The Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter— Another winner by one of my favorite authors. This book is about a sweet romance between two unlikely people who are living side by side in a beach house in a beautiful town in North Carolina.

Sadie was there to write a romance book. She has written several books in the past but they were westerns and weren’t selling. She is struggling with the subject since she has never been in love.

Sam is renting the other side of the house and he is living there trying to escape from the memories of an engagement gone bad. He just wants some alone time to regroup. But how do you do that with a bubbly, full of personality, cute girl living next door? At first he is grumpy and puts her off but she loves people and connecting with them. She keeps trying.

Put in the mix a cute maltipoo, a lost ring found by Sadie, Sam’s caring family and a beautiful beach town and you have all the ingredients for a cute, fun read.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter, is a sweet romance novel.
Sadie Godwin grew up watching westerns with her grandpa and she loved them so much that she wrote books about them. The problem she had was, that the books did not sale. When her publisher offered a new deal to write a romance novel, she took it in order to pay back the advance she had gotten for writing the westerns. It would not have been a bad deal except the fact that she had never been in love and had no idea what to write about. When Sadie’s friend offered for her to stay at her mother’s beach house in North Carolina for the summer to have a quiet place to write, she and Rio, her Maltipoo, headed to the beach.
Sadie had no idea that the beautiful house overlooking the beach was a duplex with a very handsome and grumpy man named Sam living in it. The fun summer adventure started there on the deck with Sadie talking non-stop, Rio barking and her new neighbor very overwhelmed!
The Novel Proposal is another good and clean book by Denise Hunter, and I love that she always shares her faith in God with her readers.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review with my own comments.

This is a by the book romantic story. Each chapter has a heading of writing romance 101.
There is a bit of mystery entwined throughout the story. There is a lot of hard life reality as well.
The story is very enjoyable but not all fluff.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Denise Hunter, fantastic Christian author, has crafted another sweet, clean romance. "A Novel Proposal" centers around Sadie Goodwin, a novelist who loves writing about strong and courageous women in the American West. However, when her publisher insists that she try her hand at writing romance (something she knows nothing about!), Sadie is at a literal loss for words. When a beachfront cottage is offered to her for the summer, she takes off in hopes of inspiration hitting her. But inspiration comes in real life -- in the form of her neighbor, the handsome yet grumpy Sam, who is recovering from a loss of his own.

I enjoyed the sweet, slow relationship that forms between Sadie and Sam. I also enjoyed the side story as well (a lost diamond ring found in the little library). This was a cute book, and a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A Novel Proposal is a stand alone book by Denise Hunter.. The main character is Sadie Goodman, a school teacher and an aspiring author. She is most familiar with writing westerns but her publisher tells her those books are not selling and urge her to write in a genre that she has no experience in writing and that genre is contemporary romance. She only has three months to write a novel so she retreats beach house located in North Carolina. Sadie does not meet a stranger and strikes up friendly conversations with everyone she meets on the beach. Her duplex neighbor Sam Ford is nice looking but quite stand offish. You find out later why he is that way. He finds her annoying and does not really want to get friendly but Sadie manages to wear him down even bring him cookies. Sadie is not making much progess but she decides that she is going to base the hero in her novel on Sam.. I knew that would not come out well for her if he found out. Anyway Sadie decides to construct a little lending library and places it in the front yard so anybody passing by can take a book for free and read it. She finds a beautiful diamond ring in a secret compartment of a book and somehow enlists Sam to help her track down the original owner of the ring and the book. I loved the mystery part of this book and how they were able to find the owner of the ring. It was a surprising twist who the ring belonged too. I loved this book but of course I have never met a Denise Hunter book that I did not like..

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Sadie heads to South Carolina to write a novel during her summer break. When she meets her neighbor for the summer, she finds him to be a grumpy neighbor but he is oh so handsome. Little did she know Sam had a tough history and was heart broken .A book with a special surprise brings the two closer together but trust is hard for Sam. Will his trust issues prevent them from being together?

I can’t say enough about this book and this author. She truly makes you feel all the emotions of the characters and I could not put this book down. I definitely will continue reading her books.

I received this advanced copy from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

The rule is simple. If it is a Denise Hunter book, I must read it.

This book was so much fun to read, especially for a romance author myself. Sadie was a delight as she struggles to write in the romance genre. Her thought processes on how to approach the process made me laugh out loud several times because they were the same processes I had to wrap my head around when I first started writing romance. Needless to say, very enjoyable and relatable.

Sam was such a good male protagonist that I found myself falling in love with him (and that doesn't happen often). I loved the idea with a "little library" setup. I'd visit every day if I were there. The lost engagement ring concept was so much fun as the heroes teamed up to figure out the mystery together.

All in all, another winner, of course. I wonder where Mrs. Hunter will take me next because I am ready to dive into her worlds.

Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

This book is appropriate for all ages.

I love any book I've read by Denise Hunter! I love stories that include writers, bookstore owners, librarians, etc... anything 'bookish' and this one is delightful. Great characters, setting, pacing, and ending. Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy!

