The wishing season /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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

Includes Reading Group Guide

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

As the baby of the family, PJ McKinley has a lot to prove. Working her way through culinary school, she made it her goal to open a restaurant. Meanwhile, Cole Evans, who grew up in the foster system, hopes to make a difference in the world by establishing a transition home for foster kids. From the moment PJ and Cole meet, sparks fly. However, they are both competing in a contest for the same beautiful mansion that would house their dreams. To determine the winner, the home's owner decides that the two should live under the same roof for one year and put their proposals into action. VERDICT In this fun tale that is the third installment of the series (after Dancing with Fireflies), RITA finalist Hunter skillfully combines elements of romance, family stories, and kitchen disasters. Fans of Colleen Coble and Robin Lee Hatcher will enjoy this winter-themed novel. Shondra Brown, Wakarusa P.L., IN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Hunter (The Trouble with Cowboys) adds another Chapel Springs Romance with this formulaic but still sparkling contemporary tale of competing ambitions, wounded personalities, and powerful attraction. PJ McKinley is an aspiring restaurateur, and Cole Evans is a contractor and former foster kid who wants to operate a group home for teen-age foster kids. Trouble is they're both competing for the same space, a Chapel Springs, Ind., home that a philanthropic resident will give to whoever will come up with the best use for it. PJ and Cole are both given a year to prove themselves, and sharing the space produces both competitive tension and unbidden attraction. PJ and Cole both have family issues that threaten to torpedo their growing relationship. The psychology that makes the two tick is a little simplistic, but it makes the plot move forward. Less forced is the powerful effervescence of their chemistry, and the pacing of their romantic pas-de-deux is also persuasive. Agent: Karen Solem, Spencerhill Associates. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

PJ McKinley has the opportunity to make her dreams come true. The only problem is that Cole Evans has been given the same opportunity. The two find themselves sharing a mansion PJ running a gourmet restaurant, and Cole providing a home for teens out of the foster system. The competition between them is heated, but it doesn't even compare to the chemistry. As the story unwinds, PJ and Cole follow their dreams while also learning to open up their hearts. Hunter (Dancing with Fireflies, 2014) brings readers back to Chapel Springs, Indiana, for a warm, inspirational tale of ambition, confidence, family, and love. Any reader can relate to PJ's struggle to try to measure up to her talented siblings and Cole's doubt that he deserves good in his life. And readers will enjoy watching these two realize that their faith far outweighs their fear. As PJ and Cole come closer to the deadline that will determine who gets to keep the mansion, they grow closer to each other and closer to realizing their true wishes, which reach far beyond their original dreams.--Richard, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist