In my opinion, horses, a ranch, country side, and romance combine in this clean easy-read novel to lend a reader a pleasant extended evening of relaxation. Charlotte Simpson, Gunner Dawson, The Robinsons, and Emmerson plus a small cache of other characters create the feeling of support and community that exude a welcome aura and back drop to the storyline.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

August 2023

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

Although this is the 4th book in the series. I read it as a stand alone. Charlotte Simpson and her step sister, Emerson, inherited the family ranch. Charlotte had promised her mother that she would keep the ranch going, but Emerson wanted to sell it and is not happy. Charlotte moonlights at the Trailhead Bar & Grill to keep the ranch going and the expansion from just boarding horse to training and trail rides. While going through her mother's papers she learns about her biological father, who her mother would never talk about and that she has two half brothers in town. She is not sure how to approach them and she also starts a search to find her father. Meanwhile, she has hired the horse whisperer, Gunner Dawson, to help her with the expansion. He only commits for 6 months until his dream job of training a Derby horse starts. He is a wanderer because of childhood trauma, and refuses to get close to anyone or anything, that can be taken away from him in a minute. She has abandonment issues from her last boyfriend, so despite the strong chemistry between them, they keep the boss/employee relationship- until they don't. The story checks all the boxes for a lovely romance, nice story, drama, angst, wonderful characters ...etc.

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Love this series. Some heartbreaking moments. Several heartwarming ones also. A wonderful couple. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

“Wildflower Falls” by Denise Hunter
An emotion filled Roller-Coaster Ride.
Loved this story.. and yes, I shed a lot of tears. AND, I smiled a lot, too. There are some thought filled Discussion Questions you may want to ponder, when you have finished reading the story. This is a sweet clean contempory romance that I belive is a "Worthy Read". Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher.

Sometimes I long for a sweet, clean, country life romance. These might be my favorite types of romances. Cozy and comforting.

This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. I’m definitely going to be check out more by this author.

Loved it and highly recommend!

What an awesome story! Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter is the story I wasn’t expecting since the three Robinson siblings had theirs in the first three books. So is a surprise but a jewel no less. Charlotte Honeycutt is one of the two owners of the Stillwater Ranch after her mother’s death. She finds out life changing news but still has some investigating to do to find out all the details. Horse trainer Gunner Dawson comes to work on the ranch for six months, joining Charlotte in her search for the truth. What a marvelous team they make!

A story of discovery, putting the past behind you so you can live in the present happily and one of finding family. Family is not always biological but also one of the heart, which is important to Charlotte, especially concerning her sister Emerson. There are strong Christian faith elements but not overly so. Romance relationship is also an element but it is balance perfectly with family relationships.


Wanting to read a clean, sweet but not covering up the mistakes that are made in life then Wildflower Falls is the book for you. I loved it. This is a series that has been great but also keeps getting even better if that is possible. Now that I have met the characters, Charlotte Honeycutt, and her sister Emerson, I greatly hope that Emerson gets her story too in the future.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a complimentary digital copy. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

Charlotte Simpson works part-time as a waitress to pay for her passion—keeping the horse farm, her mother’s legacy, afloat. She co-inherited the ranch with her stepsister and Charlotte dreams of expanding the ranch into a full-time operation.

But as she goes forward with her expansion plans, her sister distances herself from Charlotte, leaving Charlotte confused and longing for a supportive family. A family like the Robinson clan, a Riverbend legend of hospitality and comradery. If only a secret from her mother’s past didn’t haunt Charlotte, maybe she could find the father she’s always longed for.

When the new horse trainer arrives, Charlotte hopes to bring in enough business to quit her part-time job and sink all her efforts into the farm. She doesn’t expect to feel an instant attraction for an employee who has only committed to staying through the summer.

Gunner Dawson sustained a horrible loss at an early age, and he’s learned to keep himself closed off from those around him. No close ties equal no devastating feelings of loss. But when he ends up in the charming Appalachian Trail town of Riverbend, the town starts to work its healing magic.

While Gunner can analyze a horse’s fears and insecurities, he has more difficulty recognizing his own. His new boss leaves him feeling something he’s never felt before—a desire to take root in one spot. But can Charlotte and Gunner get past her secret and his pain to form a lasting relationship?

What I Loved About This Book

Readers can enjoy Hunter’s latest installment in the Riverbend Romance series as a standalone. The author does a great job of bringing in characters from other Riverbend books without giving away too many details from their stories.

If you love small-town sweet romances, Wildflower Falls fits the bill!

2.5⭐️
If you love horses, this is the book for you! Set on a small town horse ranch in North Carolina, this story is full of training troubled horses, trail rides, riding lessons, and even foaling. The lead, Charlotte, is a very likable character and someone easy to root for. But her sister Emerson came off as extremely sullen and confusingly reclusive.

