4.5 stars.

Denise Hunter's Dancing with Fireflies is a lovely novel of healing, friendship and unexpected love. Jade McKinley left the small town of Chapel Springs to begin a new life in Chicago. When she returns a year later, she finds herself depending on close family friend Daniel Dawson as she tries to get her life back on track.

Jade and Daniel have been friends for years but while Jade's feelings for him have always been friendship, Daniel's feelings for her have much deeper. Daniel watched as Jade fell in love with another man and he was there for her when she lost the love of her life in a tragic accident. Jade never recovered from the heartbreak of that loss and she has no intention of ever experiencing a pain like that again. When circumstances force Jade to seriously plan for her future, she seeks Daniels assistance in finding employment and a place to live and their friendship deepens. A surprising suggestion from Jade takes their relationship in a new direction, but will Jade's fears stand in the way of their future?

Jade is close to her family but she has valid reasons for keeping her secrets from them. She is independent and determined to make it on her own, but she does not let her need to succeed on her own keep her from accepting help when it is offered to her.

Daniel is such a wonderful, caring man. He loves being the mayor of Chapel Springs but his parents' expectations for his political future weigh heavily on him. Daniel never hesitates to give Jade whatever she asks, and while it is great that his support for her is unconditional, it is a little heartbreaking watching him get hurt in the process.

Jade and Daniel's shared history provides a wonderful backdrop for their evolving relationship. Their friendship is easygoing and uncomplicated despite Jade's current predicament and Daniel's longstanding love for her. Jade slowly begins to view Daniel as a man (versus a male friend), but she does not examine her changing feelings for him too closely. Daniel's feelings for Jade continue to deepen, but fearing she would reject him if he confessed his love for her, their relationship remains platonic. After Jade's unexpected proposition, they become even closer, but will their friendship give way to romance?

The circumstances surrounding Jade's pregnancy are unexpected but Ms. Hunter adroitly handles a difficult subject with a great deal of sensitivity. This part of the plot is never downplayed, but it never overshadows the overall storyline either. Jade's reactions are realistic and it is easy to understand the reasons for the decisions she made for her future.

Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter is an engaging and heartwarming novel. The characters are well-developed and appealing. The storyline has plenty depth and the relationship between Jade and Daniel is believable. A lovely faith-based romance that I highly recommend.
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Jade left home hoping to find herself but instead became the victim of date rape and came home pregnant. Because of her mother's health, Jade keeps the circumstances of her pregnancy a secret. Fortunately there is an old friend from her past who has loved her all this time and is willing to overcome her fears to love her. ( )

From the cover to the very last page of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed this inspirational romance story in the 'Chapel Springs' series. This is book two, and although I really enjoyed book one (Barefoot Summer), I enjoyed this story even more! It would be a great stand alone story, but I highly recommend you read this whole series in the order written.

Jade McKinley finds herself returning the river town of Chapel Springs, Indiana. She is keeping a precious secret from her family; the fact that she is pregnant. Daniel Dawson, the mayor of Chapel Springs has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years, and has also loved Jade for years, even though she sees him as a 'big brother'. But feelings can and do change. As the back of the book sums it up well, "As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she's hiding secrets from her family, and she's strangely attracted to the man who's always called her "squirt". Returning home may prove more difficult - and more wonderful - than she ever imagined."

I loved the way Daniel wanted to take care of and watch over Jade and the McKinley family is a joy to get to know. There were times I laughed out loud and other times when the sorrow was very real. A story that I found very hard to put down! Was good to see Jade finally be able to dance with the fireflies once again. ( )

This is an amazing story of a young woman working through the darkness life has thrown her way. Beautifully written with the underlying message that God always has a plan even when we don't understand it. Great book that I recommend everyone read. ( )

DENISE HUNTER has a singular talent. The opening chapter of Dancing With Fireflies shows an incredibly tragic scene and it does it so well.

I don’t know of another author who would have been able to do what Denise Hunter did with that scene. It was written exceptionally well.


And that alone makes this a wonderful book.

Add to that, Denise’s skill with writing such loveable characters and putting them in the middle of incredibly vivid storylines makes this a book worth reading. And then reading again and again.

I fell in love with the people of Chapel Springs completely by accident when I reviewed A December Bride a while ago for the BookLook Bloggers review program.


It sounded like an interesting story but I had no idea it was attached to a series already in progress.

So A December Bride introduced me to a wonderful series and now I am tracking down the other books in that series to read.

Until then, enjoy my review and go get the book for yourself! It’s a great read!

Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. ( )