This was a quick read with nothing truly exceptional about it.

Genre: Christian contemporary romance
Age: adult
Series/Standalone: standalone
Content: kissing
Rating: 3/5 Stars ( )

This was a pretty good novel and better than most "Chick Lit" which is what I classify most contemporary romances. They say write what you know and so the author wrote about an author trying to write a romance. Of course, Denise Hunter has a lot more experience in that than Sadie did. I like the characters and hope to see them again. ( )

Another fantastic book by Denise Hunter! I loved the setting, beaches are my favorite! Sadie is my favorite character! She's a go-getter, personable and considerate! Sam is a close second! A little gruff, but he has a heart of gold! The love story is sweet and romantic, especially the ending! A definite must read! ( )

I have been a fan of Denise Hunter's contemporary romances for a long time and this one quickly became one of my favorites. One aspect of the book that I loved is that Sadie, one of the main characters, is a teacher and also an author who writes on her summer breaks. She has always written westerns, but her publisher wants her to totally switch genres and write a romance novel. I absolutely loved reading all the tips throughout the book about how to write a good romance book. It was a cute addition to the story and also spot on. It was sun to see how an author writes a character who is an author.

Sadie heads to the coast of North Carolina (one of my favorite settings by the way) for the summer to get this romance book written. There she meets Sam, her grumpy neighbor. Two other aspects of the book I appreciated was that is centered around a little free library built by Sadie and there was even a bit of a mystery component when Sadie finds a ring in one of the books in the little free library. It was fun to see a relationship develop between Sam and Sadie while they were searching for the owner of the ring. This was a fun, lighthearted read that I would highly recommend.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. ( )

What a fun read! A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter has everything you could want in a summer romance. The premise is that a talented, yet undersold, Western fiction author has to write a romance novel in order to keep her already spent advances. The trouble is she has never been in love. Headed from NYC to the South Carolina coast for the summer, Sadie is armed with lots romance novels and a romantic playlist for inspiration. Enter her grumpy and hunky next door neighbor and the sparks fly. I liked both of the main characters a lot. They both had plenty of baggage to work through, yet they were so great together from the beginning. Sam agrees to help Sadie find the owner of a lost ring if she will accompany him to a wedding. They grow from friends to more quickly. I like that the book is anything but predictable. Yes, it’s a romance and you know there will be a happily-ever-after, but the characters take a twisty journey to get there. Readers can relate to the obstacles that stand in their way. The mystery of the lost ring is a great story thread that came with its own twists and turns. When you add the beach setting and the many book-ish references, A Novel Proposal must be added to your Summer TBR list!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )