Mainer Farms is steeped in family history, but it’s also deep in debt from the effects of the ever-changing farming industry. Not about to let his family’s legacy go under, Colt Mancinkus is willing to do anything he can to save the farm. Darby Culhane is the new farmer in Whynot, North Carolina, and she’s proving to be quite the forbidden temptation for Colt. Darby isn’t looking for anything but … anything but a fresh start, and she’s got it all figured out. Get settled in? Check. Apply for the rural county grant? Check. Confrontation with the steaming mad, smoking hot local farmer? Well, that wasn’t on the agenda.
As pretty as she is sweet, Colt can’t help but be drawn to Darby’s…peaches. No really, she’s a peach farmer. Get that mind out of the gutter, and get on down to the farm to see what happens when circumstances force Colt and Darby to team up. They may just find that the peach trees aren’t the only things in bloom.
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I am loving this series and with each book we get to know more of this eclectic family and this time we get to know Cole better. He has always known he was going to be a farmer and take over the family farm and even though it has been failing for years he has a plan to bring it back. Standing in his way is the newcomer to town, Darby. She has applied for the same grant Cole did and this causes Cole to form an immediate dislike for Darby…that is until he actually meets her. To say there all the bells and whistles go off, well, the chemistry is undeniable and what happens is Cole finds out he cannot hold onto that spite. Watching these two try to take things slow just made my heart sing but the best part was watching Cole interact with Linnie. In true Whynot fashion, the gossip machine works overtime and the Mancinkus family are all together for Sunday family dinner.
This one could be read as a standalone but really WHY do that to yourself when this series is so good!
I highly recommend this one and all of the other 3 too.
I am going to switch things up a bit and start my review with a minor disclosure, this book contains what some may consider cheating, Darby has taken her daughter, Linnie, and moved away from her abusive and adulterous husband to WhyNot, North Carolina in order to make a better life for herself and Linnie. The reason I do not consider this story one of cheating is because Darby and her husband are living in two different states and she is filing for divorce when she begins her relationship with Colt. Now that I stated my case on this I will continue onto my review….
Colt dislikes Darby before he even meets her because she had filed for a grant that he needs in order to improve on his farm so that they don’t loose it, Darby is filing for the grant for a couple of reasons but Colt just doesn’t agree with her needing it as much as he does. For that reason this book starts off as an enemy-to-lovers story, I was thrilled that it didn’t last long though and they started a friendship that over time grew into something more.
Linnie is the cutest little girl going, she has the attitude of a typical seven year old girl that isn’t happy that things aren’t going the way she wants. She’s dealing with her parents breakup, along with moving to a new state and starting a new school which can be overwhelming to most adults let alone a young child but then she is also dealing with a bully at school. YIKES, it seems like this poor kid just can’t catch a break. What I did love was the way Colt was with her, yes it took some time for Linnie to warm up to him but honestly the way each of the relationships evolved in this story was a great testament to the author not wanting to rush things.
I enjoyed this sweet read very much and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good story about small towns and large families. I love the Mancinkus family each of the siblings are strong willed and independent as well as successful in their chosen professions, Pap is a riot and it would be great to see him get a HEA at some point as well. The next book up is Larkin’s and all I can say is that it is already proving to be a hot one sense we met Locke in this story, the chemistry between them is combustible. While each of the books in the Sex and Sweet Tea series can be read as a standalone I would suggest reading from the beginning so you will know how each of the siblings got their HEAs and watch the progression of each of the relationships in the books that follow in the series.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
***4 Stars***
It’s funny. As much as I was interested to find what would happen when Colt and Darby finally collided, I just wanted a reason to spend more time with Pap and the rest of the Mancinkus clan and hang out in Whynot with all the other eclectic characters that populate the small town and I got that in spades with this one AND got Morrie time *happy sigh*
I loved Darby. I did. Her drive to not only achieve her own goals, but give her daughter, Linnie, more was something I found admirable. But what really got me was what a huge heart she had and how it showed through her actions. Colt. I honestly didn’t care for him all that much in the beginning, his issues did not endear him to me, regardless of his reasoning. So, it took me awhile to warm up to him once he got over himself, but in the end I liked the man he was when he wasn’t acting like a child. Their romance was a definite slow burn for good reason, but it gave them time to really get to know each other and become friends, as well as have Linnie get sorted on all fronts, and when it became more it was perfect.
This was another fun and quick read. Pap and Morrie are my absolute favorites, but catching up with the rest of the Mancinkus clan and their significant others was a lot of fun and I loved Linnie, even when she was making it extremely difficult to find her loveable, and then there is Larkin…after that ending, I cannot wait to see how her own HEA plays out!
