High school sweethearts Matt and Katy McCall fell in love behind the bleachers with a kiss. Life is easy and happy until Katy is offered a job across the country and Matt refuses to give up his family’s generational farm. They painfully part—one due to stubbornness and the other ambition. Years go by and the rift widens until tragedy brings Katy back home to the farm—and the man who still held … her heart.
But home is not the same and neither is the man she left behind. Matt is on the brink of losing the precious farm. He’s angry at life, and the tragedy has left him feeling like half a man. The last person Matt wants to see is the woman who left him for a career he believed mattered to her more than he did—and gutted his heart on the way out.
Enjoy Love’s Bitter Harvest, the Ward way, with this 2020 edition. Rebranded, edited, and published with Hot Tree Publishing.
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This was a great book to curl up with it is the second book in the series but is the first one I have read but I will be checking out the rest of the series. I was sucked right into this book and could not wait to see what happened next I would definitely recommend it I did not want to stop reading.
Matt and Katy’s Story was long, bittersweet and eventful. Second-chance romance stories aren’t my favorite type of stories but Love’s Bitter Harvest was quite enjoyable to read.
A great story that kept my attention throughout. Author did a great job telling the characters story. Characters were multi layered and relatable. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Katy and Matt were high school sweethearts and got married, when Katy was offered a job in New York she tried to speak to Matt about it but he refused so she left. Matt was so bitter after Katy left and then years later he was in a serious car accident that left him in a wheelchair. Matt’s sister phoned Katy and she went to Matt to help him but he was even more bitter and angry now and told her to go away but she told him she would be staying for a while. There are twists and turns along with betrayal, regret, loss, hope, forgiveness, anger and love that never went away but will it be enough for them to reconcile there differences or is it too late. Wow this is the first book that I have read by Jason T Ward but definitely not the last as it was so emotional and so well written and I definitely recommend you read this book as it is worth reading.
I Voluntarily Reviewed an ARC Copy of this book.
So much in life comes down to the choices we make. And with those choices there will be consequences, both good and bad. Here, both Katy and Matt made decisions that cost both of them pain and suffering … individually and each other.
Life is beautiful. Katy is using her degree in Art & Design by working at the local paper in Lexington, KY. Matt works in the pressroom. Everything is great UNTIL …. Matt is forced to quit his job, forget his plans of graduating and go back to take over the family farm that has been handed down for generations. He feels he has no other choice but to return to his old Kentucky home where he has to step in and keep the farm running.
I love the way the author puts it….. “life just tossed them a large rotten apple with no warning. The rot just spread from there.”
Katy is offered a job in New York and feels like its too good to turn down. She accepts it knowing the damage it will cause between herself and Matt. A 12 hour drive is not a commute. As she drives away she is leaving Matt and her marriage behind.
Four years later, Katy has no choice but to return to Kentucky, to the farm, to Matt. As you read, if you’re like me, you’ll find it heart wrenching watching how things develop. There is anger and sadness. There is a road to forgiveness but it’s rather steep, narrow and curvy. However, as the cover on the book says: ‘Even the smallest seed of love can grow in bitterness.’
OBSERVATIONS:
… Loved the Kentucky angle. Hard to find a place prettier than Lexington. There’s a lighthearted claim amongst the locals that boasts: ‘it’s the home of beautiful horses and fast women’.
… And, I may not live there but I definitely Bleed Blue
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow, what an incredible story. Love’s Bitter Harvest brought forth so many feels. Anger and sadness being at the front. I want to be very careful with this review not to say too much. If you’ve read the blurb, then you already have a good idea of the premise. While, in my own heart, I believe all the circumstances of what happen stem from Katy leaving. As the story goes on, I see that there were also other elements to blame such as miscommunication, lack of respect and a huge amount of stubbornness. You will hear a lot of, “You left me!” & “You didn’t ask me to stay!” At the beginning, I completely blamed Katy. She was so wrong, and it did appear to me that she didn’t love Matt enough to stay. As I read on, I understood that pride took a huge role in the halt to their seemingly perfect marriage. By the end, I liked Katy but still couldn’t forgive her for leaving the way she did. Don’t get me wrong because Matt could have stopped her, could have gone after her or answer her first phone calls at any time. He didn’t. So, while Katy was the initial break in their marriage, I feel that because of stubbornness and pride (on both parts) things could have been settled a lot sooner and Matt would not have been where he was on the night of his accident. Again, this is only my opinion. I can’t help the way I feel.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jas T. Ward. As a blogger, many releases pass my desk and I try to read the blurbs on all of them before I post the release to my followers. I do this because I don’t want to miss out on a great story. After reading the blurb for Loves’s Bitter Harvest, I purchased it immediately. Even before I hit publish on my blog.
