Cookie Encounter

by Michelle Connell

Where does the power to forgive someone come from?
A tender story of love and forgiveness.

Follow Natalie's journey as she learns to forgive and then falls in love.

Natalie Alexander believes she is unworthy of a romantic relationship after a traumatic event back in college. After moving to southern Illinois, she can finally put the past behind her. But then she's smitten with the handsome Nick Norton, who she meets over a platter of cookies. Unwittingly Natalie is drawn to Nick, but will she ever be able to reveal her secret? Can Natalie overcome her insecurities and can Nick help her see her inner beauty?

Genres: Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary

276 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Michelle Connell asked for a typewriter when she was two. She didn't get one. But she learned to read when she was four and started writing stories shortly after.

She loves to read and write and has been working on her own novels since her writing group asked her to try NaNoWriMo. She thought they were crazy at the time, but now thanks them as she has several novels of her own in the works. She co-wrote a book of prompts with her writing group, called Prompted to Write.

Now her debut contemporary romance is out, Cookie Encounter: a Chance Encounter Inspirational Romance. Her military inspirational romance, Heir Force, came out in 2017. Her next chance encounter story comes out in March 2020.

Reviews

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Michelle Connell’s Cookie Encounter was Natalie. Specifically, Natalie as a non-Christian. In my opinion, this is one of the most accurate depictions of a never-churched non-Christian that I’ve read in Christian fiction.

One of my dearest mentors taught me that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. I so LOVED seeing this concept play out in Natalie’s story. Mrs. White, Mrs. John, Nick, even their pastor – none of them spouted sermons or platitudes at Natalie. They didn’t use a lot of “church speak”. Instead, they just loved her quietly and sincerely and selflessly. Because Jesus had made a difference in their lives, they reached out to make a difference in hers. And in so doing, they introduced her to Jesus in the process. To me, this was such a refreshing look at how it should be done and seeing it through Natalie’s eyes made it even sweeter.

When your hero is a Richard Castle lookalike, you really can’t go wrong with a chance encounter. Especially one that begins over a plate of cookies. Not to mention that Nick is sweet and sincere and just an all-around good guy. Cookie Encounter has an assortment of characters like this, and I would love to be friends with any of them. While the writing style often strayed into the territory of “too much superfluous detail” and not enough of a focused plot for my personal preference, I still enjoyed reading Nick and Natalie’s story (theirs is a nice instant-attraction but slow-develop romance) and I’m looking forward to future books in the series. Michelle Connell has done a fantastic job of getting inside Natalie’s head through the first-person narrative, and Natalie’s perspective on the book’s events is refreshing and authentic.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)

See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cookie Encounter


Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? Natalie doesn't think so, not after what happened in college. She feels unworthy of all the love and friendship she is receiving in her new town, Mascoutah, Illinois. When an explosion at the high school rocks her world, Natalie decides to step up and help out. Nick, her new friend, is hurt and as he was there for her, she decides to return the favor.

COOKIE ENCOUNTER a very nice read. Clean, uplifting and touching. A lovely story about having faith and not giving up hope, even when things seem dark. A few thoughts came to mind when I read this. First, learn to live life in God’s time. Also, that having faith doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen. It means we should use our faith to get through the difficult times. This story shared a nice message about all of this.


Michelle Connell is wonderful at writing about feelings. The sadness, pain, and guilt that Natalie goes through are very real, and then when she opens her heart to Jesus, it was actually a very touching part of the story. It's not very preachy, but it has a good, strong message. I rather liked it and look forward to reading more by Ms. Connell

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mascoutah, Illinois. Natalie Alexander (narrator, author/writer) moved to a different town in hopes of escaping her past.
It’s not long & she soon meets Nicholas Nick Norton (Jim’s nephew, HS English teacher)
Fast forward could there be a romance blooming?

There was an explosion at the HS. It was found out students had mixed the wrong chemicals together, not a bomb.
Nick was rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital (Belleville) in critical condition.
Dr. Swenson gave Natalie & Mrs. John (Aunt) the update news about him.
Dr. Givens also did surgery on him. The recovery was well past 4 weeks.
Nathalie was working diligently on her next novel. She also had a book signing in Oklahoma.

Will Natalie make peace with her past?

