Farmers make the earth move.
The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.
At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings … supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.
Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.
They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.
Warning: Contains sexual situations, gourmet yumminess, a steamy outdoor shower and proof that farmers don’t mind getting dirty.
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This book was so good. Who knew farming and brewing could be so hot . The chemistry between the main characters was sizzling . I loved it and was sad to get to the end of the book
Four and a half stars!
I adored this story about Griff and Audrey; how the beautiful girl who had little self esteem found it on a farm in Vermont with a big, burly, grumpy farmer was perfect. I started the book in audible and also adored the narrators.
A fan of Sarinas writing style and this book was no different. Absolutely loved Big Bearded and growly farmer Griffin and Quirky city girl chef Audrey. The chemistry was off the charts and their banter together was great too. The cast of characters was fun and the description of the farm and its surroundings made me feel like I was there.
Wonderful start to this series and they are all great. I love the characters and the family. The relationship isn’t just wham bam you’re in love. The have a history and a conflict of interest. I love that Audrey doesn’t just dump her job the minute she and Griff get involved. The details of the farm, the complexities of farm to table supply, restaurant business and cider making were very interesting and added to the story.
Love the whole series!!!!!
Bearded guys were never really my thing but that was before I met Griff Shipley. Super sexy and incredibly likeable, both main characters were complex and fun to read. The story wasn’t your typical cliched miscommunication or hot ex getting in the way, which I appreciated. Lots of fun side characters and great world-building. I’ll be reading the rest of the books in this series. I highly recommend it.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I really liked it! I enjoyed the Vermont farming community, the development of the romance between the two main characters, and all the secondary family and associated characters. I definitely want to read the rest of the series!
I really loved the Shipley family. And the romance between Griffin and Audrey. Can’t wait for the next in the series.
Wonderful!!!
Good book with solid supporting characters. Liked Griff, but Audrey was a bit annoying. That being said I’d like to continue the series to catch up with other characters.
I enjoyed this book about a former college jock who had to return home to take care of his family’s farm. He’s reacquainted with a former college fling under unusual circumstances.
I’ve not made it a secret that Sarina Bowen is a favorite of author of mine. I have loved every book she has written, and that streak continues with Bittersweet, the first book in her True North series.
What’s not to love about a grumpy apple orchard owner and farmer, who loves his family and his cider equally? Nothing! Griffin Shipley is not sure he is living the life he was supposed to be, but he is hell bent on providing for his family, and will stop at nothing to give them the lives they deserve. Audrey Kidder knows she is a great chef, if the restaurant company she works for would just give her the chance to prove it. Instead, they send her to Vermont to meet with an August Shipley…. and as it turns out, not for the first time.
“I had a flicker of a memory of the last time I’d seen Griff Shipley. We were in his room at the frat house, and he had me up against his bedroom door.”
Griff tried to play the part of the former college football star turned cantankerous farmer, but he was much more sweet than crabby. There was an undeniable chemistry between Griffin and Audrey. They might have had a brief past, but whatever was happening now was on a different level. Watching Griffin try and figure out how his feelings for Audrey fit into his life running a farm provided some of the best moments of the book. I just love when the grouchy hero finds the girl he realizes he can no longer live without. I enjoyed every minute of his struggle. Audrey may have felt the same, but she had a job to do, and it was difficult to watch her try and balance her feelings for Griff with her restaurant dreams. She was making connections in town and growing close with Griff’s family (who are all awesome), but you could see that knowing she couldn’t stay was tearing her up. I really connect with strong females, and that’s what I loved most about Audrey. She could have forced her dreams to wait after reconnecting with Griff, but she refused to compromise her vision for her future. She was driven by her goals, and that made her all the more desirable.
As with every Bowen book, you get exceptional writing, story flow and character development. I’ve come to expect this, and Bowen delivers. The inner thoughts of Audrey and Griffin are just as witty as their banter. She gets so deep inside of her characters, knows them so well, and fully develops them, that you feel like you could be their best friends. You know their secrets and desires, just as clearly as Bowen. When you finish reading, it’s like saying goodbye to your best friend from grade school. Another remarkable aspect to Bowen’s writing is her knowledge of what she’s actually writing about. This wasn’t a few lines about what it takes be a farmer…getting up early, being super hot and dirty all day, and working long hours. If I didn’t know better, I would think Bowen owned an apple orchard, milked hundreds of cows every day, and ran the day to day operations of a family farm. That’s how detailed she was…and not in a boring way. I found myself glued to the page whenever Griffin would describe his farm and his workings. Knowing your material goes a long way with me, and Bowen gets it right every, single, time.
Bittersweet was a low-angst, love story that took a former college hook-up straight from bitter to sweet. I loved every word of this perfect story. It’s another hit from Sarina Bowen. I will be anxiously awaiting Jude’s story.
Great vacation read
set in a farm- I love this family
Griffin has taken over the family farm when his dad passed suddenly.
a college hookup, Audrey shows up at his farm trying to buy his produce at a very low rate.
I love their interactions and his family and town folks.
Definitely want to read more of this series.
Den opretentiöst lättsamma inledning, bjöd mej på långa leenden, några näs-fniss och en snabbt ökande vilopuls i Bittersweet -en bok som både grep tag i och höll fast mej rakt igenom.
En fristående feelgood bok med romcom-känsla (o lite hetta), där en små strulig
city-tjejen kör fast i bygdens mest beska bondes dike. Ordutbyte av mindre milt slag görs i stundens hetta men trotts det växer en skönt charmig relation fram under kommande veckor kring denne bryske bonde och hans familjegård i vackra Vermont.
