Bittersweet (True North, #1)

by Sarina Bowen

[Rowena]

Sarina Bowen does it again! She entertained the socks right off of me with her latest release, Bittersweet. Bittersweet is the first book in her new True North series and it features a grumpy farmer that melted me from the very first page.

Griffin Shipley hasn’t seen Audrey Kidder in five years, not since she disappeared after they hooked up a couple of times. He’s not all that wild about seeing her now with her car stuck in his road and a bunch of ridiculous prices on him and his neighbors crops she wants to buy for her big shot bosses back in Boston. The quicker he turns her down and fixes her car, the quicker she’ll be out of his hair again. He’s got enough to worry about to last him a lifetime. He does not need Audrey poking her nose around in his life.

Audrey Kidder needs to find some local Vermont produce at some decent prices if she’s going to save her job. She needs this dumb ass job to keep her in the running for winning the prize of a lifetime, her lifetime anyway, backing to open her own restaurant. She’s paying her dues and even if she’s miserable at this job, she’s going to keep plugging along because more than anything, she wants to run her own restaurant. The one thing standing in her way? A blast from the past farmer, Griffin Shipley.

The romance between Griff and Audrey was too freaking cute. I adored the both of them on their own, but I loved them even more together. I loved the way that Griff mellowed out whenever Audrey was around and I loved the way that Griffin was on Audrey’s side when she needed someone to tell her she wasn’t crazy for wanting the things that she wanted. The more I read this book, the more I fell in love with every single character.

From Griff’s family to Jude and Zack, even Zara and Griff’s cousins, they were all charming additions that fleshed the story out more and more.

I loved Griffin. I think he was my favorite part of the book. The glue to his family. The heart of Audrey’s life. The lifeline that Jude and Zack needed. I adored seeing him try to save each and every single person close to him. I loved seeing him worry about the farm’s finances, fall in love with Audrey and just be an all-around great guy. He was the strong presence his family needed after his father died and he was the shoulder Audrey needed after her life turned itself upside down. There wasn’t a thing about him that I didn’t like and I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of him in the other books in this series.

Audrey was great too. She was the sunshine that Griff needed and the helping hand that Griff’s mother needed. She brought joy to those around her and it was a bummer that it took her Mom so long to realize that. She had a great deal to be proud of and I’m glad that things worked out for her in the end.

This was a wonderfully sweet romance about two people who had a brief history in college who found each other again in the funniest and yet charming way. I can’t say enough good things about this book. If you haven’t already picked this up, do it. Find out why so many readers out there love this book. It’s a damn good story.

Jude, I’m so ready for you. July 12th needs to get here already.

Grade: 4.75 out of 5