Sweetbriar Cottage

By: Denise Hunter

Narrated by: Julie Carr

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Noah and Josephine discover their divorce was never actually finalized, their lives are turned upside down. 

Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job and settled at a remote horse ranch in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Northern Georgia, putting much-needed distance between himself and the former love of his life. But then Noah gets a letter from the IRS claiming he and Josephine are still married. When he confronts Josephine, they discover that she missed the final step in filing the paperwork and they are, in fact, still married. 

Josephine is no happier about the news than Noah. Maybe the failed marriage - and botched divorce - was her fault, but her heart was shattered right alongside his, more than he would ever believe. The sooner they put this marriage behind them, the better for both of their sakes. 

But when Josephine delivers the final paperwork to his ranch, the two become stranded in his cottage during the worst spring snowstorm in a decade. Being trapped with Josephine is a test of Noah's endurance. He wrestles with resentment and an unmistakable pull to his wife - still beautiful, still brave, and still more intriguing than any woman he's ever known. 

As they find themselves confronted with each other and their shared past, old wounds surface, and tempers flare. But when they are forced out into the storm, they must rely on each other in a way they never have before. Josephine finally opens up about her tragic past, and Noah realizes she's never been loved unconditionally by anyone - including him. Will Noah accept the challenge to pursue Josephine's heart? And can she finally find the courage to trust Noah? 

“Sweetbriar Cottage is a story to fall in love with. True-to-life characters, high stakes, and powerful chemistry blend to tell an emotional story of reconciliation.” (Brenda Novak, New York Times best-selling author))

“Sweetbriar Cottage is a wonderful story, full of emotional tension and evocative prose.” (Francine Rivers, New York Times best-selling author of Redeeming Love)

Full-length stand-alone romance novel

Includes Discussion Questions for Book Clubs

Features characters from the Blue Ride Romances

Book One: Blue Ridge Sunrise

Book Two: Honeysuckle Dreams

Book Three: On Magnolia Lane

©2017 Denise Hunter (P)2017 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Critic Reviews

" Sweetbriar Cottage is a story to fall in love with. True-to-life characters, high stakes, and powerful chemistry blend to tell an emotional story of reconciliation." (Brenda Novak, New York Times best-selling author)

" Sweetbriar Cottage is a wonderful story, full of emotional tension and evocative prose." (Francine Rivers, New York Times best-selling author of Redeeming Love)

struggled to finish

Narrator is monotone and very difficult to listen to. I almost quit listening in the first chapter. But the storyline was good enough that I suffered through the who book.

Loved the story

It was a great story. I liked the characters and found Josie very relatable. My only problem with this book was the narration. I liked Julie’s voice, but I didn’t like that there was no tone change when reading the male parts of the book. I like to be able to tell which character is speaking without it having to be said after every sentence.

Sweet story of reconciliation

Loved the story and the characters. Definitely more slow pace than I'm used to, and it did seem to go on and on. Fortunately, it ended just as I was about to knock their two heads together! Both seemed incredibly dense at times. So glad it ended well. Their journey was touching and tearful. I don't cry easily, but had tears in my eyes several times, and the good kind. The end was precious.

Unfortunately, the narrator nearly ruined this for me. Her reading was stiff, stilted, and sounded at every turn like she was simply reading out loud. No inflections or tones for different characters, nothing. At times it was difficult to tell when hero was talking versus heroine because there was no effort to distinguish between the two. Maybe I'm spoiled by other incredible narrators.

Story is Worth the “Reader”

Excellent plot and wonderful characters make up for a confusing flow of the story. I almost put it down because of Carr’s Narration. Read without any change in voice.

Great book!

Denise Hunter does a great job at characters with troubled pasts. Hearing the story behind the story at the end was great. I’ve listened to several books now narrated by Julie Lyle Carr and really enjoy her narration.

A great love story

I loved this book! It’s a great love story with Christian twist. Loved it!!. It kept my attention all the way through. Just enough twists and turns to keep your interest. This is my first book by Denise Hunter. I am looking forward to reading many more of hers.

My favorite Denise Hunter book

SPOILER ALERT:

It's my second time reading/listening to this book, and I'm every bit as floored as the first time. The premise of the story is sweet, but it is masterfully done. Josie's brokenness, Noah's change of heart, the heartbreak, the fear, pain, and SPOILER the survival and reconciliation; it's all done so well. Not my last time reading this book.

Sweet Story, But Not my favorite Narration

In the end I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend it. However, the narration in the 1st 15 minutes almost made me stop listening. She doesn’t really change the voices of the characters and it makes it a lot harder to envision who is speaking. Once I got into the story further though, I didn’t notice it as much.
One thing I really liked about this book is that the chapters alternate from the past to the present. It builds the story in a really wonderful way that keeps you guessing. I also liked that it was a sweet love story and not overly sexy.

Narrator Issues in Audio Version

Fine story that succeeds in expressing some of the long-term relationship problems from early trauma. I have hesitance in purchasing audio versions from this author because of the narrator. I have learned that slowing speed a bit helps in catching more of the context and intended expression.

It was ok

I really wanted to love this book. From the moment I laid eyes on the cover I knew I had to read it. The cover just draws me in and instantly fills my heart with such peace. Unfortunately, the book itself doesn’t do the same.

This book left me so frustrated. Though I could sympathize with both Josie and Noah I found myself not liking either one of them very much. By the end I was exhausted with Josie’s antics and over it all.

This was my first book that I have read by the author. Since I really enjoyed the plot I’ll give another one of her books a try.

The audio performance was difficult to enjoy. That didn’t help the book at all.