This is one of the best written books I read this year. I won’t soon be forgetting these characters or the obstacles they faced getting back together. This author has a way of tugging at your heart, giving you the experience of being there rather than just reading about it. I want to warn you that there are many heartbreaking moments; I constantly prayed for a miracle. Matt had so much more to deal with than the aftermath of his accident. He also needed healing in his heart. He needed someone to help him see his flaws. By the end of the book, Matt’s growth as a character made me so proud. He also made me sad for the things he felt he needed to give up. Katy and Matt’s journey has quite a few obstacles in the way. There are misunderstandings and pride that seem to always be a factor. I am not going to give away the end of the book. The last chapters were so satisfying and despite me wishing more for Matt and Katy, I was happy for them. They were truly happy and, in the end, that is all that matters.
I can’t wait to read another book by this author. Her writing talent truly appealed to me as a reader and I’m looking forward to more.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I that you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
I really loved this heartwarming, at times bittersweet, second chance at love story.
Katy and Matt fell madly in love at first sight, they married really young but their love didn’t survive to Katy’s dream to go to work far from the little village they were born and lived. Unfortunately Matt had to take care of the family’s farm and couldn’t follow his wife to New York, even if letting her go broke his heart.
Now, years later, Katy is back at the farm, called by Matt’s sister, to help her husband after a bad car accident who put him in a bed. The reception isn’t the best, because they both suffered pretty hard, but Katy is not the same shy,sweet girl who left and Matt will find pretty soon that she isn’t a quitter either.
I adore broken heroes who need a stern lecture in order to get back on track. I wanted Matt to get well and for both the characters to find some closure and joy.
This was the first novel I’ve read written by this author and her words, her characters and the world she depicted sucked me in since the beginning.
I highly recommend to read this novel.
Let’s just be honest; people make mistakes. Why we make the choices we make, why we do the things we do, how we deal with the repercussions of those choices, it’s all dealt with in this book. Love’s Bitter Harvest was not an easy read, and the author warned of that in her preface. But it was so amazingly honest that it was a pure pleasure to read. Jas T. Ward writes about real people dealing with life that is not what you would expect.
Matt & Katy are the products of their childhoods. Matt’s outwardly looked like the perfect family to Katy. Raised by an alcoholic mother who eventually abandoned her, Katy saw home and family in Matt. However, Matt’s father bound to the land that had been in the family for generations had raised Matt to take care of everyone, especially the farm. The singular devotion to the farm blinded Matt to the needs of Katy. Katy was not without fault in this drama, but as stated, choices and repercussions are hard.
Unforeseen catastrophe brings Katy back, and with some humility and a whole lot of honesty, chasms fill because love is higher in this case. I can say this for Jas T Ward; she deals with real emotions and real consequences from bad things, whether through circumstance or bad choices. Such a good book of healing, forgiveness, and humility.
Matt and Katy were high school sweethearts when they got married, but when Katy left town to follow her dreams and to prove something to herself, leaving behind a bitter Matt. When a tragic accident brings Katy home, Matt is nothing like the man he used to be. He is physically and emotionally broken, as well as angry and bitter, leaving him feeling like half a man, and he is determined to push Katy away from him. Will Katy stay in town? Can these two forgive and move on? This is a well written story which is raw, gritty, emotional, and a heart-breaking tale. I look forward to reading more from this author whose work I recommend for all readers.
This is the first book I have read by Jas T. Ward and after reading Love’s Bitter Harvest I’m left wondering why I haven’t come across Ms Ward before now.
This is a second chance romance that’s an emotional read, it a very special romance that touched me on so many levels. Matt and Katy McCall were high school sweethearts, they thought the future was there’s to share but fate had other plans and a lot of miss communications and putting ones own feeling first lead to a breakup and Katy leaving Matt and their ranch behind. Fate works in mysterious ways and just as it pulled this couple apart it’s now pushing them back together and this time around they are both very different people but Matt wants nothing to do with the woman who walked away…
This is an emotional read and it really tore at my heartstrings, it’s a roller coaster and it’s unpredictable but most importantly it’s a beautifully written love story about fate, soulmates and second chances. A great read
4 Star Review Love’s Bitter Harvest by Jas T Ward
Jas T Ward is a new author to me and what a book to start out with. Love’s Bitter Harvest is a second chance at love story that was emotional and at times heart breaking. Matt and Katy McCall fell in love in high school, married and planned for happily ever after. However, fate works in mysterious ways and due to miss communication, stubbornness and a job opportunity that is too hard to refuse.
Matt will never forgive Katy for her betrayal in leaving him and their ranch behind, however when tragedy strikes she returns home to help him. However the man she finds now, is a bitter and broken man, nothing like her Matt and one who wants nothing to do with her.
I really loved Matt but I had a hard time connecting with Katy. This is an emotional roller coaster of a read about two people who in order to forge a future, need to look deep into themselves , come to terms with what they discover and somehow find a way to forgive one another. It was a book that had me totally invested in the story that Jas T Ward wove. It’s a well written love story that will get to you on numerous levels, if only they will both take a chance.
Jas really knows how to captivate a reader and grab their attention with her words. I love her Shadow Keepers Series but these books – A Romance The Ward way really gets your attention, I love Katy and Matt’s story, this books deals with a lot and still has me hooked. It’s an amazing book and I can’t wait to read more Romance The Ward way