Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen

Bittersweet (True North, #1)

by Sarina Bowen

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.

Reviewed by whisperingchapters on

4 of 5 stars

Share
This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Bittersweet is the first book I read from Sarina Bowen and I don't know why it took me so long to get into her books! I was missing out on a lot! Sarina's writing transported me to Vermont and I could see myself being at the farm with all of the characters.

The familial feeling the story has had my heart melting. Besides them being coworkers at the farm, they are really close to each other and it shows. I love when a story gives that sense of closeness among the characters because they have someone to count on no matter what, even if they aren't blood-related. Also, the scenery was spectacular! I definitely need to take a trip to Vermont.

The organic farming details and the cooking recipes! I loved learning the process that goes into organic farming and how complex and time consuming it really is. I wish there was an organic farm near me. I would visit it all the time for sure! Another thing I loved were Audrey's recipes or at least the details of each ingredient. The way the author conveyed Audrey's enthusiasm for cooking and her recipes shows that Sarina did her homework. Not only that, I was savoring all the flavors! My mouth would water every time cooking talk would happen.

I loved Audrey and Griff! Their tension started immediately when they met, but the thing is, they had "known" each other already—they had an encounter at a party a few years ago. Seeing them battle their emotions and trying to stay away was really entertaining. Griffin is kind of this tough guy, not wanting to let anyone close. For Audrey, she feels like she's just a fling to Griff, and neither sees how they could possibly make things work between them since she lives in Boston and Griff has his responsibilities at the farm in Vermont.

Overall, Bittersweet was a great read for me. I loved the characters and the farming aspect to it.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 24 October, 2016: Finished reading
  • 24 October, 2016: Reviewed