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The Promise of Picnics: A small-town Christian romance (Hometown Holiday Heartstrings Book 5) Kindle Edition

4.9 out of 5 stars 100 ratings

An ex-con youth pastor. A single mom who won’t step foot in church. A match made in heaven? They don’t think so.

A pastor? Not for Lisa Appleton. She’s not exactly on speaking terms with the Almighty, nor is she remotely interested in giving love another chance. So she’s a little ticked when her matchmaking friend tries to set her up with the new youth pastor in town. But when an emergency leaves her and her three daughters temporarily homeless, Pastor Ric warmly opens his doors.

Ricardo de Leon paid for the mistakes of his past—for seven years without freedom. A changed man, he never dreamed transitioning to a small town—and new culture—would be this hard. Since he has dedicated himself in service to God and God alone, he doesn’t think twice before lending a helping hand to Lisa, who makes her distrust of him clear.

What neither of them counted on? Falling in love.

The Promise of Picnics is the final book in the Hometown Holiday Heartstrings series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but when reading out of order, there may be minor spoilers.
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There are 5 books in this series.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09XBT2FS1
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 5 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Hometown Holiday Heartstrings
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 out of 5 stars 100 ratings

About the author

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Emily Dana Botrous
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Emily Dana Botrous lives in San Diego, California with her husband and their four children. She lived in 10 states before she settled on the West Coast where she plans to stay for awhile. She started writing short stories at age 10 and studied English in college. The only thing she enjoys more than writing is motherhood. While there are a lot of things that matter to Emily, nothing is more important to her than Jesus Christ. It is her goal to point anyone who reads her writing toward Him. When Emily isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, long walks, music, and playing with her kids. "A New Shade of Paint" is her first book.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
100 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's themes of forgiveness and redemption. The pacing receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how the pastor is portrayed as very human, while another mentions how the Lord is honored throughout the story.

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3 customers mention "Forgiveness"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the themes of forgiveness and redemption in the book.

"...It has so many life lessons especially about forgiveness and not judging by appearances...." Read more

"...I appreciated the depths of the characters and the forgiveness woven throughout and the challenge of forgiving...." Read more

"...Loss, regret, redemption, love, passion... it's all there, beautifully woven together." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one customer noting how the pastor's human qualities add depth to the narrative, while another mentions how the Lord is honored throughout the story.

"...It was also very real in terms of the pastor being very human and not a demigod as people often portray Christians especially pastors...." Read more

"...I have fallen in love with all the characters and couldn’t wait to see how their stories ended...." Read more

"...Overall a great Christian wholesome book." Read more

Single parent second chance romance
5 out of 5 stars
Single parent second chance romance
"He always said 'a picnic is full of promise.' When we have something to be celebrated, we have a picnic. When we have something to mourn, we have a picnic. Basically we have a lot of picnics." This book is about noticing memorable moments. Promises are a key component. Learning to count on each other can be hard. Trusting God no matter what is even harder. This book portrays promises perfectly. Normally I would be rather sad that this is the last book in a series that I have greatly enjoyed. But it is such a lovely conclusion to the Hometown Holiday Heartstrings books by Emily Dana Botrous that I could not stay sad for long. In fact, I am quite certain, this one was my favorite one of the series. That is saying a lot - I really enjoyed the other title too! Because it was so touching, I will admit that I did cry in certain places. But I also smiled so often. Pastor Ric and Lisa both have a complicated past, and both have overcome a lot of hurt. A relationship between them seems impossible. As a reader, I definitely wished a few times for a simpler storyline and a quicker happily ever after. There are so many layers to this one. Secrets are revealed that I didn't see coming. But these are the details that added so much depth to the story. A beautifully woven tale full of hope and restoration. And Jesus. Lots of Jesus! Enough details are provided in this book that one can follow along without reading the other books first. BUT the titles in the series are definitely connected. Readers will fully appreciate the characters if all of books are read in order. Familiar characters do come back again. This one was definitely a five-star read for me. A big thank you to the author for letting me read this one early. I requested to read and review it. All opinions are my own. PS Isn't the cover wonderful?
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2024
    I would recommend this book to anybody. It has so many life lessons especially about forgiveness and not judging by appearances. It was also very real in terms of the pastor being very human and not a demigod as people often portray Christians especially pastors. This book is relatable and I love the way it was written. I have never written a review before but I had to for this one, it is really something special.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
    A beautiful tapestry of words, love, relationships and characters. I didn't want to stop reading. I'm still thinking about them. They came alive for me. Thank you.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2022
    I have so enjoyed all 5 of the Holiday Heartstrings books, and it amuses me a bit, as an older reader who hasn’t experienced a whole lot of problems in life, and who is a bit naive! I have fallen in love with all the characters and couldn’t wait to see how their stories ended. The Promise of Picnics had lots twists and turns, and it was exciting to see how our Lord worked in each life, and how our Lord was honored in every story!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022
    As usual, I couldn't put it down. I appreciated the depths of the characters and the forgiveness woven throughout and the challenge of forgiving. I liked how she pointed out that there's things a person has to work through alone with God -- a boyfriend or pastor can't solve everything.
    Overall a great Christian wholesome book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022
    Ric has truly turned his life around with the help of Jesus. His choices ended up with him in jail, but through a prison ministry he met his Savior. That truly made all the difference, and now he is a youth pastor trying to help others not follow roads that lead to destruction.

