Autumn Skies (Bluebell Inn Romance #3) by Denise Hunter {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

 

Facing the past is easier if you don’t have to face it alone.

The Bluebell Inn is turning a profit, and it’s time for the Bennett siblings to sell it and move on. Only Grace has plans to stay in the small lake town of Bluebell, North Carolina, where she hopes her growing outfitters business will save her from the loneliness of her siblings’ departure and the persistent sense of unworthiness in her life.

A gunshot wound resurrects the past for Secret Service agent Wyatt Jennings, and a mandatory leave of absence lands him in Bluebell. There he must come to grips with the tragedy that altered his life fourteen years ago.

When Wyatt books a room at the Bluebell Inn, sparks fly between him and Grace. She volunteers to be his mountain guide, and he soon opens up to her, drawn to her strength and sense of humor. But both are reticent to talk about the survivor’s guilt they each carry, and when their pasts finally collide, their budding romance might not survive the truth.

From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and A December Bride (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes the third and final novel in the Bluebell Inn series.

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 25 books, including A December Bride and The Convenient Groom, 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 green tea, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are rapidly approaching an empty nest. To learn more about Denise, visit her website DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: deniseahunter.

Autumn Skies is the third and final book in Denise Hunter's Bluebell Inn series. While I do believe that this could be read as a standalone, I feel like the reader will get the most out of the book if they've read the series. Background information is given to some extent, but I feel like to really grasp what the inn means to the family and to better appreciate the characters, more is better. 

That being said, this was a fantastic conclusion to the series. While I believe Molly's story will remain my favorite, this one certainly came in with a very close second. In Autumn Skies, the story focuses on Grace, the youngest of the Bennet siblings. I'd gotten to know Grace a bit from the previous books in the series, but enjoyed getting to know her a lot better. We are also introduced to Wyatt, a secret service agent who needs a little bit of a break and finds himself booking a room at the Bluebell Inn as he sought out a confrontation with his past. Sparks fly when these two meet...and boy do they fly, right off the pages! I loved their fantastic chemistry, and their story was intriguing and unique... and quite the message of how God can weave our lives together so beautifully for His good. 

Overall, this was a fantastic read, and a great conclusion to the series... though I must admit that I enjoyed this series so much that I wasn't quite ready for it to end! Still, I know whatever Denise Hunter puts out next will be just as fantastic...and I cannot wait!