On My Kindle ~ The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter

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Sharing my review~
Chef PJ McKinley, the youngest of the McKinley clan, is out to prove to her loving family that she can take care of herself by winning the Wishing House, an ancestral home that's being awarded to a deserving business by a Chapel Springs philanthropist, and turning it into a thriving restaurant and B&B. 

Cole Evans, a former foster kid who blames himself for the accident that stole his family, plans to win the house for Crossroads, a transitional home for foster kids who turn eighteen during high school and are forced onto the streets. When they present business plans to the eccentric philanthropist, she grants Cole the upstairs and PJ the bottom floor for the restaurant. Both are challenged to make their ventures work before the deadline.

I'm a huge fan of cute meets, and The Wishing Season doesn't disappoint, but I won't spoil it for you. And all those chance meetings at the front door or in the kitchen were charged with romantic tension. Just enough for me to keep turning pages. 

"I can't stop thinking about you." Her breath hitched at the husky timbre of his voice. At the words. He advanced slowly, purposefully. His eyes, locked on hers, were filled with longing.

"Is that so?" Was that her breathy voice? She gripped the edge of the counter before she could do something stupid like pulling him into her arms and kissing his neck.

"Yeah, that's so."He stopped when he was close enough to make her body hum, and cradled her face in his hands. Then his lips were on hers. Not slow and lazy like last time, but deliberate, full of want. Finally.

What do you think? Would that keep you flipping pages past your bedtime? The Wishing Season wasn't all fun and fluff, though. Hunter balanced some heavy moments with some lighter ones, but she also offered spiritual nuggets to combat the lies that each character believed.

"If your heart's telling you you're not capable, it's lying. What's God telling you?" 

PJ made a face. "Honestly? I haven't asked in a while. I've been too busy trying to make a success of myself."

Mom squeezed her hand. "Well, it's never too late. We all have thorns, you know."

"Thorns?"

"Those things that rise up around us, strangling us. Thorns don't keep a seed from sprouting, but they'll keep it from producing fruit."

Phew! How many of us have been there? I appreciate how everything wasn't wrapped up in a neat little package just because it's an inspirational romance. Overall, The Wishing Season was the perfect book to curl up with on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Actually, it'd be the perfect book to spend any afternoon. :)

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing The Wishing Season and for the free copy I received in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.