Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter {Book Review}

 **I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

She came in search of the family she’d always wanted—and found the kind of love she’d never dared imagine.

When Katelyn Loveland’s car veered off a winding Appalachian Mountain road, she thought she was done for. That is until Cooper Robinson, local sheriff’s deputy, came to her rescue. And though Katie narrowly escaped her brush with death, she still fell. Hard.

She wasn’t the only one. But soon Cooper learns that the woman he’s more attracted to than any he’s ever met is his brother’s new girlfriend—and therefore unquestionably off limits. Yet, despite their best efforts, Cooper and Katie can’t seem to avoid running into each other. Or ignore the undeniable chemistry between them.

As they grow closer, Katie shares secrets from her past and the real reason she moved to their small North Carolina town. She also wins over Cooper’s welcoming and bighearted family. But they don’t know that her feelings for Cooper keep growing—all while she’s dating his brother. Soon the stakes of their emotional connection become higher than either could have imagined.

Katie stands to lose the first family she’s ever had, and a scandal could doom Cooper’s campaign for sheriff. Suddenly they find themselves on the edge of another precipice—and they’re forced to make a decision that could change their lives forever.


Denise Hunter is the internationally published, bestselling author of more than 40 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 two beautiful granddaughters. To learn more about Denise, visit her website DeniseHunterBooks.com; Facebook: @AuthorDeniseHunter; Twitter: @DeniseAHunter; Instagram: @deniseahunter.



I must admit that had I read the description of this book and seen nearly any other author's name on it, I might have just skipped right over it. As I've mentioned in the past, I don't tend to prefer romances that start out with one of the romantic leads in a relationship with someone else. On the rare occasions where I did find myself enjoying those stories more, it tended to be more because that existing relationship was a bad one, and I found myself rooting for the character to find someone better...and even then it's still not a storyline I prefer. Either way, that wasn't the case in this story anyway. Still, as much as I dislike that type of story usually, I love Denise Hunter's writing. She is one whose new books I will pick up each and every time. 

And somehow, despite those initial hesitations, this one still did not disappoint. Right from the start, the chemistry between Katie and Cooper leapt off the pages and drew me in... try as I might, I couldn't help but be drawn into their romance. It was certainly a messy one... but then I suppose love can be like that in life too, can't it? I can certainly see where some might find it problematic, and in my head I thought the same too... but again, in my heart... well, I still couldn't help but enjoy it. This being the first book in the new series, I cannot help but think that the author has something even better in store for Gavin down the line too! 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what happens next in the series!