Thank you for the ARC of this book.

This was a sweet slow burn romance about two people who are written as opposites. I thought the book was charming, but it was a little too wordy for me. I also felt like the characters seemed younger than they were. I can definitely see why people are loving it. To me, I just wasn’t blown away.

Read if you like:
Instant love connection
Forced proximity
Slow burn

My Thoughts

The story of Dr. Rowan McKinnon, Botanist, and Dr. Harrison (Harry) Brady, Obstetrician, hits every high and low imaginable in a romance between two such different people.

Without a doubt this is meant to be nourishment for the romantic souls who read it.

The book about the Brady families relationship with Dr. Rowan McKinnon is one that struck a familiar chord but at the same, because it is about unique characters of Harry Brady and Rowan herself, it tells its own unique story.

Set in Pennsylvania vineyards it has to be said watching these two develop their relationship as the title implies is like watching a plant bending toward the sun as it grows.

Will a keep it temporary so you don’t get hurt again woman and a man who loves hard without reservations find their way together in the end?

After some stops and starts that follow their journey together both Rowan and Harry learn some hard truths and also learn sometimes you just have to give your heart total control no matter if your head tells a different story.

Filled with the joy of life that only comes from learning to accept ones self as well as accept that there are others you can really depend on no matter what.

This book is intense without being overwhelming, sweet without being gooey and steamy without being too explicit.

In other words a great escape with a cast of fictional characters that are all totally enjoyable to spend reading time with for me.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I have had this one sitting on my kindle waiting to be read for quite some time and I am a little upset with myself that it took me so long to get to it. I loved my reading experience for this book and the atmosphere was perfect! This story follows Rowan who takes on the job of restoring a vineyard while working on her thesis and Harry who is escaping to his parents new vineyard after facing a career set back. This is so much more than a love story between two people, it is also about healing and learning to overcome the setbacks that thrown at us during life. I laughed and cried while reading this and didn't want it to end. I loved the setting of the vineyard and that Rowan was a botanist who loved plants and everything about them. I think some of my favorite scenes were ones that took place outside. I will say that there are some heavier topics with this read so you may want to look into content warning before reading but the beauty of the writing gives such a great sense of comfort. There are a few side characters in this one that I am really oping get their own stories and if they do I can not wait to read them! Highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out August 9th. Thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy!

Bend Towards the Sun was your typical rom-com, and to be honest, I enjoyed it. It was a comforting read, and all the characters were very cute. I loved this book, and will probably read it again.

Bend Toward the Sun will take you through the highs and lows of love and heartbreak. Jen Devon created the perfect romance with Harry and Rowan’s heartfelt and ínstense love story.

Readers will not be disappointed with all the angst and bickering of these two emotionally unavailable MCs. You just can’t help falling in love with every character ( I need Malcom’s and Duncan’s story asap) and setting ( a beautiful in the works vineyard).

Devon has now been added to my autobuy authors. She had written a beautiful story that i can’t stop thinking about even after I’ve finished the book.

I loved this story! Rowan and Harry were just amazing together. Rowan doesn't know how to do relationships. She never knew her father, her mother was self centered and didn't foster a healthy relationship with Rowan. (Who sends their child some mail without a return address??) Rowan's grandmother's love was the only love she knew for the first 12 years of her life before her grandmother passed. Harry, on the other hand, comes from a loving family and he wants to show Rowan how to have a loving relationship. So good! I wanted an epilogue. I'm hoping Rowan's two best friends have books coming featuring two of Harry's brothers and that we get to see more of Rowan and Harry.

4.25 Stars
From the first chapter, I was struck by the dynamic interactions between Rowan and Harrison, as well as the immediate swoon factor. This was a couple I didn't have to be sold on. The author nailed it in the first pages and I was expectantly excited for the rest of the story.

The slower-burning romantic tension in the first third of the book drove the story forward, but there was a lull in the pacing of the middle portion while Rowan fights her true feelings for Harrison. All the while, the writing remained consistent and as the story entered its final third, it was an emotional race to the climax and ending. I honestly felt a rush of adrenaline as Rowan was bombarded with the truth of her feelings and her past. Both characters were at different times frustrating, but also lovely, and I understood their emotional reticence and conflict.

The last three chapters felt like a bonus when we got some beautiful time with Harrison and Rowan after their resolution. It was like having a prolonged epilogue. Just lovely.

Aside from the romance, I loved the dynamics in Harrison's big family. Parents, in-laws, four brothers, one sister, children, and the welcome additions of any and all who have tagged along. The banter, sparring, and teasing brought fun and lightness to some of the heavier moments of the romance.

Bend Toward the Sun was mature, immersive, and thoroughly developed. I’m looking forward to spending more time in the vineyard with this family when brothers Duncan and Mal get their stories.

I loved meeting the Brady family and hope we get many more books in this series. Overall. I found this story to be well written with multi dimensional characters. I sometimes struggled with Rowan and how she treated Harry though. I feel like she was unreasonable and difficult to like at times, but I appreciate that the author did this as I think I made the story more relatable and interesting.

Hey there! I am going to tell you about this sweet romance but first..

