Contemporary Christian Fiction, Romance
432 pages
Available December 20, 2011
Thomas Nelson
You know . . . it's funny. Four-in-one novella collections used to be my bread and butter as far as reading Christian romance went. Perhaps it was about all that was out there. Then I discovered all sorts of new authors and started reading full-length novels more and more and novellas got left behind.
I was excited to read Smitten. I've read three of the four authors before (and love their work!) and was curious to see how they would pull off a collaborative effort. Let me tell you . . . they did a great job!
Smitten is the story of four friends who work furiously over the course of a year to turn their town of Smitten, Vermont into a romantic tourist destination. They face opposition of the men in the town. However, between their faith in each other and their faith in God, they are confident they will be able to pull it off. Throw in a few handsome bachelors and you've got quite a romance story!
The thing that made this collection of novellas unique is that four different authors were writing about the same characters living in the same town. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised! Generally, my biggest complaint with novellas is that they're just too short to really get to know the characters, but that was not the case with Smitten. Each story focused on one of the four main characters (Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese). I loved feeling like I really got to know each of the characters. Each story built off of the previous ones and the authors did a great job of making sure that the story flowed well from book to book. Smitten was thoroughly enjoyable!
I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my fair and honest review.
About the Book
Four friends devise a plan to turn Smitten, Vermont, into the country's premier romantic getaway-and each finds her own true love along the way.
With Smitten Lumber closing, residents wonder if their town can stay afloat. Then four friends and local business owners-Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese--decide the town is worth saving. How will they do it? They'll turn Smitten into a honeymoon destination!
As Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese work to save the town, each discovers romance in her own life. Meanwhile, the faith of a little child reminds the whole town what it means to have real faith in the God who is the always and forever Love.
Discover a novel written by four of Christian fiction's most popular romance novelists- friends in real life who've drawn an amazing story of four friends! Includes a Reading Group Guide as well as "Conversation over Coffee with the Authors".
About the Authors
Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Connect with Colleen through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Kristin Billerbeck is the bestselling, award-winning author of several novels, including What a Girl Wants. A Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award, Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. She lives with her family in northern California. Connect with Kristin through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Connect with Diann through her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Denise Hunter is the best-selling author of many novels, including The Convenient Groom and Driftwood Lane. She lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too! Connect with Denise through her website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Oh I am so glad to hear that you liked this. I was thinking of getting it but was holding back. I love all the Authors except - Diann Hunt I've never heard of.
ReplyDeleteAfter all my Christmas reading i might have to get this one.