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
**Received ARC for a fair and honest review**
Pretty as a Peach is the 4th book in the Sex and Sweet Tea series. This is Colt and Darby’s story. This book can be read as a standalone, though I think that reading them in order makes it better. I like knowing who the characters are when they are discussed. I really loved Pretty as a Peach, and had a hard time putting it down. Darby left Illinois and everything she knew to get away from her controlling, abusive husband with her 7 year old daughter. Colt’s never had a long term relationship, he wants what his parents have and isn’t going to settle. When Darby gets to Whynot to take over as the Operations Manager of Farrington Farms, Colt isn’t too happy when she applies for the same grant he is. He is angry, very angry and is bound and determined to dislike the woman trying to usurp the grant from him.
I really liked Colt, Darby and her daughter Linnie. Colt had no issues with Darby having a child, and including her. I liked that in the story Colt didn’t just want Darby with the child playing second fiddle to the relationship like I’ve read before. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Colt and Darby, and enjoyed how Colt didn’t keep his head up his backside when there was turmoil and confronted it head on. If you are not familiar with this series, don’t let the series name fool you. These books do not describe sexual situations and only allude to them, or mention that it occurred. I absolutely cannot wait for Larkin’s story… the teaser at the end! Whew!!! Loved the teaser! Can’t wait for the next book, to get updates on the other characters and get the new story!! Hope this helps! Happy Reading!!!
3.75 stars–PRETTY AS A PEACH is the fourth instalment in Juliette Poe’s (aka Sawyer Bennett) contemporary, adult SEX AND SWEET TEA romance series. This is farmer Colt Mancinkus, and Darby McCulhane’s story line. PRETTY AS A PEACH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Darby and Colt) PRETTY AS A PEACH follows the building relationship between Whynot farmer Colt Mancinkus, and newcomer Darby McCulhane. Working on her PhD in agronomy, Darby McCulhane, and her seven year old daughter head to Whynot, North Carolina to take over Farrington Farms, a farming operation her former brother-in -law Jake has offered in return for a brand new start, but securing one of the rare farming grants from the Department of Agriculture comes with competition. Enter life-long resident and family farmer Colt Mancinkus, who has plans to open a winery with his share of the government grant. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Colt and Darby, and the potential fall-out when Darby’s soon to be ex-husband comes into town.
Colt’s attraction to Darby is immediate but tempered by the knowledge that the newcomer in town is his only competition for the government grant. Hoping to save the family farm Colt is desperate to push forward with his plans to open up a winery on the family lands. Darby McCulhane needed to escape her emotionally abusive husband when her ex-brother in law Jake offered her the position of Operations Manager of Farrington Farms in Whynot, North Carolina-a position she hopes to use towards her PhD.
The relationship between Darby and Colt is one of immediate attraction but Darby is a single mother of an angry seven year old girl who has a difficult time adjusting to her new home. Never one to give up, Colt takes Darby’s daughter Linnie under his wing, in an effort to begin a relationship with our story line heroine.
Most of the previous story line couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles including Laken and Jake ;Laken’s twin sister Larkin; Lowe and Melinda; Trixie and the ever absent Ryland Powers, as well as grandfather Pap Mancinkus; Colt’s parents Catherine and Gerry Mancinkus; Darby’s daughter Linnie, and her ex-husband Mitch; and the ever present townies including Floyd and his ever present rifle, and Melinda’s BFF Morri D. We are quickly introduced to Deacon Locke who may or may not have a passing interest in Larkin Mancinkus.
PRETTY AS A PEACH is a clean romance with no $ex, limited kissing, and no physical contact. The premise is sweet and charming; the characters are sassy and smart. PRETTY AS A PEACH is a playful and tender love story by Juliette Poe.
I am so loving this series and this book is a fantastic addition. The little town of Whynot, NC has such an eclectic mix of quirky characters that you can’t help but have a good time reading about them. In this story we meet Darby Culhane. She’s a newbie to Whynot. She desperately needs a fresh start and Whynot seems like the perfect place. Working on a farm and growing peaches is exactly the sort of research she needs to finish her thesis. What she hadn’t planned on was one amazingly hot but completely irate farmer that needs the same grant money she does. Colt Mancinkus is working to save his family’s farm and he’s counting on that grant money. Will these two find a way to work together and get what they both need and maybe, just maybe, a whole lot more?
Nice sweet read that I think everyone will enjoy. I highly recommend it.