Sweet Surprise

Honeysuckle, Texas #2

by Chris Keniston

When Carson Sweet runs into an old college friend, the last thing he expects is a nine year old boy with his smile—or a second chance at something real. Jessica Pratt didn’t come to Honeysuckle looking for a future, but the warm-hearted town—and one very special man—might just convince her to stay. A marriage of convenience could save more than Carson’s family ranch... it might just heal three hearts in the process.

Step into Honeysuckle, Texas, a charming small town where love, family, and ranching roots run deep.

Genres: Romance

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 24, 2025

About the author

A native New Yorker, Chris Keniston was on her way to Australia when she fell in love with North Texas. Little did she know the balmy seventy-degree October days would turn into fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat in August!

Twenty years later, she started scribbling short stories about her favorite TV shows, giving them lives more to her liking - and the elusive happy ending. Not long after, a dear friend dragged her to a local writers’ meeting. After winning multiple writing contests and making the finals in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart contest, she now spends her days, and nights, writing contemporary romantic fiction with lots of emotion, plenty of surprises, and, of course, the happily ever after.

Chris lives in suburban Dallas with her husband, two human children, and two canine children. Though she loves her puppies equally, she admits being especially attached to her German Shepherd rescue named Gunny. After all, even dogs deserve a happily ever after.

Die gebürtige New Yorkerin Chris Keniston war auf dem Weg nach Australien, als sie sich in Nord-Texas verliebte. Damals wusste sie noch nicht, dass die milden einundzwanzig Grad des Oktobers sich im August in eine Hitze verwandeln würden, in der man ein Ei auf dem Asphalt braten könnte. Zwanzig Jahre später verbringt sie ihre Tage und Nächte mit dem Schreiben von zeitgenössischen Liebesromanen mit viel Gefühl, einigen Überraschungen und natürlich mit Happy End.

Als stolze Mutter von zwei menschlichen Kindern lebt Chris mit ihrem Mann und ihren beiden Hundekindern in einem Vorort von Dallas. Obwohl sie ihre vierbeinigen Familienmitglieder gleichermaßen liebt, gibt sie zu, dass sie eine ganz besondere Bindung zu ihrem Deutschen Schäferhund Gunny aus dem Tierheim hat. Schließlich verdienen auch Hunde ein Happy End.

https://www.chriskeniston.com/deutsch...

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to Honeysuckle, Texas with book #2 in the Sweet Series. The Sweet siblings are still on a quest to get every child married, so they can save the family ranch. Each will receive money as they marry from an inheritance that has stipulations. They've taken it upon themselves to save the ranch and marry, without their mom knowing.

Since Kade is in the military, next up is Carson to find a spouse. He tries, but the woman he was going to propose to decided to go back with her ex. When he goes out to eat, there's a little boy sitting in a booth by himself. Carson decides to interact with the kid, as the child is drawing. Carson, too, loves to draw/doodle. He's quite smitten with this little boy, and for some reason his gorgeous green eyes look familiar. When his mom, shows up Carson now knows why the eyes look familiar. They belong to Jess, the girl that got away.

Jess winds up back in Honeysuckle deciding if/how she'll tell Carson Sweet about her surprise. She doesn't get time to stress any more because when she comes out of the ladies room, there's Carson talking to her son.

I love these two together and I love second chance romance! These two are perfect for each other! Wonderful story!

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome back to Honeysuckle, Texas, where the Sweet family is trying to save the ranch. It’s not just a ranch to this family it’s so much more, but they are facing financial issues. Alice Sweet head of the family tells her children just what’s happened. So the siblings come with a crazy plan to save the ranch without her knowledge. One by one the siblings need to find a suitor. Carson Sweet comes a young boy sitting by himself at the diner. He sees no parents, and decides to sit by him. But when a woman steps by the table to which he stands up not expecting to see Jess it blows his mind. What she tells him next is the shock and surprise to him as well. He feels something unexplainable. She explains things to him, and why she’s here. He insists she, and Colton stay at the ranch.

Colton was a bright young boy, and everyone in the Sweet family knew he was Carson’s son. It was strange that some saw the resemblance and some did now. But some also thought what did Carson do? It was great when Jess explained.

A must read.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and entertaining book.

When her ex-husband becomes terribly ill Jessica Pratt orders blood work to see if their son has inherited the same disease. What it reveals is beyond shocking information Jess never saw coming. Now she and her nine year old son are on their way to Texas to give Carson Sweet the surprise he will never see coming.

