Three sweet and laugh out loud funny stories. They are quick to read, and have just delightful characters. You will enjoy getting spooked by attacking animals, laughing until your stomach hurts and falling in love with love. Two of the stories are second chance opportunities for the couples to make good on a relationship they had lost and the third is with a person they had known since childhood. They are all well done.

This Time Around
Denise Hunter
Melissa Ferguson
Kathleen Fuller

July 13, 2021

This is a triple winner when it comes to Denise Hunter and friends' latest release. This Time Around gives us 3 novellas that provide a tale of love, lost and found, after several years. The women involved all started in high school with special romances that ended with a tragic ending.
All continue on with their lives, dating but never finding a love like they had. Each puts everything they have into their careers. Friends encourage them to continue dating regardless of how useless it seems. Then there are the boys they fell in love with. After the split each continues on working toward their chosen path. They continue to date but despite hoping new love would come, it never did.
These well written, close to home scenarios are fun to read. Each is short enough that the reader can work through one story in a sitting. This Time Around is published by Thomas Nelson Publishers on July 13, 2021. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review This Time Around via NetGalley. Each author’s creation is an interesting and heart-warming adventure. I applaud Denise Hunter, Melissa Ferguson, and Kathleen Fuller for giving us a wonderful summer book. Don’t miss this one, it is superb!

What I Loved:
From start to finish, these three stories were the perfect fit for my weary little mind. I cannot praise this one enough. It had all the elements I look for in a relaxing, summer read.
Location: Smalltown USA. More specifically, mountains! I loved the cozy mountain settings. Lots of trees and a bit of wildlife. From the setting, to the people of the setting, I felt right at home and welcomed in their story world.
Romance: Each novella contained a perfectly seasoned romance, all of them a second chance of sorts. One had a fun road trip, another a big secret, and another a really bad first impression. It’s not always easy to write a solid novella but these were expertly done. The chemistry was there, but the stories never felt rushed.
Spiritual thread: There was something in each story drawing you back to the Lord and keeping everything nice and clean. The characters clearly lived Christian lifestyles.
Since each story is a novella, that makes this collection bite-sized as well as light and breezy. Honestly, I can’t think of a better summer read to recommend, and I’ll certainly be rereading it myself later.

Rating and Recommendations: I’m giving This Time Around 5 stars. I highly recommend it to those looking for Christian Contemporary, Second chance romance, or romance novellas.

~ I received a copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.

All three of the stories included in this book have some form of a second chance at love. In "A Summer Detour," Allie, who feels like the family screw up, convinces her parents to let her drive a restored car to her grandparents' anniversary party. She doesn't realize it's a stick shift and has to ask her ex-boyfriend who hurt her dreadfully to help drive it. It was a fun story of second chances, forgiveness and trying to live up to or outgrow family expectations.

In "Pining for You" by Melissa Ferguson, Theo runs into his best childhood friend, Skye, and has a chance to work with her for a few days. It puts a lot of things in perspective for him. This story had a good message of the importance of believing what you know to be true and not holding grudges. It's a story of reconciliation and being content. I enjoyed the writing style. "When you find yourself suddenly face-to-face with your life's greatest regret, you don't walk away. Even with the threat of spiders" (location 1308).

In "He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not" by Kathleen Fuller, Sophie just decides she's ready to start dating when two very different men show up at her flower shop to ask her out. After Sophie and Joe both muff their first encounter in many years, Sophie sends a note. "Joe tapped the card against his lips, then set it down, the courage he'd been searching for all day appearing full force...Sophie Morgan had opened the door for him, and he was going to walk through" (location 2259). Joe is all starts and stops as he deals with his own past hurts and issues. I appreciated that he found the courage to take a step and eventually another step.

I enjoyed all three of these stories. They all had a bit of wit and humor. They were fun to read. I'd recommend them. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I mainly wanted to read this because of the story by Denise Hunter but I ended up loving all three. They were all quick and pleasant reads that left me feeling good.

