Bittersweet (True North #1) by Sarina Bowen ~Review and an exclusive Q&A~
The new series is set in
Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that
populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They
chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are
optional but encouraged.)
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.
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 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.
Want to romp around the
orchard with a bearded farmer? Bask in his grumpy scowl? See his well-toned sun
kissed forearms milk some cows and churn some butter?
LOL! Oh, this could be
the read you’re looking for, ladies and gents.
It’s a second chance
romance… kinda. A few of the most memorable nights in college either of them
ever had. A chemistry that after all this time still remains. Before both
Griffin and Audrey had to grow up and figure out the adulting was not all it’s
cracked up to be.
They are both on separate
paths yet weaving in and out of each other’s just enough for the chemistry to
build and take over on more than on occasion.
I liked these two
together. At times I would become irritated at the things that would be used as
obstacles for them, though. Both are clear thinking and practical people with a
heavy dose of common sense, so when there was an issue I felt that the two should
have behaved better than how they did. But that’s just nit-picking and part of the "making up" fun. The overall
feel of Bittersweet is a lovely tale of second chances on many levels.
It’s a
sweet read with a side of cheese and a good cider :)
A perfect summer read.
Q & A with Author Sarina Bowen
1. What do you want
people to know about Griffin?
That farmers are so cool!
Vermont has a lot of young, energetic crusaders growing food and changing the
world. The orchard is Griff's office. And? Farmers like to get dirty.
2. What made you decide
to write Bittersweet?
I always knew I'd write a
Vermont foodie series. What's sexier than food and the people who grow it?
3. Did any music inspire
your writing process? If so, what?
This book has more of a movie
theme than music. Griff is a Star Wars fan. He's a crusader, and just the sort
to shout, "never tell me the odds!" like Han Solo. :)
4. Are the recipes
used/created by Audrey yours? If not where did you find them?
Here's a secret: before I
wrote romance, I was a food writer. I have a sour cherry tree in my yard, which
inspires Audrey's fancy bbq sauce recipe at the beginning of the book. I
haven't made all of Audrey's dishes, though. Some of them (like her spicy
coconut rice) are things I've been served in Vermont at various restaurants.
5. Favorite wine and
favorite chocolate :)
Favorite wine: any brut
champagne. Favorite chocolate: Lake Champlain Chocolates.
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