Member Reviews
What an absolutely wonderful story this was, I enjoyed every moment of being at Elderflower Grove especially in the company of Kayleigh and Carey as well as the villagers and the bee puns were fantastic!
Loved this and as it got further in I couldn’t put it down. At one point I was expecting Carey to be a ghost but didn’t see it coming as to his true identity. I had a very late night when the fire broke out as I had to know what would happen. Brilliant from start to end.
Loved it!!! Such a cute and magical story. It's the perfect summer read. What could go wrong when Kayleigh is hired as beekeeper of Elderflower Grove? Did I forget to mention that Kayleigh has never been a beekeeper and uses "A Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping" to help her keep the bees alive. I knew Carey was keeping secrets when he met Kayleigh and I suspected she was going to be angry when she finally learned the truth about him. Kayleigh and Carey were exactly what each other needed. Loved the relationship they had together and the banter they had back and forth. The scene in the kitchen with Kayleigh and one of her mom's "boyfriends" was a little unexpected. He didn't seem to care that he was naked. Loved the mystery about what happened to Josie and Guillaume. Elderflower Grove sounded like a bee-utiful place to live. There were enough bee puns to last a lifetime. The villagers sure loved those bees. I was sad to see the story end. Would have loved to see where everyone was a year later.
Definitely recommend the book. Would love to live at Elderflower Grove, especially if it came with a cute guy who made friends with foxes and wore Gremlins and other fun T-shirts.. Loved the story, characters and writing style. I pretty much had a smile on my face throughout the book. The section about the author is the best, which makes me love her even more. There's definitely not enough time to read all the books that I want to read. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book. The covers get me every time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HQ through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Loved it. A bit of a gentle mystery, a baddie in the council, a meandering love story and lots and lots about bees. Such a good book covering Kayleigh and Carey and how they take on looking after 60 hives with no experience whilst trying to find anything that can save Elderflower Grove. Some great twists after being led up the garden path on various ideas and all done with good humour and joy.
Whenever I hear news of a new book from Jaimie Admans, I can't help but feel like I'm about to receive a really warm hug! Her books are ALWAYS crammed full of feel good content and
The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove was no exception!
Telling the sweetest tale of an abandoned old manor house, with a hidden past and a garden full of bees, I was quickly lost within it's pages. It's cast of perfectly imperfect characters, that you just can't help but root for, drew me in straight away- think quirky villagers, and the cutest couples!
I really enjoyed witnessing Kayleigh and Carey's relationship blossom into something special but loved discovering the secret of Josie and Guillaume's story, even more! Two love stories in one - what more could a reader want?! Even Elderflower Grove, with it's secrets, vast gardens and beauty blooms drew me in. It made for the perfect setting and stood out as a character in a way. It's a place I'd very much like to visit, as is Josie's library (The stuff that dreams are made of!)
Oh, nobody does romance quite like Jaimie Admans, she speaks to my little bibliophile heart! I Love, love, loved it! 💛🐝
Another fabulous read from Jaimie Admans. I have loved all her books to date and this one didn't disappoint. A great story following Kayleigh who takes a job as beekeeper at Elderflower Grove, the local Manor house after moving back home followinga breakup. There she meets Carey who is also heartbroken. Their relationshio graudually develops, but with several bumps along the way. I enjoy a feel good novel and this book certainly delivers. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgally for an early copy in echange for an honest review.
A dream of a book
Where to begin with this review … I just adored the book from the first word to the last. Jaimie Admans was one of my favourite authors anyway and The Beekeeper At Elderflower Grove has only cemented that.
Kayleigh and Carey are such lovable characters, both with vulnerabilities and past hurts, watching the couple work through them was beautiful. As they slowly realised how special the other one was, with a little bit of magic from the bees and the house.
The bees were also total stars, I have a newfound respect for those buzzy little creatures.
The writing is gorgeous, the characters believable and lovable, and the romance just lovely!
A certain 5 star from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a cute book. It was a really quick, light read. However, it fell a little flat. I liked the idea of a light mystery at where the previous owner is, a beautiful setting, and a love story. But the characters acted incredibly immature. I thought they were maybe in their early 20s or so, with the flighty thoughts and lack of communication.