A fun collection of stories guaranteed to warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. Second chances are possible, and these three stories are wonderful examples of how sweet, and comical and sometimes, complicated, these chances can be. Denise Hunter pens my favorite one in the collection, but I also thoroughly enjoyed Melissa Fergusson and Kathleen Fuller’s stories. I love the length of the novellas and how much character development is achieved in such short periods of time. I found myself thinking of the characters long after the stories finished, which is a sure sign of a successful love story for me. I highly recommend this lighthearted collection of romances. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Loved all three novellas! What a fun collection and quick read. Each story is wonderful. I highly recommend "This Time Around" for fans of second chances, sweet romances, and swoony characters. I really enjoyed each novella.

A Summer Detour by Denise Hunter
Loved this story of Luke and Allie. They are just so cute despite Allie's 100-year grudge. Denise Hunter pens a fabulous second chance story. I just have to say I love the adventures Luke and Allie have trying to get her grandparents newly refurbished '57 chevy to her grandparents for their 50th anniversary. Luke is the last person Allie wanted to ask for help. I love her sweet grandparents, especially the hard-of-hearing Grandpa.

Pinning For You by Melissa Ferguson
Such a sweet story of Theo and Skye finding each other and getting past previous hurts after many years. Romantic. Loved it! I love how they were best friends in their childhood, had a falling out after their friendship grew into something more, they have completely different skill sets which made for fun moments and ultimately their differences complimented one another

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Kathleen Fuller.
This one cracked me up. Enter Sophie and two guys who suddenly want to date her after a decade of not dating so she could focus on building up her business. Landon and Joe. Landon is the rich smooth-talking lawyer, and Joe is the awesome teacher and coach. However, Joe makes a terrible first impression. I loved this sweet story and the fun and romantic tension that is part of the love story between the best of the two men and Sophie.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.

July 4, 2021 –
60.0%

This Time Around by Denise Hunter, Melissa Ferguson, and Kathleen Fuller is the perfect vacation read. With three short romances, this book is perfect for reading in short periods while relaxing. Each story is unique but the themes of hope and second chances definitely seeps through all of them, making this an upbeat and fun book. I thoroughly enjoyed each story, and I would have purchased each one separately— this really sets this collection apart for me. Typically, I love one or two stories in a collection of novellas but not all. I loved all three in this book and am eager to read more by two of the authors that I was not familiar with previously. I recommend this book highly and think readers of Christian romance will love it, too. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This Time Around is a good trio of stories about second chances and missed opportunities. The three authors have different styles, but each story in the story has a good second chance romance. I liked each of the books for different reasons. I've always enjoyed Denise Hunter's books, so I was familiar with her books. This one is as enjoyable as her others have been. I hadn't read books by the other two authors, so this was a good opportunity to try them out. I enjoyed both. The Melissa Ferguson story was a sweet story of Skye and Theo. Their reunion was full of humor and I enjoyed it a lot. The story by Kathleen Fuller made me laugh out loud. Sophie is an endearing character and I found Joe to be adorable. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a collection featuring three authors that I really enjoy. The main characters connect with previous books by these three authors. All three books are second chance romances.

In A Summer Detour by Denise Hunter, Allie Adams promises to deliver a special car to her grandparents' anniversary party. Only problem is - she can't drive a stick shift. The last person she wants to help her make the delivery is her former ex-boyfriend/neighbor Luke. Can they survive hours in the car together? This is a cute story with a few unexpected scenes.

Melissa Ferguson wrote the novella, Pining For You. We were introduced to Theo Watkins III in the a previous story. We really did not know his back story, so it was fun "getting to know" his back story. I did like the contrast between city and country. And I liked the loyalty that Skye shows toward her family. But yet maybe because the story is set during the summer, the pine tree farm did not quite work for me. Although I am not completely sure why, their relationship felt a bit flat.

I liked returning to the Arkansas Small Town that Kathleen Fuller introduced us to in her previous book in the series, "Hooked on You." In this "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" novella, we are introduced to the local florist. She has spent years building up her business. Now she finally wants to start dating. But she did not expect to be asked by two men shortly after she made her quiet declaration. Can she determine which one is worth getting to know? This story featured a couple in their thirties - I really liked that part. I enjoyed meeting up with the characters again.

