The Wishing Season
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this competition, it’s not just the house on the line, it’s their hearts.
She has the touch when it comes to food, but PJ McKinley’s dream of opening her own restaurant is one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home as prize to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes she was meant to win.
Contractor Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy—but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that a not-for-profit enterprise will be good for the community.
When the eccentric philanthropist weighs the proposals, she proposes an outlandish tie-breaker: PJ and Cole will share the house for a year to see which idea works best. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into an out-and-out rivalry—with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. But could their magnetic attraction cost them everything they’ve ever wanted?
Includes Reading Group Guide
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hunter (The Trouble with Cowboys) adds another Chapel Springs Romance with this formulaic but still sparkling contemporary tale of competing ambitions, wounded personalities, and powerful attraction. PJ McKinley is an aspiring restaurateur, and Cole Evans is a contractor and former foster kid who wants to operate a group home for teen-age foster kids. Trouble is they're both competing for the same space, a Chapel Springs, Ind., home that a philanthropic resident will give to whoever will come up with the best use for it. PJ and Cole are both given a year to prove themselves, and sharing the space produces both competitive tension and unbidden attraction. PJ and Cole both have family issues that threaten to torpedo their growing relationship. The psychology that makes the two tick is a little simplistic, but it makes the plot move forward. Less forced is the powerful effervescence of their chemistry, and the pacing of their romantic pas-de-deux is also persuasive.
Customer Reviews
Heartwarming contemporary romance
When Mrs Simmons decides to give her historic house to the winner of a contest instead of selling, Chapel Springs local PJ knows it could be the answer to her dreams. Finally finished with her degree in hospitality, she wants to open a restaurant and B&B, and Mrs Simmons' house would be perfect. PJ's only competition is contractor and newcomer, Cole. He wants to open a transition home for foster kids who are ageing out of the system. Both think the competition will be straight forward, but neither expects to have to work together for one year, each to prove that their dream is the best choice for the house.
As soon as I saw the summary for this book I knew I had to read it. It is the perfect situation, two people with great dreams - helping kids and running a hospitality business. As always Denise Hunter creates a brilliant story - well written, loveable characters, real-life problems, and heartwarming romance. And does the romance sizzle in this book. Cole and PJ have great chemistry, and lots of it, but also plenty of issues to work through. This story has a lot packed into it, and covers over a year's worth of time. The story flows well, though I wanted lots more of it, especially interactions with the kids. The Wishing Season is funny, touching, heartwarming, and a wonderful read.
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.