The mark of an exceptional author (in my opinion) is one who draws me into the character’s world from the first paragraph and keeps me rooting for the hero and heroine through the finale of the novel. Denise Hunter is one of those authors. My only complaint? Her novels have to end. I’ve tried rationing myself: a chapter at a time and then I’ll put it down and get back to the business of real life…
Six chapters later, the laundry isn’t folded and dinner isn’t started, my own writing sits neglected.
I love her stories and the Chapel Springs series is delightful. I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of Dancing With Fireflies recently. As a reader, it was very exciting to return to the fictional community of Chapel Springs. The story begins in the midst of the action, and we walk through a frightening situation with the heroine of the novel, Jade McKinley. Although date rape is a difficult scenario, the author handles the circumstances delicately. There’s enough detail to raise the stakes yet we are immediately empathetic for Jade’s unfortunate situation.
Of course readers of inspirational romance expect the hero and heroine to interact as much as possible, as quickly as possible. Daniel returns to the pages as Jade rolls back into town. He doesn’t let her waltz back in without explanation as to why she hasn’t bothered to keep in touch with the people that care about her the most. It isn’t long before Daniel becomes Jade’s rock and helps her deal with the unexpected pregnancy she’s tried to conceal from her friends and family.
The overall themes of the novel include dealing with past wounds that leave both characters fearful of loving again, as well as handling the unreasonable expectations of overbearing parents and their political aspirations. Denise Hunter is a master at the craft of storytelling and despite my best intentions to savor the story, I was reading late into the night. I had to know how things turned out for Jade and Daniel.
Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary digital edition of this novel. The above review is my fair and honest opinion regarding Dancing With Fireflies.
