RELEASE REVIEW: BITTERSWEET by Sarina Bowen

5 years ago, Griff Shipley and Audrey Kidder had two blissful nights of hot and dirty sex, but after that, they went there separate ways. Griff went to run his family’s farm in Vermont and Audrey put herself through culinary school in order to prove to her mother that she wasn’t a complete failure. Both Griff and Audrey had dreams of being a success – one on the football field and the either in a 5 star kitchen, but life threw them a few curveballs, taking their lives in different directions, but in a twist of Fate, Griff and Audrey find themselves together again, and this time, the only thing stopping them from reconnecting is themselves.

I absolutely loved Griff and Audrey’s story…it’s sweet…it’s sexy, and I loved how food and cider and their creation play such a pivotal role in the story line. Sarina Bowen also illustrates the beauty of Vermont’s farm land by exploring all of the different types of produce that are at its farmers’ disposal as well as the work ethic and family bonds that come with running a family farm.

The Shipley family is an amazing group of people who take care of one another and offer a chance to those people who most would turn away. Through Audrey’s interaction with Griff’s mom and siblings, readers are able to see what true family is, and we can’t help but fall in love with them, which is exactly what Audrey does as well.

Griff may be a bit of a grump and bound to his family’s farm, but he’s also an intelligent, amazing man who only wants to support his family as well as infuse some of his own ideas into what his farm offers. He has a brilliant mind and knows exactly what needs to be done when, and while he doesn’t believe he has time in his life for anyone/anything else but his family and his farm, what he feels for Audrey is something he doesn’t want to let go of, even if they don’t live in the same area.

Audrey has always felt like a failure; partly because her mom has continually shown Audrey her disappointment and partly because she just can’t seem to do anything right when it counts. Audrey is an excellent chef, but she hasn’t been given the chance to show her expertise in one of her company’s restaurants. It’s important to Audrey that she proves herself and has someone who believes in her, and while she’s in Vermont with Griffin that’s exactly what happens, even if neither of them know exactly where they’re headed because their lives don’t seem to mesh together very well.

Bittersweet is a fantastic start to Sarina Bowen’s True North series. Griffin is not your typical farm boy and there is definitely nothing wrong with that because he is every woman’s dream guy even if he’s a bit too focused on work. Audrey complements Griffin well because he feels more at ease and relaxes when she’s with him, and it’s that connection that shows them both that their lives are meant to be together even if there has to be some adjustments and compromises along the way.

It looks like Jude’s story is up next and with the demons that he’s attempting to fight, I sure hope there’s a woman out there who can help him heal and move on.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Poison Apples