Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Sweetbriar Cottage
Sweetbriar Cottage
Sweetbriar Cottage
Audiobook7 hours

Sweetbriar Cottage

Written by Denise Hunter

Narrated by Julie Lyles Carr

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

They thought their love story was over. They thought their divorce was final. They were wrong.

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?

From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and A December Bride (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes this charming romance full of second chances and rekindled love.

Sweetbriar Cottage is a wonderful story, full of emotional tension and evocative prose.” —Francine RiversNew York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love

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 NovakNew York Times bestselling author

  • Sweet and thoughtful contemporary romance
  • Stand-alone novel
  • Book length: 86,000 words
  • Includes discussion questions for book clubs
LanguageEnglish
PublisherThomas Nelson
Release dateJun 13, 2017
ISBN9780785214878
Sweetbriar Cottage
Author

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter is the internationally published, bestselling author of more than forty books, three of which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won the Holt Medallion Award, the Reader’s Choice Award, the Carol Award, the Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking chai lattes, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana, where she and her husband raised three boys and are now enjoying an empty nest and three beautiful grandchildren. DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: @AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: @deniseahunter.

More audiobooks from Denise Hunter

Related to Sweetbriar Cottage

Related audiobooks

Christian Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Sweetbriar Cottage

Rating: 4.4186046511627906 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

43 ratings4 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.5 stars.

    With a gentle undercurrent of faith, Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter is an emotional second chance at love romance.

    Noah Mitchell is stunned, dismayed and angry to learn that his divorce from his wife, Josephine, was never finalized. The discovery stirs up all of his unresolved feelings about the demise of his marriage. Readily accepting responsibility for both the divorce and the paperwork mix-up, Josephine wants to fix the mistake as soon as possible. When an unexpected situation forces Noah and Josephine to spend time together, will they take advantage of this opportunity to heal the wounds from their past?

    When Noah and Josephine first meet, neither of them is looking for a relationship. Noah is well-adjusted with a loving family and although Josephine is new to town, she has a bit of a reputation. Noah does not give any credence to this gossip and over the next several months, the two enjoy several sweet dates. Although his family and friends try to convince him to wait, he and Josephine marry after a bit of whirlwind courtship and there is no reason to doubt their love for one another. While Noah does not know much about his new wife’s past, they are very happy together which is why he is so shocked when Josephine betrays him. Devastated, Noah refuses to discuss what happened and immediately files for divorce.

    Fast forward eighteen months and Noah is living on an isolated ranch where he raises horses. Josephine is still living in town but the two have managed to stay out of each other’s way since they split up. Their unexpected reunion is fraught with tension, hurt and anger. Unbeknownst to Noah, Josephine has taken steps to understand how her painful and unresolved past was still influencing her actions after she moved to town and throughout their marriage. Noah remains deeply conflicted over why their marriage ended, but is he finally ready to discuss the events that precipitated their divorce? And if he can understand what motivated Josephine’s behavior, will he, at long last, find it within his heart to forgive her? Although they make considerable progress working through their unresolved issues, is it possible for Noah and Josephine to truly leave their past behind and heal their fractured relationship?

    Sweetbriar Cottage is a deeply moving story that deals with some very difficult subject matter. Denise Hunter deftly explores these complex topics with sensitivity and she never downplays the lasting effects of childhood abuse. Noah and Josephine are multi-faceted characters whose flaws, weaknesses and insecurities are easy to relate to. The storyline is richly developed with complicated and all too realistic issues that are addressed in a forthright and delicate manner. The resolution of Noah and Josephine’s problems is believable and readers will love the novel’s heartwarming conclusion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed this book by Denise Hunter. I have read several of her books and she is one author that I feel never disappoints. I liked the characters, they seemed very real with all their flaws. I found myself pulling for each of them. I like that she writes clean romance novels. I know I will not feel uncomfortable from any of her content.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think this has been one of the best books I've read from this author. She captured the hurt and shame of a young woman who carried a secret for a long time When Josie was introduced I immediately identified with her. She is tough, has trouble with relationships and trusting others is not easy for her. Noah is what every woman longs for. He loves unconditionally and never gives up. He works hard and his tender side really showed up in this story. I loved when Josie went to deliver divorce papers to Noah after a mix-up determined they were still married. All Josie wanted to do was get Noah's signature and be done with another bad relationship. I could feel the tension between the two and knew they had some unfinished business. The best part of the entire story is when they get trapped in a snow storm and are left to rely on each other. The author does an amazing job of allowing readers to feel the cold and wet snow as her words were so vivid. I could see them shivering and hope disappearing as the day turned to night. Josie has hidden something from Noah during their marriage that has a major impact on their relationship. When Josie begins to let her guard down and tell Noah the terror she went through as a child, I cried. I knew how she felt not believing she was important and wondering where God was. Will Noah forgive Josie for the things she did in their marriage to push Noah away? Can Josie forgive herself and allow God to heal her heart? This is one book that I will never forget. The author does a great job in telling a story about a subject that is painful . She does it with grace and compassion and shows how unconditional love heals wounds. This story could have been written about me, because I lived through what Josie endured starting at age twelve. I can assure the author that she did the story justice and helped me get closer to emotionally healing from wounds that have left me broken for years. To all the Josie's out there, don't give up. To the Noah's out there, thank you for loving unconditionally. I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the second book I have read from this author. My track record is improving. I really enjoyed this book and had a very pleasant time reading it. Although, Noah may have come off as rough around the edges in the beginning, he was all heart by the ending. Yet, his manner did not deter me from warming up to him. I understood where he was coming from and why he was moody. Instantly, I connected with Josephine aka Josie. She had this innocence about her. She tried to act tough but it came off as more sweet. Yet, she is a fighter. Through all of the adversity that Josie experienced growing up from men, it would have been so easy for Josie to just give up on love all together. I am glad to see that Noah showed Josie what true love looked like. I could feel the labor of love that author, Denise Hunter had for this book. I am looking forward to reading more to come from this author.