It’s probably my own fault for going into this book not realizing it was the fourth book in a series, but I was very confused by the explanation of the family tree and various marriages, affairs, and half siblings. It’s advertised as a stand-alone but it didn’t quite function that way. I had a hard time really connecting to the characters and felt detached from the storyline. The storytelling and dialogue felt clunky, and at times cringey: “He gazed at her like she was his favorite dessert and he was just about to ditch his diet”.

I read one other Denise Hunter novel that I really enjoyed, but this just didn’t do it for me! Perhaps if you’re a horse-lover you’ll get more out of the 60%+ that’s based around the care and keeping of them.

Wildflower Falls is the 4th book in the series A Riverbend Romance, but it can easily stand alone. I loved this sweet clean romance, a little bit of cowboy and mystery. I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happens.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Heartwarming story about Charlotte (the heroine) who’s grieving the loss of her mother and trying to make a go of the family horse farm. Enter Gunner (the hero) who seems to be a horse whisperer as well as an all around good guy. Both the leads have baggage in their pasts which must be overcome. It was good to see some characters from previous Riverbend Gap stories. This book can be a stand-alone, but would probably be a bit richer experience if read in order.

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

I wanted to love this book more than I did. I love the other three books in this series so much and the town that it is set in. I thought the series was complete until I saw this one. I requested it on NetGalley and was approved for early access. I wanted more of the romance. The writing seemed very repetitive in this book and the plot didn't seem to be moving anywhere. Towards the last 1/4 of the book, the pacing was very fast compared to the rest of the book. Pacing issues in my opinion and left me feeling very mediocre after I finished. Not my favorite book by her.

**Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy. All opinions are my own.**

Charlotte Simpson never knew who her father was; her mother has passed and now she finds a envelope. She is set to discover who her family is now. She's running her family ranch and is hiring a new trainer.
Gunner Dawson takes the 6-month job until his new job starts. Gunner has no family and doesn't want to be tied to any person or town.
When Charlotte and Gunner meet you can feel the sparks. She tells him of the hunt for her family and he offers to support her hunt.
The pictures of the Robinson family have her thinking they are her brothers and Jeff is her father. Is she a product of an affair?

This was such a wonderful ending to a sweet series where I’ve fallen in love with the whole family! Charlotte inherits a horse ranch after her mom passed away. She learns after her moms death the truth about her birth father. While trying to come to grips with that she hires a very handsome horse wrangler that only does short term jobs. The two of them grow closer and closer together as they work together, he’s someone she can trust with her secret while she tries to figure out how to meet her birth father and tell her new family. He has a lot of his own pain he is trying to work though but it feels like the closer he grows to Charlotte the more he wants to put down some deep roots.

Loved being with Charlotte on her journey of finding out more about her past. I really don’t know how I would feel in her situation or how I would handle it. This story line is great and you may have a few feels as you read. The characters, many who have gone through situations themselves, are wonderful. I would love to make a trip to Riverbend Gap and hang out with them. How fun would it be to live in a town on the Appalachian Trail? Just think of the interesting people you would meet, just like in this series. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled when I heard she was giving readers one last visit to Riverbend Gap. She finishes off this series with a fantastic send off, and I appreciated the fact that while these stories definitely compliment each other nicely, you could still read each as a stand alone without feeling like you had missed out on much.

Wildflower Falls ended up being my favorite of this series. The plot was everything I could have hoped for, and as someone who loves stories that revolve around secrets and family history being revealed, this heartwarming romance was definitely what I was looking for.

Charlotte and Gunner are both likeable protagonists, and it was heartwarming to watch their relationship grow from friendship into something much more. Both have secrets they are trying to deal with in their own way, but quickly discover that together they're capable of much more than they ever could have imagined. As well, the horse ranch setting fit this story perfectly, and I loved how the horses and the ranch itself played such a big part in Charlotte and Gunner's developing relationship.

Overall, this is another winner from Denise Hunter in my eyes. She delivers a wonderful, swoon worthy romance that's completely clean with plenty of additional storylines happening within the plot to keep the reader completely engaged right throughout. I do wish the faith element had been a bit more predominant throughout the story, but I did enjoy the tidbits that are included.

Final Rating: 4/5.

I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of clean contemporary romances, and/or to anyone who has enjoyed this author's books in the past.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Wildflower Falls is Denise Hunter’s newest book, the fourth book in the Riverbend Romance series. I was excited to read it because I have enjoyed a couple of other books by Denise.

