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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Very enjoyable read. Highly recommend .
I really enjoyed this book!
Loved this story. Hoping there is a sequal
This is a wonderful story about family. The characters and plot are really well written, even with some humor thrown in. I highly recommend this story.
Griff and Audrey’s story is more sweet than bitter, but you’ll still find a bit of both.
They hooked up when they were in university, basically knowing nothing about the other person and thinking that it was a one time thing. It all changes when Audrey has to travel to Vermont because of her job and end up going head to head against Griffin, who is now a farmer there.
I won’t say anything else, because I feel I might spoil it. But if you like sweet romances, the beautiful Vermont landscapes (I know it’s a book and you can’t really see them, but in your imagination you do), amazing cider and a love/hate relationship, this is your book. And if you have any doubts, it was written by Sarina Bowen, so there’s that.
Learning more about farming, apple and pears growin* and cider making.
A sweet, light read. Sexy farmer and a rebel rich girl Chef. A second chance. All my favorite tropes so I really enjoyed this book.
When fate brings Griffin and Audrey back together after their college fling. It takes this Farmer/Cider maker & this Aspiring Chef a moment to think what would their lives be like mixed together! This was a fun story and a great start to what I will guess to be a wonderful series to read!
I loved this book.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I never wanted this book to end!
I loved everything about it – the Vermont / Boston setting, the cider-making, the fact that the MCs were BU alums…I could go on and on.
This book was a seriously steamy, romantic masterpiece, and Grouchy Griff totally knocks out all recent book boyfriend contenders! You’ve got to read this!
I really enjoyed this book ,the characters were great and i loved the little town vibes 🙂
Griffin is a great character ,he gave up his dream of playing in The NFL when his dad passed away ,he took over the family farm ,he was pretty awesome for doing that ,i loved when he see’s Audrey again after 5 years ,it was so funny that she ends up in his ditch 🙂 and then they kinda pick up with they left off all those years ago and its great ,the chemistry between them is chart topping and i loved how his family accepts her 🙂 Griffin has a huge heart and he see’s whats been missing in his life and that is Audrey 🙂
I love Audrey ,she is awesome (i totally feel like a screw up too most of the time too) and i get why she thinks she messes up so much but that’s kinda just life ,when she see’s Griff again and they rekindle old feelings ,it was the best ,they totally balance each other out and she finally finds the family she’s been missing all these years 🙂 her passion for food it great,i totally loved how everyone talked about her cooking 🙂 and how she helps out on the farm !
Also love all the side characters (who i know are gonna get their own books ) they are all awesome 🙂
really looking forward to seeing Zack’s and Jude’s stories 🙂
I can’t wait to see where this series goes and i am looking forward to reading the next book
This was my first Sarina Bowen, and I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audio version and the male narrator was so good! (I’m very picky about my female narrators, and this one was just okay. I didn’t like her “male”voice.)
My family is from New England, so I loved that this was based there. I’m really tired of books based in NY and LA. I liked Griff & Audrey, and the supporting cast and can’t wait to read (or listen to!) the other books in the series.
I can just dive into this series! Sarina you have done such an amazing job with it! I haven’t read one book of yours I haven’t adored! Keep it up! I need more of this series!!!!
Wow, first time reading Ms. Bowens wonderfully crafted books, I’m hooked!
An engaging and realistic plot, witty and intelligent dialog, a cast of characters that you fall in love with and melt your mind passion between Audrey and Griff. I loved the family dynamic and the heartwarming story set in a small town. Exceptional writing.
Bittersweet is a second chance romance that will have you captivated by each and every word. Griff and Audrey’s story is one that will make you laugh, frustrate you and have you wondering if these two will ever get on the same page. Their story will have you on an emotional roller coaster and will steam up the screen of your device as these two show us just what the good old country air does to you.
True North My favorite serie
I was given a free copy of this book by the author.
This feels like a more complex series than other things I’ve read by Bowen. It’s a tale of people with dreams interrupted by real life who still have room to joke and tease. Griff and Audrey are well-developed characters with complex backstories. They can appreciate that the connection they have is unique, and still not see how they can be together. Initially their connection is very sex-based, but they do have a lot of opportunities to show us how fun they can be together fully clothed. Their personalities and humor complement each other well, and it was sweet to see how Audrey would fit into Griffin’s family.
In other books this would end up with a lot of angsty moving until the page count was high enough to get together. In this story it feels genuine. I knew they would have to get their HEA, but I couldn’t anticipate just how they would get there — until they did.
I loved the Star Wars humor. It felt like the natural family joking that would be fine-tuned over years versus a “pop culture reference” being plunked into dialogue. All the secondary characters were given enough of a spotlight to make me curious to know their stories in the following books in the series.
Cette saga fait partie des sagas qui font depuis longtemps partie des lectures qui me font envie et j’ai profité de rencontrer Sarina Bowen cet été à Denver pour lui acheter ce premier tome que j’ai lu en VO. J’ai passé un très bon moment en compagnie d’Audrey mais surtout de Griffin que j’ai adoré .