Carson hasn’t been able to forget his first love. They were friends that spent one night together, just to have Jess return to her ex boyfriend and marry him. When she and her son unexpectedly arrive at Carson’s family ranch there will be difficult conversations to have. Especially with the turmoil going on with Carson’s family in danger of losing their ranch.

There are a lot of issues regarding why the family ranch is in danger and only one thing was barely touched on in this book. It left me a bit confused and wanting to know more.

I received an ARC and voluntarily offer this review.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read the premise, you may think this is just another romance, but like all of Chris Keniston's books, Sweet Surprise is it's on unique tale. Warm, sweet, irresistible, tale of a family trying to save their ranch brings two old friends back together with a surprise for the whole family. It is only recently that a desperate Jessica Pratt realized that a one-night stand in a liberation from her longtime boyfriend led to the child she always assumed was fathered by the guy she had intended to leave. Her unintended but trip back home leads to a reunion that she could only dream of. The need for the Sweet adults to marry soon to save the family ranch just happens to bring need and desire together for the perfect chance at happiness. Carson, Jessica, and Mason are sure to become some of your favorite characters. Although a bit shorter than other series books from Ms. Keniston, each book in this series brings a complete tale and leaves no one wanting.

[Becky Claxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet second chance at love. Jessica and Carson had become good friends while they were in college after she had broken up with her loser boyfriend. When Jessica found out she was pregnant, she made a bad mistake and married her previous boyfriend thinking it was his baby. I think she was scared and happy when a health scare with her ex husband showed he was not her son Colton’s biological father. I was so glad that she decided to go to Carson’s home town to find him and let him know he had a nine year old son. It was serendipitous since all the Sweet children were trying to find a spouse to save the ranch. It was so sweet watching Carson and Colton bond as well bonding with the rest of the family. I encourage you to read the book.

[Raven2352 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this eBook by the author. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is the second in the Honeysuckle Texas series.
Carson is next in line to find a wife to help save the family ranch, Jessica Pratt just got a surprise! She and her son Colton are headed to Honeysuckle, TX to give Carson a big surprise!

They can help each other with a marriage of convenience, but what happens when old feelings grow?

[Debbie Borthwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess is such a sweet lady with an adorable young boy. Carson is a handsome, Texan gentleman and I loved reading about their story. Chris's stories never fail to make me happy, I thoroughly enjoy reading her 'sweet' romances. I look forward to the next one in this series!!
I was gifted an ARC and I'm voluntarily sharing my honest opinion.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet second chance love story. Carson and Jessica were together after she left her ex, but returned to the ex when she found out she was pregnant. Now, nine years later, she discovers he son his bot her ex's child. A sweet read, but I find baby drama stories difficult because how could she not realize it could have been either mans'.

[Elizabeth Hanrahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

love find a way

Carson and Jess’s story started a long time ago. Finding out her husband was not her son’s father was a shocker. Jess goes to tell the real father of his son. Love is still there.

[Isha Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a chance on romance and find your heart along the way. From lighthearted to soul stirring, Sweet Surprise is a second chance journey that has a few surprises along the way.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likeable characters and a heartwarming story. I wish these books were a bit longer. Looking forward to the next one.

[Mary Seyler-Branford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cozy loving family

Continue learning about the Sweet family and their relationships. Good stories. It was a clean and enjoyable book. I enjoy the series.

[Marleen E Ruegsegger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying her books

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Surprise is the second book in a new series (Honeysuckle, Texas) by Chris Keniston. The book rotates around the Sweet family and their ranch in Texas. The siblings are called home by their mother, only to find out that the foreman and most of the ranch hands have been stealing the cattle as well as building supplies and machinery. Huge amounts of money are needed immediately to save the ranch. There is a trust that will give money to each of the siblings after they have married (and stayed married for a year). That will be a huge help. But none of them are married yet…

Carson runs into an old girlfriend in Honeysuckle when she surprises him with a child, a nine year old boy. Little did he know or expect Colton. Jess is desperate to find a way to afford to take care of Colton. She is behind in her rent and lost her job. Maybe Carson and his family can help her start again. A city girl in the country, it could be a hard sell.

I enjoyed the second novel, which can be read as a standalone novel. The youngster, Colton, was my favorite character with his excitement with everything at the ranch. The mystery of the missing supplies and cows deepened with some machinery that was found and then lost again. Jess’s reluctance with the large animals was also fun.

Sweet Surprise by Chris Keniston was a sweet read!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love second chance romances, and this one is one of the best I have ever read!!! Carson gets the surprise of his life at just the right time. Jessica finds out a secret she didn't even know she was keeping. Colton is one of the most adorable little boys. What a great story. This is my favorite couple in this series.