I’m a sucker for flowers, so it’s safe to say this cover makes me swoon.
Book Blurb from Amazon:
Falling in love with Daisy was easy for Jack. But finding the courage to tell her becomes problematic when his secret feelings lead to even bigger complications.
After two years of counseling sessions with Daisy Pendleton, Pastor Jack McReady has earned a permanent spot in her life as a spiritual leader—and nothing more. Jack would never risk losing her trust by exposing the depths of his heart, but he’s hopelessly in love with her.
Daisy loves her southern small-town life and her job at her family-run flower shop, but she doesn’t have the thing she longs for most: someone to share it with. Her recent foray into online dating has been a disaster—until she meets TJ.
Jack could kill his friend Noah for using his initials and some indistinct photos to set up a profile on the dating app Daisy is using. But when he’s finally afforded the opportunity to show her a different side of himself, he’s sucked into the plan before he has time for second thoughts.
Online, Daisy shares some of her greatest fears with TJ, but in person, Jack and Daisy are spending more time together. When a devastating family secret surfaces, Daisy knows that only her trusted friend and counselor can bring her comfort. Jack wants nothing more than to be both men for Daisy, but revealing his secret will prove to be the ultimate test of Daisy’s grace.
“Move over You’ve Got Mail because in Denise Hunter’s On Magnolia Lane you’ve got an e-romance with enough RAM (romance and magic) not only to sputter your software, but to tug at your heart while touching your soul. Easily one of the top romance writers in the CBA, Hunter is a master at inspirational love stories that linger in one’s memory—and hard drive—long after the last page.” —Julie Lessman, award-winning author
My Thoughts:
On Magnolia Lane is a small-town romance between Pastor Jack and flower shop owner Daisy Pendelton. He’s loved her for years, and she hasn’t a clue. Daisy will have to find enough forgiveness in her heart to overcome a mountain of hurts. Through it all, Jack is the one thing she can count on, until he’s the one in need of forgiveness.
Poor, poor Pastor Jack. I cannot sympathize enough with his plight to win Daisy’s heart. But he knew what he was getting himself into. I appreciated that about On Magnolia Lane. Jack knew that it was a bad idea, but like so many of us, he let himself get carried away in the moment of glory.
Daisy has a tendency to put others to a higher standard, making their fall from grace that much more difficult for her to accept. When we place those we love on a pedestal, we try to make them infallible. Humans are not perfect. We try…some more than others…but we’re bound to make mistakes at some point. Forgiveness is hard to give, especially when it is needed by those we care about the most.
Small-town romances remind me of home…of a place where everyone knows everyone and your friends are people you’ve known your whole life. That is Daisy’s life as a part owner of the flower shop Oopsie Daisy. You become invested in the lives of everyone, not just your main characters, when you become immersed in the culture of small-town life.
On Magnolia Lane captured that hometown feel with a unique grasp of family, customs, and festivals.
This is one of those tropes where you know the ending almost from the beginning, but you don’t care. With so many other conflicts going on within the pages, you’re determined to see just how far the characters are willing to go in their pursuit of love and forgiveness.
Daisy is forced to face a lot of tough decisions. She has already overcome tremendous obstacles in her life: dyslexia being one. I’m going to throw in here that I was greatly encouraged to have a storyline where a main character suffers from true dyslexia and has learned to work with the limitations that have been forced upon her.
All in all, I was very pleased with this book. Genuine characters with real-world flaws, lots of drama, a steady thread of forgiveness, and soft romance all wrapped up together in a bouquet of delightfulness.
I received a copy of this book from the BookLook Bloggers Team. I was not required to leave a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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