He’s one bad apple she just can’t resist . . . Kennedy Sinclair never dreamed she’d own a pie shop and an orchard in a small town like Destiny Bay. But nestled between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean, it’s the perfect place to cross something off her “Life’s short so eat the icing first” list and start her life over from scratch. Her shop, Sweetie Pies, is famous for its hot, flaky apple … flaky apple turnovers and sinfully delicious deep dish pie. For Kennedy though, nothing is more enticing than the tall, strapping slice of temptation who keeps coming back for more.
Luke Callahan is determined to make his hard cider business a success. With his beloved father’s cider recipe and the opportunity of a lifetime in his grasp, he’ll stop at nothing to get this deal done. There’s just one catch: he needs Kennedy’s apples. At first, he thinks it’ll be as easy as pie to charm those apples right off her trees. But Kennedy isn’t falling for his tender charms or his wicked ways. When the negotiations start heating up, so do the feelings they have for each other. And it takes just one kiss to seal the deal . . .
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I loved the second book in this series, which I read actually read first (whoops), but one of my complaints about it was that I felt like we didn’t get enough backstory on the male lead, Hawk. I thought that perhaps, despite being standalones, I should have read them in order for more about his past and the story behind his family. I was wrong. While there is slightly more setup of Hawk and Ali, none of it was super deep or would have given me what I wanted from Feels Like the First Time. I’m ultimately glad that I read them out of order because this book was fine, but nothing special for me, and I probably would have never bothered to read any further in the series.
After catching the man she thought was going to be her happily ever after cheating on her, Kennedy Sinclair decides it’s time for a fresh start. A fresh start that includes buying a quaint pie shop in the small town of Destiny Bay. A hobbyist baker all her life, Kennedy thought this new life would be easy as pie. Despite having had a rough childhood, one where her mother was never there for her and then having her abandonment and self esteem issues become front and center once again when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, Kennedy was still fierce as can be. Which was absolutely why I loved her. Moving to a small town and then taking over a pie shop that the locals expect to forever stay a certain way wasn’t easy for her, but I loved the maturity and grace that she handled things with, especially when other people weren’t nearly as mature about things.
Like Luke Callahan. Kennedy didn’t just get the shop when she made her purchase, she also got the right to the apples from an orchard that has always been used to make Sweetie Pies’ most famous pie. Apples that Luke also desperately needs to be able to take the next step in his cider business. I had a hard time liking Luke, he was too calculating and cocky for me to have any sort of positive feelings for him. I understood his motivations, he needed Kennedy’s apples to expand his business and be able to buy back a home and piece of property his mother loved. But at no point did he actually talk to his mom to really find out what she wanted and he wasn’t willing to let his business partner, who had financial means, help him. Instead he resorted to playing games with Kennedy, despite knowing that her entire livelihood was at risk. It made it hard to forgive him, or even trust his feelings and motivations when Kennedy was concerned.
Despite an instant attraction to each other, Kennedy and Luke each think of each other as the enemy, the person standing in the way of their dreams, which made for an interesting dynamic, at least at the beginning. At a certain point though, I was tired of the will they/won’t they (obviously they will, it’s a romance novel) back and forth. Their banter was fun, but I quickly got tired of the enemies aspect of their enemies-to-lovers romance. Especially when their behavior wasn’t just having an affect on each other, but also their businesses and professional reputation. Even when their relationship did become romantic, I never really felt the emotional chemistry, perhaps because I felt like it had taken too long to get there.
I also felt their individual stories were far more compelling than their romantic one. All of the side characters and their relationships with Luke and especially Kennedy were what made the book interesting. I loved the push and pull of the various townspeople adjusting to Kennedy being new in town and changing things up at Sweetie Pies. I loved the aspect of “found family” that was explored with Kennedy. But Fiona was absolutely the bad apple in that situation. I found her obnoxious and grating and hated that I felt like she was supposed to be a feisty, old lady comedic relief and instead just frequently felt mean-spirited and like the worst kind of unnecessary roadblock for Kennedy.
All in all, this was a mostly fine and occasionally fun love story, just nothing that’s going to really stick with me past writing this review. Because I did enjoy the second book, I’ll probably give any future books in this series a shot, but they won’t be the kinds of books I’m clamoring for as soon as they’re announced.
Kennedy Sinclair is done with men, and ready to reboot her life after her last relationship left her broken-hearted and alone, and Destiny Bay seems to be the perfect place for her to get her new start. Buying Sweetie Pies, and getting to do something she truly loves, couldn’t be more perfect for her right now, that is, until a handsome Luke Callahan enters her life. He’s gorgeous, tempting as hell, but she knows he has ulterior motives and she’s not about to let him get his way… no matter how much he makes her swoon!
Luke Callahan has a fool proof plan to make his dream of running a hard cider business and carrying on his family legacy a reality, but he has one minor problem… he needs apples and the woman that holds the key to him gaining those apples is not so willing to help him out. From the moment he met Kennedy Sinclair he was drawn to her, she’s beautiful, feisty as hell, and drives him crazy… in more ways than one! But she has no intentions of falling for his charms, nor letting him have her apples…
From the moment I started this enchanting little story I fell hard for these endearing characters, and they had me completely wrapped up in their lives and laughing and smiling the whole way through! If you have ever read a story by Ms. Adair then you know she is a master at creating characters that charm their way into your heart, pull you into their quirky little worlds, and make you feel like you belong… and usually have you never wanting to leave! And true to her previous works, this new series is no exception, I believe it could quickly become the new favorite of many of her fans, and is some of her best work to date!! I highly encourage you to meet the folks of Destiny Bay, they are sure to steal your heart, and keep you entertained from start to finish!!