Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter

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Amazon Synopsis:

Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she'd never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe--a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she's the only person in town who doesn't expect her to give up the life she's established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?
Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love, Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their "break," not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now--five years later.
As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe's head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn't sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.

My rating system looks something like this: 5 stars: Holy cow. I can't breathe. That was amazing. 4 stars: I liked it. No complaints, but not heart-stopping. 3 stars: Good, but have some issues with it. 2 stars: Pretty bad. 1 star: Awful. I think Blue Ridge Sunrise falls at about 3.5 with this rating scale. I liked the story and Cruz as a leading man. But Zoe was annoying and hard to root for. I'm also disappointed that the faith elements in this book were very weak. I hate that Zoe went from living with her boyfriend to singing a solo on stage at church without any kind of "come to Jesus" moment. Maybe that makes me a legalist, but I feel like it should be addressed. I was also confused about Noah and Josephine. Am I supposed to know them? This is book one in the series, right? Why so much back-story about these minor characters? Recap: cute story, good romance/chemistry, weak faith elements, annoying main character *I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.*