is all he can think about. With no idea how to change her perception of him, Jack is stunned when his friend, Noah, makes him a Flutter profile, using a couple of pretty vague pictures of him, and his initials, TJ, instead of his name. As if that isn't bad enough, Noah also "nudged" Daisy on his behalf, AND DAISY ANSWERED! He doesn't expect to let it last very long - it's not very truthful on his part, right? - but he quickly gets addicted to reading her notes, and falls even deeper for her. How can he tell her the truth, when that truth will likely shatter her trust in him?

I loved Pastor Jack in this book. His love for Daisy colors their every interaction, but she feels so unworthy of a man like Jack that she doesn't look at him as date potential. He's her pastor, for heaven's sake! And there's the problem. Jack is her pastor, but, he's also the man who knows her faults and loves her anyway. He can't figure out how to get her to see the man, and she can't figure out why he would be interested. Their journey to each other is both fun, and heart-wrenching. While all this is going on, Daisy also has some other HUGE revelations to deal with concerning her parents. She has a few more pedestals to smash, before she can learn about the power of forgiveness.

I LOVED this book. It is book 3 in the Blue Ridge series (Book 4 if you count Sweetbriar Cottage as part of the series, too) and all of the characters from the first three books make return appearances in this one. While you don't need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one, I think you'll want to just because they're all so very good! Denise Hunter has brought another winner to her readers in On Magnolia Lane. If you like your romance on the swoony-side, this one is definitely your next read! I highly recommend.

Denise Hunter returns to Copper Creek, GA, in this fifth? Book in the series. Pastor Jack McReady finds himself fighting his feelings for parishioner Daisy Pendleton. There’s nothing wrong with his affection—after all, they’re both single. But Jack is older (not horribly so), and Daisy just sees him as her pastor—nothing more. How can he help Daisy see him as a prospective suitor?

Daisy Pendleton loves her job bringing happiness to customers at Copper Creek’s florist—a business she co-owns with her mom and grandma. She opted to stay home after graduating from high school because dyslexia made school difficult for her, and she’s content with life. Mostly. The dating scene in Copper Creek leaves her feeling desperate. As all of her friends fall in love and get married, Daisy wonders if she’ll ever find Mr. Right. Preferably a man as honorable and faithful as her father, the former mayor of Copper Creek who passed away way too young.

When a stranger enters the flower shop, Daisy has no idea that her life will change forever. Will what she learns shake her faith? Will the mysterious TJ, the cool guy she met on a dating site, turn out to be the best thing that’s happened to her or her worst nightmare?

Hunter writes real characters with real problems. This is a book I’d share with my non-Christian friends because Hunter doesn’t preach—she just shares life.