Båda parternas genuina entusiasm för ekologisk odling, traditionella tillrednings tekniker och stulna tungkyssar leder storyn framåt och bygger samtidigt vidare på bokvärlden som redan nu innefattar bokserier av flertalet författare. Dvs. Flera av karaktärerna och miljöerna som skymtar förbi får nytt liv och utvecklas vidare i egna böcker inom modern romcom-genren. Kolla författaren Sarina Bowens hemsida för info.
Great Start – Want to read them all!
I have been meaning to read this series for some time, and I know I’ve read this first book previously but my review seems to have gone missing – so I’ll start again.
Second time round, I got a wonderful sense of family and familiarity. Grumpy farmer Griff still made me smile and smirk at his humor. If you are a person that found it hard to find your passion or calling, then you’ll resonate with Audrey. She is sassy and smart but she has low self esteem. Being with Griff helps her realize she means the world to him and his family and she can achieve all her goals when she puts her mind to it.
I loved the way this book sets up the characters for the books to come and I’m looking forward to heading back to that universe, either the farm or Vermont, and see what’s installed for them all.
Have you ever wanted to visit an orchard? Well, if not, you will after reading this book! Griffin Shipley is a surly, lumberjack-ish head of his family. Audrey Kidder is a determined blast from his past who throws a wrench in his plans. Steamy, funny, and full of heart – the whole Shipley family will win you over! I have 2 words for you…outdoor shower. u2063
“I love you, princess. You’re the sweet that balances out my natural tannins.”
I’ve read a few books by Sarina Bowen and I’ve had this one on my Kindle for a while. It drew me in this week. And there is no way I could ever give this book anything other than 5 stars.
I love the way Sarina writes her stories and weaves her tales. I find myself wanting to read more and more each time, and now I can’t believe it took me this long to pick up this series!
“This man would be the death of me. There was nothing he had that I didn’t want more of.”
Griffin. I can’t even. I love my heroes grumpy and grouchy. I love my heroes bearded. Protective. Supportive. Griff is all of this and more. The guy who left his own dreams behind to help his family and took on responsibilities he wasn’t ready for. The guy who would always put them, and their farm, first, even before his own happiness. There’s so much to Griffin I love.
“There was nothing I wouldn’t have given her at that moment. Skin to skin with her was the only place I ever wanted to be.”
I really liked Audrey. I can kind of see where she’s coming from. When you’ve spent your life being told you’re a disappointment, it’s hard to fight it, and push back. And you start believing those people, even if you don’t want to. Audrey felt very real to me, someone who could have had it easy if she only followed what her mother had set out for her. But she’d rather follow her dreams than settle.
“She and I were a dangerous combination. We needed cautionary signs like the ones hanging in the tractor shed over the cans of diesel fuel. WARNING: COMBUSTIBLE.”
When Audrey gets a job that takes her to Vermont to find some produce for her employers, the last thing she expects is to find Griffin there, a blast from the past from her time at the university. They hooked up back then, but it never went anywhere. She made her way through culinary school. He’s a farmer. Maybe they never expected their lives to ever come together again, but here we are.
“His burly body surrounded me. Thick arms boxed me in. Muscled legs held mine tightly together. I’d been immobilized in the most perfect way.”
Griffin’s being his grumpy self, Audrey’s making fun of him, and they slowly make their way into each other’s lives and hearts. His family is adorable, and they welcome her with open arms – the supportive, encouraging Shipley family is the family she never had. The setting for the book is breathtaking, and I can almost see the orchard underneath all the stars. Damn. Can I live there please?
“You know you’ve got it bad for someone when watching him pull on his jeans makes you heartsick.”
The book is sweet in all the right places. This book is hot in all the right places too – I mean, the outdoor shower scene, come on! These two just have this undeniable chemistry that just works. I sometimes wish Audrey could see what was in front of her, but it was refreshing to see the male character falling first, and hard. It was heartwarming to see him caring for her, and letting her follow her dreams, even if it meant not having her.
“But if you get discouraged…if you need a day off from trying, I’ll be here where you can find me.”
Griffin is the first person that sees Audrey for who she really is. Audrey is the first person to make Griffin want and feel like he deserves someone in his life to love and who loves him back.
And their story was just spot-on for me.
Wowza! I’ve found my new favorite series! Bittersweet is the first of the series but the second one I read. (I recommend you read them in order, but “new favorite series,” so …) The real world is pretty messed up right now so this was a welcome escape. The series deals with some pretty serious issues (not this one as much as the other) but from a place of love, fun, hard work, and acceptance. Not much is more wholesome than an apple orchard, right? It is soothing and wholesome and wonderful. This family is amazing (particularly Griff). I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Cozy
I liked reading about Griff’s close-knit family, gourmet cooking, and descriptions of the Vermont setting. I enjoyed it more than Griff and Audrey’s rekindled relationship. I liked their characters individually, but something about their romance seemed superficial. Still, it was a good series opener, and I plan to read the next book.
This is the first time I have ever read or listen to anything from this author. I truly like her book for the most part. I do feel like there were a few things left unfinished that I would have loved to see added but for the most part I enjoyed the book.
Griffin was truly a sexy cowboy. I love the love and loyalty he had to his family. He gave up so much so it was nice to see that fate saw he got something in return.
Audrey was just a girl who saw something in herself no matter if others did not. She had been through so much so it was nice seeing Griffin and his family standing in her corner.
I think the narrators did a wonderful job on this story and happy I got a chance to listen to the book.