AUTHOR: Mary Manners
DATE: 2017
PUBLISHER: Sweet Dreams Publication
STARS: ****
Peyton Foster harbors a secret…from the day he first stepped into her life she’s loved Luke Maddox. Though she thought they’d developed a lasting friendship, events surrounding her mother’s death chased him away. It’s all for the best, since Peyton’s passion as proprietor of A Whisper in Time proves the perfect complement to her shyness—a much better fit than her former misguided schoolgirl attraction to Luke.
Luke Maddox feels a connection with Peyton Foster from the first moment their paths cross. But when he settles in Honeysuckle Cove, a past riddled by years traversing the foster care system leaves him longing to fit in, leading him to take part in a foolish school dare that costs him Peyton’s friendship. Haunted by the mistake, he searches for a way to mend the past and find a way back to Peyton’s heart. When a break-in at A Whisper in Time causes their paths to once again cross, Luke must make a choice—bare his heart and face the consequences, or allow the only woman he’s ever loved to slip away.
Honeysuckle Cove Secrets is a short story at a little more than fourteen thousand words. For such a brief story, Honeysuckle Cove Secrets includes all the necessary elements, including a great opening scene. The mystery of who would break into Peyton’s store and the reason why foreshadows another secret to be revealed, and that impressed me.
Even without an overt faith element, this is a sweet romance, a pleasant way to spend an hour or two in Honeysuckle Cove. As such, it earns four stars. Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story as a gift, and all opinions are my own.