The Wishing Season (A Chapel Springs Romance)

by Denise Hunter

Paperback, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Thomas Nelson (2014), 336 pages

Description

In this competition, it's not just the house on the line, it's their hearts. She has the touch when it comes to food, but PJ McKinley's dream of opening her own restaurant is one building short of reality. So when a Chapel Springs resident offers her beloved ancestral home as prize to the applicant with the best plan for the house, PJ believes she was meant to win. Contractor Cole Evans is confident, professional, and swoon-worthy-but this former foster kid knows his life could have turned out very differently. When Cole discovers the contest, he believes his home for foster kids in transition has found its saving grace. All he has to do is convince the owner that a not-for-profit enterprise will be good for the community. When the eccentric philanthropist weighs the proposals, she proposes an outlandish tie-breaker: PJ and Cole will share the house for a year to see which idea works best. Now, with Cole and the foster kids upstairs and PJ and the restaurant below, day-to-day life has turned into an out-and-out rivalry-with some seriously flirtatious hallway encounters on the side. But could their magnetic attraction cost them everything they've ever wanted?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member judyg54
This is the 3rd story in this series, and I will be sad to see this series end (although I still have one more book to read - Yeah!). The author did a great job of bringing two people together who were very different, but they do say opposites attract, and there was a lot of great attraction in
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this story!

PJ McKinley (each book is about one of the McKinley siblings) loves to cook and has a passion to open up her own restaurant. There is an old house in town owned by a lady who is taking applicants from those who will offer the best use out of this ancestral home. If they win, they will receive the house to use for the purpose they have listed. PJ is one of the applicants and has her heart set on a cafe downstairs and a B and B upstairs.

Contractor Cole Evans has arrived in town to apply for this house also. He wants to run a home for former foster kids who have no where to live after they graduate out of foster care. The first meeting of Cole and PJ was quite unique and scary and fun all rolled into one.

The winner of this house comes down to PJ and Cole and they must share the home for one year and then the decision will be made. Cole gets the upstairs for his foster kids and PJ gets the main floor for her restaurant. Okay, from here on out it is just a matter of these two people coming to terms with living under the same roof, which never lacks for something going wrong and the electricity between these two people is just a joy to read about. Honesty, trust, and love will all be lessons they will learn. In each of these books the Mom of the McKinley family always has words of wisdom to give and in this story you she that even she can make wrong judgement calls, but still has words of wisdom that is precious. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series. Looking forward to visiting Chapel Springs, Indiana once again.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
PJ and Cole both have high hopes for the house they want to win in a local contest. When the owner asks them to share the home neither is happy about it. But despite themselves, they begin to admire the other's plans and courage. Along the way they both have to get past their prejudices and past
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experiences to see each other for who they really are. In the end there is a bit of O Henry sacrificing going on but all ends well.
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LibraryThing member kbranfield
4.5 stars.

The Wishing Season is another heartwarming romance in Denise Hunter's delightful Chapel Springs series. In this installment, PJ McKinley is trying to realize her dream of opening an upscale restaurant and B&B. But Cole Evans's unexpected arrival poses a very surprising complication to her
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plans. A creative solution to the problem forces the two of them to live together for a year as they compete for ownership of the historic home.

Overprotected by the rest of her loving but well-meaning family, a successful business would prove to everyone that PJ is more than capable of taking care of herself. With a track record of choosing the wrong man, her family doubts her judgment in more than just her love life. PJ knows she has what it takes to run a business, but her family's reservations undermine her self-confidence.

Cole's reason for entering the competition is a little more altruistic than PJ's. A former foster child, Cole wants to run a transitional home for foster kids who age out of the foster care system before high school graduation. Despite his very real desire to help these kids, Cole's tragic history also factors into heavily into his motivation.

The relationship between Cole and PJ is, at first, adversarial as they begin working toward their goals. PJ is determined to realize her dream on her own (albeit with a little help from her family). Since hers will be a for profit business, she has loans to help her build a state of the art kitchen and small dining room. Cole has the funding to run the home, but not enough money to pay for renovations, so most of his remodeling is do-it-yourself. PJ's prickly attitude begins to lessen as they work on their individual projects, but she is also quick to assume the worst of Cole when she has a few setbacks. After their ventures take off, Cole and PJ become friends, but a surprising attraction complicates their friendship.

Cole and PJ's romance is very understated and does not begin until fairly late in the novel. There is no mistaking the chemistry between them, but their interactions are innocent and limited to kisses. Their relationship begins before the rivalry for the house is resolved so the contest's outcome is also cause for concern for both of them. Surprisingly, it is unresolved issues from the past that threaten the couple's future.

The Wishing Season is a very sweet and engaging romance that has depth and substance. Cole's portion of the storyline is poignant and at times, very heartbreaking. PJ's problems with her family are less serious but realistic. Denise Hunter weaves some very important lessons of faith into the novel that will resonate readers who find that faith is sometimes lost in the busy-ness of everyday life.

The Wishing Season is an absolutely outstanding addition to the Chapel Springs series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the previous installments as well. Intriguing glimpses of Ryan McKinley will leave readers eagerly anticipating the release of Married 'til Monday, which is due to release in June of 2015.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

8.39 inches

ISBN

1401687040 / 9781401687045

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