Bittersweet

This is a sweet story involving family, beloning, finding yourself and love….most of all love. Our couple, Audrey and Griffin, a two time college hookup end up leading very different lives than they envisioned. He’s a farmer and she’s a chef. He’s trying to turn his dreams/vision into reality. She’s struggling to find her vision. The one certain thing between them is their connection. He also gives her something she has always longed for…to be a part of a loving family and to be loved.. She softens his gruff edges and makes him happy. What began as lust turns to love and an HEA.

The characters were original, lovable, funny and romantic. It was a great story. I had never read this author before and I loved it!

Bittersweet is my first book by Sarina Bowen, the story was good, a lot of great moments and great characters to enjoy..

Audrey came from a wealthy family who didn’t want to support her anymore. After she left college, her own mother disowned her, not believing in her dreams to be a Chef… Trying to make her way on the culinary industry, she is determine to get a permanent job as a chef.. but the company she is working, doesn’t want to give her a chance, they constantly say she is not good, and she needs more experience.. making her feel like nobody really believes in her..

Audrey drives to Vermont seeking for cheap local organic products that can help her with “a project”.. after 5 years of not seeing each other Griffing meets Audrey in the weirdest circumstances.. her car stuck in a ditch in the middle of the road, a road that lead to his family farm..

Griffin is in charge of his family farm, with a lot of siblings to feed, he doesn’t have time for anything or anybody, his life is about the farm, the hard work, the animals and his cider.. he was a very talented hard working man.. with big dreams and a future that just got stuck in the middle of the road..

Audrey and Griffin story started long time ago, when they were just in college, this time they have a second chance to finally be together or to finally say goodbye.. both have diffrent lives and experiences.. so many has happened.. their love started slowly but their attraction was very palpable, since the very beginning… even if they haven’t seen each other in years, Audrey and Griffin still have some feelings going on.. and time is about to prove it..

Audrey stays for a while in Vermont after not having any luck on changing her tire.. leaving her no choice than to spend a few days with Griffins family.. Watching how they work and the amazing relationship between them, Audrey can’t help but fall in love with Griffins family, they’ll are cheerful, welcome and helpful.. she felt like she was home, preparing food for the Shipleys was a delight..

The secondary characters of this books, Griffins family are amazing! they have a huge part on the story, they’ll really make you laugh .. you can feel the union, the closeness.. it really makes you want to have a family like that..

It was a great journey, I really enjoy this book.. I cant wait to find out more about the rest of the characters…

Enjoy it.

This is my first book by Sarina Bowen even though I actually have a few of her other books that I haven’t read yet. I’m starting to see a very disappointing theme with me lately. I just can’t seem to keep up with the books I’ve bought. There is never enough time to battle with my one-click addiction!

Griffin (Griff) Shipley runs his family’s farm in Vermont. Since his father passed away, he has risen up to be the ultimate caretaker of not only the farm but his family as well. He had to grow up fast and has no time to worry about relationships.

Audrey Kidder has spent her life trying to impress her mother. All she has ever wanted was to become a famous chef. Unfortunately, her mother hasn’t really supported her that much. While pursuing her dream, she lands a job as an intern that pretty much sends her the crap jobs. No training and things that don’t involve knife skills. She is sent to Vermont to convince local organic farmers to sell to her company. However, they aren’t very good prices and she has her work cut out for her. Although she was up for the challenge, she was not prepared to end up on a farm that is run by her former hook-up from college. How will she ever be able to be successful at getting the product her company wants for their price from a former fling?

I like Audrey and Griff together. She’s full of sass and stubbornness. She’s funny and caring. He’s grumpy, and all work. Yet fiercely loyal to his family and friends. Together, these two are the perfect mix of opposites. However, I did feel like their connection fell a little short. Yes, I get that they were both hot for each other and couldn’t wait to have sex. However, I didn’t feel a romantic pull with them until the very end. I think this is probably a me thing and I can’t really pinpoint.

I will say that the secondary characters actually stole the show for me. The sense of family, love, loyalty, happiness and overall solidarity that we get from them makes them one of the most powerful group of people that I’ve read about in a long time. There was enough there that kept me wanting to know more about each and every one of their stories.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I could tell that the author is passionate about the farming details in the book and I respect that. Growing up in the south with some farmers in my own life, I understand the love of the one of the most hardworking, under appreciated lifestyles out there. If you are looking for a sweet romance between a grumpy hero and a sassy heroine who just seems to be perfect for each other, then this is the book for you.

Sarina Bowen has solidified herself as one of my all-time favourite authors with this book! Bittersweet was a delicious story, lush with imagery and characters I wanted to hug! She sold me so hard on the world she created in Vermont that I started job hunting for jobs in Vermont, ha! But more than that, the dawning of Griff’s feelings for Audrey was beautiful, and left me sighing and crying…but not in a bad way! I can’t wait to delve into the rest of the series. I already have Jude’s book ready to go next!

Very well written and edited. Charming story line. I loved the interaction between the characters.

Funny, sexy story involving a spunky chef and a cranky Vermont farmer. Loved the family dynamic of the farmer.

Oh, how I love Sarina Bowen. I’m obsessed. Everything she writes is magic. I actually have calendar alerts set in my phone for when her new books come out. I always adore everything she writes, and Bittersweet was definitely not an exception. Alice Clayton’s Hudson Valley series instilled a love in me for attractive farmers who are all about their crops and the farm-to-table, buying local way of life. So when I saw the description for Bittersweet, I was already sold.

Once upon a time in college, Griffin Shipley and Audrey Kidder had a couple really hot nights together. But since then, they’ve gone their separate ways and haven’t given each other any thought. That all changes when Audrey, an aspiring Boston chef sent on a mission to Vermont to buy local ingredients, drives her car into a ditch on Griff’s family farm. Griff is just trying to keep the farm, and his family, afloat and the last thing he needs is Audrey and the terrible corporation she works for interrupting his day and trying to buy his harvest for far below the value.

Literally everything about this book was spectacular. First of all, the setting. It doesn’t get much better than an apple orchard in Vermont. And Sarina Bowen’s enchanting writing style made me feel like I was there well enough that I could practically taste the crisp sweetness of the Shipley apples. The plot. It was fascinating and definitely unlike anything else I’d ever read. In between reading sessions, I found myself thinking about Griff and his aspirations to expand his cider business and Audrey’s goals to open her own restaurant and how they could possibly both end up getting everything they wanted and end up together with the HEA I hoped Sarina Bowen was going to give them. I was honestly so into the plot that more than once I googled things about apples and cider because I wanted to know more.

And then there were the characters. Be still my heart. Griff Shipley. I want to marry Griff Shipley. I want to be a part of the glorious Shipley family. Every single family member was well developed, which just added to the charm and heart of the story. And Griff is no exception. He’s this handsome, but totally gruff and grouchy farmer, who’s fiercely protective of the people and things he loves. I didn’t just love him because Sarina Bowen told me I should, loved him because she had him earn that love. And then there’s Audrey. I adored how fierce and strong-willed and clever she was. Her going toe-to-toe with big, tough, Griff right from the very start had me invested in her, rooting for her. And their chemistry together was off the charts. Totally swoon-worthy.

This is the kind of book that had me racing for the rest of the series and left me knowing that I’ll be reading it again when I need another Griff/Shipley farm fix.

Loved this book and a sexy read.