Griffin Shipley est l’aîné d’une grande fratrie ( dont nous découvrirons les histoires personnelles dans les prochains tomes) qui mène d’une main de maître la ferme familiale. Au décès de son père , il n’a eu d’autres choix que de reprendre la main et de s’occuper non seulement des vaches mais des diversités de pommes pour non seulement les vendre mais aussi en faire du cidre de très bonne qualité. J’ai adoré ce personnage car autant il peut apparaître rustre dans un premier temps, autant il a le sens de la famille et il est très bien entouré. J’ai adoré découvrir Ruthie , la mère de toute cette tribu qui est d’une gentillesse à toute épreuve . Elle prend soin de sa famille mais aussi de ceux qui travaillent pour elle. Nous avons Zachary, l’employé depuis des lustres sur qui on peut compter et qui a plus d’un tour dans son sac . Il est serviable et loyal lui aussi. Puis nous avons Jude , cet ancien prisonnier qui tente de se refaire une vie “normale” après avoir passé trois ans en prison. Nous le découvrirons plus amplement dans le second tome qui lui est consacré. Griffin a donc la gestion complète de l’exploitation en tête et il n’a pas le droit à la moindre erreur.
C’est pourquoi quand Audrey , une jeune femme qui lui a fait tourner la tête quand il était plus jeune, revient , il est sur ses gardes car son manque de concentration pourrait le pousser à faire des bêtises. Il a des préjugés à son égard mais très vite il va se rendre compte qu’elle pourrait prendre une place importante dans sa vie. J’ai aimé l’alchimie entre ces deux personnages et cette entente qui semble si naturelle. Griffin aurait pu être football professionnel mais le destin en a décidé autrement et il est convaincu qu’Audrey n’est pas une femme pour lui. Pourtant il va lui ouvrir les portes de sa passion et il va vite se rendre compte qu’elle pourrait l’aider dans certaines tâches. La jeune femme travaille pour Boston Premier Group et si Griffin signait un contrat avec eux , il pourrait souffler un peu financièrement. Mais si l’amour s’invitait dans l’équation? Pourrait il parvenir à communiquer pleinement sur ses envies et ses désirs? Leur couple aurait il un avenir?
Audrey Kidder est une jeune femme qui se bat pour réaliser son rêve à savoir travailler en cuisine. Mais malheureusement si son talent en cuisine n’est plus à faire, il est sous exploité . Elle doit courber l’échine pour joindre les deux bouts et doit donc obéir à Bill Barton qui lui demande l’impossible et l’exploite au possible. Elle doit faire les tâches les plus ingrates dans l’espoir de remporter un concours et de pouvoir enfin ouvrir son propre restaurant. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce personne qui s’illumine dès qu’elle est en cuisine. Elle leur concocte des repas délicieux et provoque l’admiration dès qu’elle propose des recettes qui sortent de l’ordinaire. Son talent n’est donc pas mis en avant et elle n’a jamais eu d’encouragement de la part d’une personne qui lui est chère malgré les nombreux coups bas. C’est dans cet état d’esprit qu’elle arrive pour une nouvelle mission impossible chez Griffin .
L’étincelle est immédiate et il est clair que la seule nuit qu’ils ont passé ensemble alors qu’il était encore très jeune a laissé des marques. Le duo Griffin / Audrey est un duo qui marche sur le plan sexuel mais il ne faut pas s’arrêter à cela et même si chacun refuse de croire à quelque chose de plus durable , il est évident que les deux heures et demie de route qui sépare Boston du Vermont ne fera rien pour les aider. Elle est complètement épanouie dans cette ferme et comme le dit si bien la phrases d’accroche “Farmers make the earth move” ( expression que j’ai découverte grâce à Sarina à Denver) , avec les fermiers on prend son pied que ce soit au lit ou avec nos papilles gustatives. On va donc se régaler avec les péripéties de la jeune femme , avec ses interactions avec les autres personnes mais surtout avec son alchimie avec Griffin. Jusqu’où l’étincelle les mènera t-ils? Pourrait il y avoir autre chose que du sexe?
Bref, je découvre cette saga et je peux d’ores et déjà vous dire que les prochains tomes sont commandés en VO. Je me suis régalée avec ces personnages que j’ai adoré découvrir. La saga True North n’a pas fini de nous offrir des histoires sublimes avec des héros qu’on va adorer découvrir et qu’on aura enfin de retrouver. Les Shipley n’ont pas fini de nous faire rêver.
I enjoyed reading this book very much. One thing I liked the most was the inclusion of family in the story. The hero of the book ran the (organic) family farm after the death of his father. The descriptions of those apples and the cider he was experimenting with – yum.
Every member of the family except the grandfather worked and contributed in some way. Cooking was a big part of the book and – well, let’s say it didn’t send me to the stove but I definitely thought about it!
Oh, and the romance was wonderful and believable. I did wonder why the heroine was wasting her time with the company she was working with. It appeared to me that her desire to run her own restaurant was a little premature given her lack of experience. Even with that niggle, this is still a 5 star book.
The next book in the series is excellent also.
I want to caution sensitive readers that there is an animal slaughtered in the book. This is a farm.
Ok so I wasn’t sure about this book when I first picked it up and just didn’t know if it was something I would like, but when you love an author you read it anyway, well not even halfway through I pre ordered the second book in the series, I’m pretty sure that in its self tells you if I liked the book. Well no I absolutely loved it, it was different and makes me want to go pick apples lol. I recommend this book very highly and I am super excited for steadfast and Jude’s story.