Honeysuckle Dreams

Hunter reverses the typical order of inspirational love stories in this enjoyable second installment of her Blue Ridge Romance series (after Blue Ridge Sunrise). After Brady Collins’s ex-wife dies in a car accident, he becomes a single parent and must rely on the kindness of friends to help him care for his six-month-old son, Sam, while he expands his car repair business. Hope Daniels has been friends with Brady’s sister since childhood and becomes indispensable to Brady as Sam’s primary babysitter. When Brady learns he may lose custody to his ex-wife’s parents after they claim he isn’t Sam’s biological father, his lawyer mistakenly assumes Brady and Hope are engaged and suggests Brady’s upcoming marriage could be just the thing to swing the custody battle in his favor. At first, the pair agrees to a fake engagement; but after the judge grants Brady temporary custody that seems contingent on their engagement, the stakes drive Brady and Hope to actually marry. Brady still carries scars from his ill-fated first marriage, and Hope has fears and broken dreams of her own. They unite, however, in their love for Sam. While Brady relies on his faith during difficult times, religious elements never dominate the plot. Likable characters and the hope for a second-chance at love make for an endearing and unconventional romantic tale. [em]Agent: Karen Solem, Spencerhill Assoc. (May) [/em]