Review: Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter

Sweetbriar Cottage

by Denise Hunter

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

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

Following his divorce, Noah gave up his dream job, settling 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 for the first time in months, 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 okay, the 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?


Kritters Thoughts:  Noah and Josephine thought that they had been divorced for a year and a half, but due to some paperwork mix up they are technically still married.  A weather event, a horse and a few mistakes send this couple out into winter cold and they must depend on each other to survive.  

There were many times in this book where I rolled my eyes as something would happen that would make their situation worse and it was just too much.  I don't want to be too specific and spoil, but there was officially a moment where I went oh really, how convenient for the story and it was too obvious.  

What I did love about the book was the glimpses into their past.  From when they met to their love story, I loved seeing those snap shots as the full story was happening - it put the bigger story into context.  

Overall this book was just ok in my opinion.  I liked the overall concept of story and mostly how it was executed, there were just a few moments where I wish the author had tried something else to get the plot to move where she wanted it to.  

I wanted to add a little side warning - Denise Hunter is a Christian fiction author and this book definitely has some Christian moments.  I read Christian fiction often and some are obviously Christian fiction with scripture and such and some are very light on it, this one had quite a few moments, so if you are not into that thing, I wanted to forewarn you.


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.