What will become of Natalie & Nick?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A delightful very well written romance book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great romantic movie, or mini TV series. Not something I normally read but I really enjoyed it. That said I will still rate it at 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from the Goodreads Giveaway. It was a wonderful story. Natalie moves to a new town to have a life away from her family and the bad experience she had while in college. She is a writer but helps her income by doing editing and other projects. The joy she received from living in a small town was wonderful. She made a few friends but a lot of the people there did not know her past. She decides to take some cookies over to a gentleman who has just lost his wife of over 40 years and meets the man's great nephew who doesn't make a really good first impression. But when she goes to the grocery store and ends up twisting her ankle she receives the best of all small town needs. Her neighbor who she is close to sets her up to get help with her meals and anything else she might need. But in the sense she also gets to now Nick. The gentleman she met earlier. But he knows he has fallen in love with her but she doesn't know it yet. But they become friends and then he gets injured at a science lab explosion at his high school and she comes to be with him while he heals. and it seems to work out that she falls for him and he helps her come back to God and church. It is a wonderful story

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would believe that a neighborly gesture would change the path of your life forever? Natalie takes a plate of cookies over to a grieving neighbor and her heart is set on a path that was not what her head expected. But before she can move forward, she needs to face her demons and learn to forgive herself. A wonderful romance. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

[Sandy Duke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I suppose this was an okay debut clean romance. However, the characters were rather flat and the language very stilted. I also found several recurrent descriptions of people's footwear (or lack thereof) rather odd. But to each his own. I did not like that several characters who represented Christianity either lied or looked the other way when others did questionable things. Although Christians are not perfect, I thought these particular actions were odd and out of character for long-time believers.

Trigger Note for those who have experienced sexual violence and/or betrayal of family members.

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I both laughed and cried. I felt like I knew Nat and Nick personally. What a great novel! Can't wait to read others.

[Sage Nestler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cookie Encounter" is as cute as you'd expect any inspirational novel to be. I particularly enjoyed how the main character was an author, because I was able to relate to her well. She was also very self conscious, which seemed to make her a more realistic character when compared to other traditional romance heroines.

Michelle Connell's writing is clear and crisp. Her words flow freely, and she incorporates great descriptions into her writing. As I was reading this novel, I couldn't help but turn the page over and over again. I am a sucker for romance, but I think that even those who aren't as passionate about romance would enjoy this novel. Her writing is artistic, and I could tell that she was trying to paint a picture with her words instead of just merely telling a story. When I was reading her novel, I felt as though I were analyzing a beautiful oil painting in a well known museum. She captured the flaws of the human experience well, while also incorporating hope and love, which are both things that humans tend to search for on a daily basis. Because of these aspects, I would relate her novel to the genre of "literary fiction" instead of just romance since this novel is strong enough to stand on its own. Her novel not only reads like a great beach read, but it reads like something that you would want to recommend to your friends. I didn't find her writing to be immature at all, which I sometimes find with romance novels, and I highly recommend her work for all age ranges, since it is not too mature for younger readers.

If you are looking for a light, fun romance that is filled with love and hope, then I highly suggest "Cookie Encounter". It is short and sweet, a novel that you won't want to miss. It would be great for those who have busy lives and need a shorter novel to conquer.

[Shash · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Natalie Alexander has recently moved to a small town in Illinois. When she takes cookies to her recently widowed neighbor, she meets his nephew, Nick Norton. Because of her past, Natalie feels she is unworthy of being loved. As she and Nick grow closer, she has to decide if revealing her past and hoping for love is worth the risk.

There is a real small town feeling to the story. Neighbors helping neighbors is a strong part of the story. It’s full of great examples of kindness and service. It is also a great story about forgiveness, both of others and of yourself, and finding faith.

Natalie and Nick have quite the journey! I liked the way they really supported each other and helped each other through everything. They were great characters! The supporting characters added so much to the book.

A few things in the book seemed a bit unrealistic to me. You really wouldn’t take someone to the hospital that was unconscious for two weeks? And after the engagement to the end of the book felt forced to me. I appreciated all the loose ends being tied up, but it felt like that’s all the last chapter was - trying to jump ahead a few weeks or months at a time to quickly show that the loose ends were taken care of. I think I would have preferred an epilogue.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Connell writes in the future.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle Connell]

Where does the power to forgive come from?

Natalie Alexander believes she is unworthy of a romantic relationship after a traumatic event back in college. After moving to southern Illinois, she can finally put the past behind her. She works from home as a freelance writer, in her own world most of the time. But then she unexpectedly meets the handsome Nick Norton, who she meets over a platter of cookies. She’s smitten from the first moment. Unwittingly Natalie is drawn to Nick, but will she ever be able to reveal her secret? Can Natalie overcome her insecurities and can Nick help her see her inner beauty?

[Kristah Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely, uplifting story. Natalie has to make peace with her past before she can accept love into her life. After moving to a new town, she meets Nick, who is handsome, kind and funny. She is instantly drawn to him, but is afraid to reveal a traumatic secret that has been haunting her since college. Nick, along with his church friends, must help Natalie learn to trust again. An inspirational story with plenty of drama that draws you in with its sweet romance and endearing characters.

[Denise Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of love and forgiveness. I recommend this book to all Christian romance fiction lovers.

[Raylene Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

It was a very put together book, as any person who live there some many feeling you go thru. He did it so good.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. Local author for me and I did enjoy the local events.