You know when you read a book and instantly want to read more about all the characters in the book. Bend Toward the Sun gave me that feeling. I want to read about Harry's (many) siblings and Rowan's best friends. I already have matching pairs in my mind. Just need to wait for Jen to write them.

This book has a great setting. The Brady family just bought a vineyard with plans to open a winery and a b&b. But they need help from an expert to help them with the vineyard. So Rowan comes to the rescue. She accepts the job with some conditions. She'll leave when she finishes writing her PhD dissertation and finds a post-doc or a teaching position but there is a complication. There is Harrison, Harry, the doctor of the family. Who is on leave from work, recovering from a work related trauma.

Their meet-cute is so sweet and funny. Their attraction is instant. The chemistry is there all right. But they have different expectations from the relationship. Rowan wants no-strings attached sex while Harry is all in from the beginning. But as the time passes, while they hide their relationship from Harry's family, what Rowan is willing to give Harry becomes not enough for him.

Rowan is prickly, set in her ways. She speaks her mind. She has 2 friends who love her unconditionally but she still has issues with believing she is worthy of love. Her terrible, emotionally abusive ex and her mother did a number on her. She hasn't known romantic love. But Harry is patient with her. Until he is not.

Harry is nearly perfect. I say nearly because he does something out of character for him and lost some book boyfriends points:)

This book made me emotional with a glass of freshly squeezed, pulpy orange juice. We love a romance hero who pays attention!

Overall I really enjoyed this emotional story about healing and love. It could have used a tighter edit. I am looking forward to reading what Jen writes next. I need Duncan's book asap:)

3.5 stars

Another romance novel in the bag this week. And another scientist as our protagonist. Rowan is a botanist who is recruited to help the Brady family rejuvenate the vineyard on their property. She has had a rough upbringing with her grandmother having sole custody of her before she passed away. Rowan's mother is not a stellar example of parenthood either, so Rowan has limited experience with good family roots; however, Harrison (aka Harry) does. His family is close knit, welcoming and loving. Harry falls for Rowan almost immediately, but Rowan guards her heart. She knows that she has feelings for him and physically they are definitely attracted to one another.

Through Rowan's inability to commit and Harry's commitment to her, they split for several months to navigate what should be. Rowan discovers more about herself than she would have ever discovered before meeting Harry and inadvertently discovers she's in love too. Harry's family invites Rowan to his dad's birthday party as a reunion of sorts, for Harry and Rowan to talk through their problem and they rediscover the love they've had all along.

This one comes out on 8/23/22 and it is one for the books. I gave it five stars and you should too. Go out and preorder now! It for sure will leave you wanting more of the love between doctors.

#NetGalley

4.5
Thank you to SMP Romance and Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review! This was such a sweet and heartwarming story. Both Rowan and Harry had so much trauma and past hardships to deal with and it was amazing to see them heal together. I loved the botany and plants background. I thought it was really interesting and unique, and not an occupation that's talked about a ton. I loved the big family energy from Harry's side and all the banter and gathering that took place at multiple times throughout the story. The healing and the communication that Rowan and Harry had warmed my soul honestly. I love the two of them and I loved the journey they went on. I wish it would have happened a bit sooner because I think their relationship would have been so beautiful, but I understand the growth it needed to have for it to really be great. Overall this was a great book and I would definitely read more from Jen Devon.

After dnf'ing the last 7? 8? books, this one FINALLY hit the spot! Not only did it get me out of a slump, but it also had me staying up until 8 a.m. to finish it. After so many disappointments, I had little to no expectations, and like a fool started reading this at midnight I think? Anyway, it was so good that I refused to sleep, even after a long long day!

Bend Toward The Sun is a gorgeous romance story between Harry and Rowan. Rowan is a damaged soul and has so many walls up. She doesn't believe in love. Enter Harry. Ugh Harry, sweet, charming, vulnerable. He's completely gone for her and Rowan keeps putting up these walls, but cannot keep away.
The angst in this story was exactly what I wanted. All the stomach knots and butterflies.

Read if you like:
- he falls in love first
- a beautiful romance
- family-centric story
- heart-achingly, beautifully angsty story
- intense, real, vulnerable, layered, well-developed characters

Bend Toward the Sun is a beautifully-written stunning debut from Jen Devon. Honestly, I want to read everything she ever writes.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is beautifully written but it didn’t work for me. The romance didn’t feel balanced. I felt like Harry was emotionally manipulative and kept pushing and pushing for Rowan to meet him where he was at and he never gave the same back to her.

Wow. This book is lush. Gorgeous prose. And a STUNNING debut. In the era of rom-coms, this is a true contemporary romance with delicious angst and pining. The story is character-driven with internal conflict driving the show. Jen Devon is an obvious talent and I'm looking forward to more books from her (hopefully featuring some of the side characters that were introduced in this book). To be really picky for a second, the pacing of the romance in the first 25% or so was a little rocky to me. I was all-in on these two for the last 75%, but feel like I missed why they were drawn to each other, missed the moment that moved them from crush/infatuation to something more. That initial build-up of romances are always my favorite part and I kind of missed that. The rest of the book definitely made up for it though and overall the entire journey was emotionally satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the most beautifully written book with a very swoon-worthy romance.

