A Novel Proposal
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4.5 • 26 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
When western novelist Sadie Goodwin must pen a romance novel to rescue her lackluster sales, there’s only one tiny problem: she’s never been in love.
Desperate to salvage her career, Sadie accepts an invitation to hole up at her friend’s beach duplex for the summer and devote herself to this confounding genre. After all, where better to witness love than on the beautiful South Carolina shore?
But Sadie soon finds many ways to procrastinate the dreaded task—like getting to know the beach regulars and installing a Little Free Library on the property. She even attempts conversation with Sam Ford, the frustratingly stubborn neighbor on the other side of the duplex. But things take an unexpected turn when Sadie finds inside her library an abandoned novel with a secret compartment—and a beautiful engagement ring tucked inside.
Suddenly, locating the ring’s owner becomes the perfect way to put off writing that romance. Sadie draws a reluctant Sam into her mission. And as the two close in on an answer to the mysterious proposal, she discovers a tender side to him. She begins to wonder if he just might make the perfect hero for her romance novel—or maybe even her heart.
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom (now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a sweet and sizzling story of a romance writer surprised by her own happily ever after.
Sweet and thoughtful contemporary readStand-alone novelBook length: 80,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hunter (Bookshop by the Sea) opens this heartwarming romance with Queens, N.Y., western writer Sadie Goodwin learning that her publisher wants her to switch genres to romance. Luckily, her best friend offers Sadie the use of her mother's South Carolina beach duplex for a summer of writing. There, Sadie meets grouchy Sam Ford, the duplex's other tenant, and sets up a Little Free Library for the community. When someone leaves a book in the library containing a secret compartment hiding a beautiful engagement ring, Sadie's determined to get the book back to its proper owner—whoever the bookish proposal was meant for. To succeed, however, she'll need Sam to use his connections as a local. In exchange for helping, Sam asks Sadie to be his plus one at the wedding of his former girlfriend and his cousin, though he doesn't explain just how fraught the situation is. Working together leads Sam to warm to Sadie's endlessly cheerful nature and Sadie to see behind Sam's gruff exterior, but Sam struggles to open his heart to love after having been burned before. Hunter's charismatic and complex characters effortlessly propel the story. Readers won't want to put this down.
Customer Reviews
A sweet and tender romance at the beach!!
Sadie had never been in love before and when her editor told her that she needed to write a romance novel, instead of another western, she had no idea what to do! Her parents weren’t good role models when it came to having a loving relationship and she just hadn’t met the right guy yet. Sadie wanted a magical romance with walks on the beach, romantic dates and a man that loved her with his whole heart. Was that too much to ask?
To accomplish this, Sadie needed a quiet place to write so she escaped from the big city and drove all night to the beach with her dog Rio, and a big box of romance novels she was using for research. If she could just envision herself as the heroine in one of those books then perhaps it would help with her own happily ever after.
Fortunately for Sadie, her next door neighbor at the beach was the perfect book boyfriend even though he was a bit grouchy. Sam was tall, dark and handsome with dreamy eyes and a sexy smile. He made her heart flutter whenever they were together and Sadie had feelings for him that she never had before. Sadie wondered if this was what it felt like to be in love. If so, then maybe writing about how Sam made her feel would be a good way to plot out her book. Sadie had to finish writing her book by the end of the Summer and she hoped that her time spent with Sam at the beach would fill her with memories that would last a lifetime.
Delightful
I so enjoyed this story! The characters and setting are great. You will not regret this read, it’s light and hopeful. Enjoy!
Loved it!
I loved this whole story! I loved the Chapter Headings and how the whole story mirrored the authors story! I fell in LOVE with the good heart of Sam and the charming and happy heart of Sadie! loved their chemistry and character! I also really enjoyed the other characters and how it rounded out the story and tied up all love ends! I was left satisfied and with a smile! Enjoy!
I received this ARC from Net Galley - all opinions are my own!