    Lisa made some incredibly poor decisions after her father walked away from her family. She believed that everyone she ever counted on would leave. When she meets Ric, she isn’t interested at all because she thinks she would be following the same path that ends with her in pain. She will not subject her heart to getting broken again.

    However, circumstances put them together time and time again, and they begin a tentative friendship. They have a lot of chemistry, but they are fighting the attraction. As their friendship grows, they reveal the pain they have suffered in the past. I really appreciated how vulnerable they were toward each other. I really thought Ric was a great guy. Lisa frustrated me a little bit, though I understood her fears.

    I’m so glad they got their HEA. Now I have to go back and read the series from the start.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2022
    I'm not sure what to write. I honestly don't have words about how much I loved this story. Loss, regret, redemption, love, passion... it's all there, beautifully woven together.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
    This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction series conclusion! I loved not only the believable story and heartwarming characters, but also El Salvadoran culture. Many of the food made my mouth water as I read! Parent Guide: due to some situations, I would encourage you to pre- read this book before sharing with your older teens and above. I was able to read a copy of this book via Overdrive, but it did not in any way affect my review. All opinions are my own.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
    "He always said 'a picnic is full of promise.' When we have something to be celebrated, we have a picnic. When we have something to mourn, we have a picnic. Basically we have a lot of picnics."

    This book is about noticing memorable moments. Promises are a key component. Learning to count on each other can be hard. Trusting God no matter what is even harder. This book portrays promises perfectly.

    Normally I would be rather sad that this is the last book in a series that I have greatly enjoyed. But it is such a lovely conclusion to the Hometown Holiday Heartstrings books by Emily Dana Botrous that I could not stay sad for long. In fact, I am quite certain, this one was my favorite one of the series. That is saying a lot - I really enjoyed the other title too! Because it was so touching, I will admit that I did cry in certain places. But I also smiled so often.

    Pastor Ric and Lisa both have a complicated past, and both have overcome a lot of hurt. A relationship between them seems impossible. As a reader, I definitely wished a few times for a simpler storyline and a quicker happily ever after. There are so many layers to this one. Secrets are revealed that I didn't see coming. But these are the details that added so much depth to the story. A beautifully woven tale full of hope and restoration. And Jesus. Lots of Jesus!

    Enough details are provided in this book that one can follow along without reading the other books first. BUT the titles in the series are definitely connected. Readers will fully appreciate the characters if all of books are read in order. Familiar characters do come back again.

    This one was definitely a five-star read for me. A big thank you to the author for letting me read this one early. I requested to read and review it. All opinions are my own.
    PS Isn't the cover wonderful?
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Single parent second chance romance

    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
    "He always said 'a picnic is full of promise.' When we have something to be celebrated, we have a picnic. When we have something to mourn, we have a picnic. Basically we have a lot of picnics."

    This book is about noticing memorable moments. Promises are a key component. Learning to count on each other can be hard. Trusting God no matter what is even harder. This book portrays promises perfectly.

    Normally I would be rather sad that this is the last book in a series that I have greatly enjoyed. But it is such a lovely conclusion to the Hometown Holiday Heartstrings books by Emily Dana Botrous that I could not stay sad for long. In fact, I am quite certain, this one was my favorite one of the series. That is saying a lot - I really enjoyed the other title too! Because it was so touching, I will admit that I did cry in certain places. But I also smiled so often.

    Pastor Ric and Lisa both have a complicated past, and both have overcome a lot of hurt. A relationship between them seems impossible. As a reader, I definitely wished a few times for a simpler storyline and a quicker happily ever after. There are so many layers to this one. Secrets are revealed that I didn't see coming. But these are the details that added so much depth to the story. A beautifully woven tale full of hope and restoration. And Jesus. Lots of Jesus!

    Enough details are provided in this book that one can follow along without reading the other books first. BUT the titles in the series are definitely connected. Readers will fully appreciate the characters if all of books are read in order. Familiar characters do come back again.

    This one was definitely a five-star read for me. A big thank you to the author for letting me read this one early. I requested to read and review it. All opinions are my own.
    PS Isn't the cover wonderful?
    Images in this review
    Customer image

Top reviews from other countries

  • Louise Fowler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
    Reviewed in Australia on August 13, 2024
    Fantastic read

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