When novelist Sadie Goodwin’s latest Western book is rejected by her publisher she’s directed to change genres and, adding insult to injury, return the advance for the rejected book. She’s in financial dire straits so when she is offered a place to live free of charge while she writes in a new direction she accepts. Did I mention the house is on the North Carolina shore? Her neighbor Sam is an attractive man who seems a bit gruff yet intriguing. Turns out he’s licking some emotional wounds and just wants to be left alone for a while. These two eventually get to know each other and bond over trying to find the owner of a found object from a Little Free Library book. Add in a road trip to a destination wedding, some emotional drama, and a satisfying HEA and you have a romantic story that is exactly the kind I love to read.

After writing over 40 novels, I am always amazed at how Denise Hunter can always come up with a fresh and unique plot. And the title of the book is perfect, descriptive and clever.

Sadie is the heroine who has never been in love but is charged with writing a romance. Grumpy Sam, who is still recovering from a painful breakup is not interested in a relationship. These two end up sharing a duplex on a beach and Sadie's bubbly personality draws Sam in. There is a Little Library (yea!) and a mystery to be solved.
It all makes a fun satisfying read.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

A romance with the usual outcome, after the ups & downs of getting to know each other with an intriguing mystery to solve

I love Denise Hunter’s books and A Novel Proposal didn’t disappoint.. Well written plot and great character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

A NOVEL PROPOSAL, by Denise Hunter, is so much more than a page-turning romcom. Protagonist Sadie is a writer (I’m hooked already) who must change her genre and write her first romance novel. How interesting to read some of the inside workings of the publishing business. I also enjoyed the “Romance 101” quotes at the beginning of each chapter. The characters are well-developed and true-to-life. Loveable Sadie, the heroine, is cute, honest, and a little ditzy at times. Then there’s Sam—moody, proud, and cautious, all because his heart’s been broken. The interaction between these two is well-paced with clashes and reconciliations. It’s a perfect up-and-down emotional relationship. Theirs is an improbable romance, but chemistry cannot be denied. Yes, opposites do still attract. And if this isn’t enough, there’s a mystery to be solved involving something left in a book in a Little Lending Library. Perfect!
Denise Hunter can be counted on for a wonderful romance novel and a feel good read every time. With the emotional highs and lows of this world, I need a little “happily ever after.” Don’t you?
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and Denise Hunter for the advanced copy.

I truly enjoyed this author's writing style and her characters were believable and likeable. I have to admit that I am always drawn to book that includes a beach and a bit of mystery and a man who probably could not exhist in real life. No disappointments here. A good beach or Saturday read. Enjoy!

Sam has come to the island to get away from everyone.
Sadie usually writes westerns but she just finds out that her publisher wants something different. She’s tasked with writing a romance novel, something she’s never even thought about doing. She heads to an island for a summer of writing and guess who her new neighbor is.
It has a little mystery that brings Sam and Sadie together more. It’s a really nice book with a good story
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This was a very sweet, easy, and somewhat predictable read. The slow building romance between the characters was nicely written and the secondary characters were interesting as well. I loved the addition of the little library that Sadie built as well as the subtle mystery thread of the engagement ring. This is one I would recommend if you were looking for a clean and sweet romance.

Let me first say that I have read every book Denise Hunter has ever written, and I will continue to do so. Forever. She is my go-to for a great romance that tugs the heart strings, and she always makes me long to hop into my car and drive to the Carolinas. Denise Hunter has written a many novels, but I believe this one might be her best yet! What a wonderful story! An excellent romance by one of the top Christian contemporary authors, but I think anyone regardless of religion would enjoy the sweetness and the simplicity of this well-plotted love story. Wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. Vivid, descriptive story-telling, with interesting characters that have depth to them, and are skillfully rendered. At the end of the book, they seemed more like friends than book characters to me. I highly recommend this author and all of her other books I have read have been nothing less than fantastic. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to own this novel in print. Ten stars!

A very positive and cute story, I especially liked the way the scene where described around the beach and the cottage, making it easy to imagine the seagulls flying past. And of course, the friendly faces Sadie kept bumping into with her Little Free Library.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Sadie is a novelist whose publisher has asked her to write a romance instead of a western this go round. She goes to her best friend''s mom's cottage on the beach and in the other half of the duplex is a grump male who doesn't want company at all. Sadie is so friendly that she keeps encountering him in spite of his desire for no interaction. When they get involved together trying to track down the owner of a mysterious ring that appeared in one of the library kiosks in the neighborhood, interest seems to flow both ways. This is a fun, endearing romance. Well worth picking up when you want a good relaxing read.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

A Novel Proposal is a fun and easy beach read. You get hooked in the beginning when you meet Sadie and her dog Rio. She heads down to the beach in SC to write a romance novel. She meets Sam, the neighbor. The friendship between the 2 of them begins and then blossoms into a romance.
Sadie puts up a small library outside of the yard where the beach access is. There was a surprise inside one of the books and then the mystery comes into play to see who the book belongs to.
This story/book hooks you from the beginning and you will want to read it in one sitting.
Thank you to NetGalley and Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson) for this free advanced copy of the book.