Rowan is a botanist with her career plan set in academia when her best friend sends to resume to the Brady family, who are hiring someone to help them with their new vineyard. The only problem is Harry Brady, one of the Brady sons who Rowan had a previous run-in with him that left her feeling… something.

Having been hurt before and spending most of her life not knowing true love, the only way Rowan knows how to deal with Harry is to push him away. Things are further complicated by Harry’s own past.

The Brady family are just so well described, even with the large number of family members, I felt like we got enough detail on each to understand who they are, I loved these secondary characters! Rowan and Harry’s relationship was one of my favourites to read. There were many moments that brought tears to my eyes because they are just both so hurt by their pasts and struggle so much to figure out how to move forward.

I really hope that there will be a second book (maybe focused on another potential couple? - can anyone say Duncan and TJ?!). I can’t wait to read more from Jen Devon!

Read this if you love:
- Insta attraction
- Forced proximity
- Close family

Trigger warnings: childbirth, death, parental neglect, gaslighting, anxiety attacks

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for the copy of this ARC.

Bend Toward the Sun is a solid debut (and hopefully start of a series…!) featuring two main characters with broken pasts. Rowan and Harrison have a lot of communicating and healing to do, and they struggle to see eye to eye for most of the book while also figuring out to do about their obvious mutual attraction and love. While it’s insta-love, it’s also slow burn as they figure things out internally and with each other, navigating through hard things like neglect, gaslighting, bad relationships, and work trauma. I would’ve preferred having more of the characters’ backstories toward the beginning/middle of the book instead of all at the end. I think it could’ve helped me understand why the characters were making certain decisions in the moment instead of having it explained more later, but it did make sense in the end and I absolutely love where everything ended up. The vineyard/farm setting is perfect, and I loved that Rowan is a STEM woman helping the Brady family out with all of the horticulture in their new business venture. The friends are wonderful supporting characters, and the Brady family is really the shining star here, which really makes me hopeful for more books in the series!

WOW!

Some books just find a place in your heart and burrow down deep. I knew from the first few pages that this debut from Jen Devon was going to be special!!

The story takes place over the course of a year on a newly purchased Vineyard. The Bradys are a big, boisterous Italian American clan excited to try a new adventure and middle son Harry, an almost OB, has come home from California to help and heal after a traumatic experience. During a game of family tag he runs into Rowan, a socially anxious botanist trying to finish her PhD who is more comfortable around her plants than people. Together these two build a beautiful friendship but the sparks are undeniable and irresistable!

This book is steamy, has oodles of heart, wonderful found family, strong female friendship, amazing women in STEM and mental health rep and will both make you cry and laugh in equal measure. I could go on and on about how much I absolutely adored this story and each and every one of the characters but you really just need to experience the Bradys for yourself.

Much thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!! Highly recommended for fans of Chloe Liese, Mazey Eddings and Susannah Nix. I cannot wait to read the next books in the series featuring Rowan's two best friends and the brothers who love them.

This was one of the most heartbreaking beautiful romance novels I’ve ever read. It was sweet and warm and wonderful. I haven’t really read many romance books where the main characters are this reluctant to get into a relationship (with very good reason) but I actually enjoyed it and it made the slow burn and eventual steam well worth the wait. I can’t wait to see what Jen Devon writes next! A stunning, gorgeous debut!

Rowan grew up being raised by her grandmother, Edie, who nurtured her love of plants and growing things. When Edie died all she had was a mother that was clearly not interested in her daughter. After a brutal break up with her fiancé, Noah, she is struggling to finish her Ph.D. Harrison is just starting his career as an OB-GYN but after losing a patient he comes home to his parents soon-to-be vineyard and bed and breakfast. Rowan meets Harry, finds it hard to understand this big, noisy and loving family. There is a bunch of back and forth and at times I really didn't care for Rowan much. I hated the way she was so sure she didn't want a relationship and that Harry would let her down but it seemed like she never took his feelings into account. There are some steamy scenes but it fit in with the story. Fortunately there was not a lot of focus on Harry being an OB-GYN. I liked Harry but he had his baggage too and that baggage had to be unpacked by the end. I had a moment where I teared up a bit, I liked the ending and I didn't like the ending.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this digital copy.

Oh my sweet Jesus Bend Toward the Sun was a ride! This slow burn romance was so beautifully written, and put my emotions through the ringer.

The story follows Rowan (Rosie) McKinnon is a botanist whose friends submit her resume without her knowledge to a vineyard looking for help with restoration. Harrison (Harry) Brady is a former OBGYN who purchased the vineyard and has thrown himself into restoring it as a way to cope with the loss of a patient. There is instant chemistry, lots of witty/flirty banter, and disgusting sweetness between the pair, but neither are ready to explore their feelings due to their pasts. BUUUTTTT when they finally take that leap, oohh buddy that steam!!!

Bend Toward the Sun was the perfect blend of sweet, steamy, and emotional! I loved it so much! Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for the arc!