I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Falling Into Us by Denise Hunter Published by Thomas Nelson on October 13, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Contemporary, Fiction / Christian / Romance / General, Romance
Pages: 362
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
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She only meant to drop off a letter. She found a family instead.
Gabby Donaldson's late mother left her with one final deliver a letter to her estranged mother. Once Gabby fulfills her mom's deathbed promise, she'll leave behind the grandmother she never knew and return to her carefully constructed life in the city. With a fulfilling career as a jewelry designer, she's convinced she doesn't need roots to feel whole.
But locating Rosemary proves more complicated than expected. And when journalist--and single dad--Mason Morrison offers help in exchange for telling her story, Gabby agrees. The arrangement seems simple he gets the human-interest piece that could be his big break, and she gets to fulfill her mother's final wish.
What neither anticipates is how quickly professional boundaries blur. As Gabby is drawn into Mason's world--and the life he's built with his precocious twelve-year-old daughter--Gibson begins to feel less like a stopover and more like home.
Yet the past has a way of complicating the present. If Gabby uncovers the truth about her family, will it free her to move forward--or make leaving impossible? And when the story is finally written, will she return to the life she planned . . . or risk falling into one she never saw coming?
Yes, I know, another romance. Intentional again because I adore Denise Hunter. She builds relatable characters with storylines that go beyond the formula. I’ve yet found a romance that doesn’t follow some formula, if not multiple, but that’s okay this time. Here you have a slow-burn instalove, past trauma that leads to some failure to communicate, and the tidy little bow on the happy ending. You have involved family, found family, loss, grief, and finding the silver linings. And I was here for all of it.
A unique premise for the book: a loss, a letter, and a bit of a scavenger hunt. Gabby’s backstory was tragic. And now here she is, playing hide-and-seek with a Grandma she thought had died, and Grandma doesn’t know she’s playing, but Gabby is absolutely seeking. Not out of love or curiosity, but out of obligation. And in all that seeking, she found something she never wanted, expected, or set out to find. She found Mason. And his family, and his daughter, and the potential for a future. Their meet-cute is anything but cute, and their romance starts as an insta, later, because not cute. Mason has his own backstory that has it’s share of tragedy. And I love that they don’t trauma bond but complement each other. Honestly ya’ll, this book was very well thought out and so well written.
And I really can’t find words, any words, to share my experience with these folks. As I’ve shared before, I’m an emotional reviewer, and I have thoughts that sometimes I’m jotting down while I read. And when I have to wait to write my thoughts, they tend to disappear into the ether. Perhaps the dementia that I’m sure started like 20 years ago, but the longer I sit on my thoughts, the more vague they become. What I can tell you is that I really enjoyed this book, romance and all. The characters, while many, were solid and real and so well developed. The threads of the story felt very cohesive and drew me in like a cozy blanket on a fall day (which I’m still waiting to show up in my neck of the woods). There were a few things that felt too easy, but overall a solid book. The end.
About Denise Hunter
Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories, peopled with layered characters who struggle with real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.
In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband have raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest.
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