Following the death of their mother, Charlotte Simpson and her step-sister Emerson are owners of a horse ranch. Charlotte is committed to making a go of the business. Emerson, on the other hand, is not so keen on the idea. But Charlotte is moving ahead and expanding the business. She is having a new barn constructed to handle additional business. She even hired a respected horse trainer Gunner Dawson to help with the horses, knowing he was only staying for a short while.

In her mother’s paperwork, Charlotte found information about her biological father and learned that he may be related to an established family in the community. How will she verify that information, and when should she make the facts known? Emerson has been emotionally distant and Charlotte finds herself confiding in Gunner. He is not only good with horses, but he has become a friend and is a good listener.

The storyline is what made me want to read this book. I enjoyed reading about the scenery and horses in a beautiful small-town in North Carolina. I found the story about finding her biological family interesting. My favorite character was Gunner, who seemed to be a kind, caring, and trustworthy man. I liked how their relationship grew. I also liked Charlotte’s biological siblings and their families.

I struggled with Charlotte a bit. Her character was very self-focused. The story seemed to drag for a while. In the last part of the book, a slew of details was made known. Those details would have made the story better if introduced earlier in the book. I would like to have known the back story of Gunner earlier. Without those background details, his actions did not seem logical or reasonable. In fact, I was irritated that those details were added so late in the story.

The book was relatively clean. I would like to have had the characters’ faith more fully developed.

While this was not my favorite Denise Hunter book, there were elements I enjoyed in the story. If you like a beautiful rural setting, horses, nature, family, friendship, and a little romance, you may want to read Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter.

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

Wildflower Falls
Denise Hunter
September 12, 2016

We meet the Robinsons again - Cooper, Gaven, and Avery - Dad, Jeffrey and mom, Lisa. All have grown in their lives and are now married and have children. Gaven and Wes are doing well, running the construction company. A local ranch owner, Charlotte Simpson started building her horse business. She is adopting horses that need care or training. Several owners are boarding their animals there. She is building a larger barn to house more horses. It’s coming along nicely. She put the word out that she needed a ‘whisperer’ to work with the ‘green’ horses that have been injured or abused. Ad answered by Gunner Dawson, a man who has spent years across the US training horses at many exclusive ranches. His goal was to try his skills at a smaller ranch in the country. The Stables at Wildflower Falls was just what he was looking for and hoped he would be hired. His plan was to work and live there for 6 months or so on a trial basis to see how his expertise worked with rural farm owners. Of course he is great looking and Charlotte was impressed by his charm and seductive looks.
Wildflower Falls will be published by Thomas Nelson on September 22, 2023. I was able to read and review Denise Hunter’s latest novel via NetGalley. Another excellent, delightful romance in her Riverbend series. This is a perfect book for those who would like a family oriented story with an exemplary romance. Hunter always seems to please her readers with a superb story. Do Enjoy!

In Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter, a heartwarming contemporary romance set in Riverbend Gap, North Carolina, Charlotte Simpson seeks solace and family after her mother's death. She hopes the Robinson clan will embrace her, but a startling revelation about her identity complicates matters. Horse trainer Gunner Dawson, hesitant to form close bonds due to past loss, agrees to help Charlotte with her horses and ranch expansion.

As they navigate family dynamics and Charlotte's quest to find her father, their slow-burning romance blossoms. The novel beautifully explores themes of family, forgiveness, and the power of faith. Though the pacing occasionally falters, the endearing characters and captivating storytelling make Wildflower Falls an enchanting and uplifting read.

Although the last book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. How does one properly deal with life altering secrets when still trying to grieve the loss of a loved one? Add on top of that, trying to make a good go at a struggling family business. Charlotte has a lot on her plate between making a go, turning the family ranch into a viable business and figuring out how to tell her brothers that she just found out that she had that she's more than just someone who hired them to do a job fir her. Add into that Gunner, a short-term employee who never stays anywhere too long and has issues of his own. Also add in the possibility of romance. Then working on trusting God. Makes for an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5⭐️

Fourth in the Riverbend Romance series, finds Charlotte Simpson struggling to hold on to her family’s horse ranch following the death of her mother as well as reeling with the discovery of a shocking family secret. She hires Gunner Dawson, a talented horse trainer, to help build up business and offer the day-to-day support that her young stepsister isn’t providing. As she and Gunner work to turn the ranch profitable, they also team up to solve a family mystery that could rock the foundations of another local family, a member of which is building her new horse barn.

This was such a sweet, heartwarming story, and the characters were simply lovely. I loved Charlotte’s strength and tenacity as well as Gunner’s soft center and unwavering supportiveness. I’ve really enjoyed this entire series as Ms. Hunter portrays her protagonists especially well and places them in interesting growth arcs.

So glad I discovered her books.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing the early arc of Wildflower Falls for review. The opinions are strictly my own.