Overall I liked this book, but I am not sure that I loved it which is why I gave it a 4.3 star rating. Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for letting me read this one early on NetGalley. A review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I love this type of book! You get three wonderful stories by three different authors, each one just the right length to relax with after a long day. They are all clean sweet second chance romances that will put a smile on your face. This book was an absolute joy to read. Thank you Thomas Nelson via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Great stories!! Fun to read and revisit some previous characters. A great collection of authors.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I love books that more than one books. These three stories are about second chances, fighting to get it right, reunion romances, and love. This collection will make you never put this book down.

This time around is three different stories with a second chance at love. They were light romance novels and a quick read. They just didnt capture my attention enough and after reading them, I couldn't tell you what they were about.

I enjoyed all three of these stories. They provided a great escape from the everyday. I found myself smiling and even laughing out loud as I read them.

This book has three short romantic stories by three different authors. The stories are clean and sweet and I could picture them all being a Hallmark movie. I enjoy books like this because it gives someone who has never read a particular author a glimpse into their writing. The authors are Denise Hunter, Melissa Fersuson and Kathleen Fuller.
*I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers and this is my honest opinion.

The three stories in this volume are short and sweet. If you like Hallmark movies, this book is for you. Small towns and new loves are a great combination, and you get to see that in this volume.

Not being one who reads short stories a lot, I hesitated to get this book, but I am glad I did. These little stories are the perfect kind of story for an author who has an idea that just might not be enough for a full novel. However, I have seen (self-published) books where an author would stretch out one of these stories to a full book which ends up being the kind you find yourself wishing would end soon.

This Time Around offers three short stories of what would happen if .....

Denise Hnter offered a sweet story of a young woman aways considered the underachiever in her family (or so she thinks) who is heading home for her grandparents' fiftieth wedding anniversary party. As a gift to her grandparents, the family has had their original 1950s car completely refurbished and Allie offers to drive it to the party. Her parents express doubt but Allie feels she has to show them she can do this. Little does she know that the car is a straight drive....and of course, she does not know how to drive straight drive. Her only option: call and ask the guy with whom she had a high school relationship to take time off and drive her to her grandparents' home. This one is fun as hilarity ensues throughout the drive.

Melissa Ferguson shares Pining for Love in which a young man, Theo, finds his romantic dinner with his girlfriend interrupted by a call from the only woman who could get him to drop everything and run, Skye. Theo is a wealthy and successful young business man. The wealth is something with which he grew but the success is of his own making. However, his family still has the Christmas tree farm for which Skye's father is the caretaker. Of course, when they were younger, Skye and Theo were an item but college and career choices came between them. Now when they might find themselves together again, misunderstandings could drive them apart again.

Finally, Kathleen Fuller offers He Loves Me, He Loves Me in which we find single Sophie Morgan happily running her florist shop. In this story, there is a bit of a twist in that she knows the men who pursue her but was never involved with either of them. One is wealthy, smooth, and a sweet talker; the other, the guy she has known throughout school and is a good old boy. How do you get past first impressions....or can you?

Al three stories were able to get you into the characters and their back stories with ease. All three stories had believable characters. All three were the kinds that could be made into Hallmark-type movies. And all three stories had the reader wondering, what would happen if..... I mean, who hasn't wondered what would happen if you ran into one of your former loves?

#ThisTimeAround #NetGalleyBooks

This Time Around is a perfect book for reading at the beach or the pool. Light and fun, the romances in the three novellas are sweet and clean. Each one has unique characters that you’ll want to root for and see them get their happily-ever-after. A Summer Detour and Pining for You are second-chance romances, and have several laugh-out-loud moments. The characters in both had been in love when they were high-school, college-age and things hadn’t worked out. Now, in a twist of fate, they are brought together again where their love for each other is rekindled. He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not wasn’t really a second-chance romance so much as it was a delayed romance. The two main characters were in their mid-thirties and discover they love each other. I had a hard time believing their romance would happen, but it still was an enjoyable read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Three sweet stories by three great writers. I really enjoyed all three of them. Thanks netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.