Kayleigh is looking for a new job after losing her business and her boyfriend. Elderflower Grove is a dilapidated mansion with an interesting history that needs a new beekeeper. Despite not knowing the first thing about bees Kayleigh applies and gets the job. She meets Carey who is crashing in the house and they instantly spark. They embark on a project to save the bees and the manor and discover exactly what happened to Elderflower Grove’s previous owner.
I enjoyed the spark between Kayleigh and Carey and I loved the quirky characters like Gracie. I was drawn in to find out what had happened to Josie and the secret Carey was clearly keeping. I liked the descriptions of Elderflower Grove, the bees and beekeeping, and the relationship between Kayleigh and Carey. However, for me the bee ‘puns’ started wearing very thin: 'bee good', 'must bee doing something right', 'bee never too busy for morning coffee' and so on. I also found there were far too many references to books the author wanted to drop in there – in one page there is Beauty and the Beast, Pip from Great Expectations, Belle again, then Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Would much preferred to have stuck with one.
Overall, a light, easy read with a satisfying ending and I would read more by Jaimie Admans.
Thanks to the publishers, author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Quick and easy perfect summer read, good well written characters. Plot jogs along nicely. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy
I was a little worried (well sceptical!), when I started reading this. I’ve not enjoyed the last couple by this author;very predictable and the plot is identical in each book. Whilst this plot is very similar, I really enjoyed this. Thankyou for the advance copy.
THE BEEKEEPER AT ELDERFLOWERGROVE
BY
JAIMIE ADMANS
After a messy break-up and losing her business, Kayleigh needs a fresh start and a new job.
The most random job interview ever, leads Kayleigh to becoming the new Bee Keeper at Elderflower Grove, which is a fire damaged mansion with a mysterious past.
The biggest problem with her new job is that Kayleigh knows absolutely nothing about Bee keeping. However a quick book purchase sees her good to go, or at least to give it her best shot.
The one thing Kayleigh is told not to do while at Elderflower Grove is of course exactly what she goes and does.
During this forbidden adventure Kayleigh meets Carey. Kayleigh is immediately struck by just how damn good looking Carey is and how utterly delicious he smells. Even his habit of wearing a tshirt each day with a different children’s tv character on is endearing to Kayleigh.
However Carey is a man with secrets, oh, and a massive problem with Bees.
Elderflower Grove has it's own hidden past. Desperate to find answers, Kayleigh and Carey do their best Scooby Doo impression and set about looking for clues. They won't rest until the mystery is history!
As they discover the secrets hidden at Elderflower Grove, can Kayleigh and Carey bring this neglected old beauty back to life and most importantly secure it’s future?
Ok, I’ll be honest, this story is totally bonkers, but in the very best of ways.
The book was easy to get into. It kept me interested and turning those pages right to the end.
I love how each chapter starts with a Bee fact. Did you know that Bees have different personalities? Nope, me neither. There are some fascinating Bee facts included in the book plus of course, every Bee pun you can think of.
There are some fabulous characters. Kayleigh is likeable and strong willed.
Carey is sweet, competent and somewhat vulnerable.
The star of the show is Gracie. She is an octogenarian with some serious butt kicking attitude.
As always with Jaimie’s books there is some wonderful humour, well researched detail, touching moments that will warm your heart, colourful descriptions that make the story pop from the pages and as you close the book you will be left full of all the warm and fuzzies.
A bonkers, but beautiful read.
Any book that gives Bagpuss a mention is worthy of five stars from me, but in fairness, this delightful tale truly deserves all five big shiny stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ebook and audio out on 15/7/22
Paperback out 15/9/22
With grateful thanks to Netgalley and HQ for a digital arc of this title.
I have loved all of Jaimie Admans books but this one in particular stole my heart. I adored this plot, the characters were wonderfully well written, the theme of beekeeping and an abandoned stately home were inspired and I read it in one day. What a wonderful ending to a book. Thank you netgalley for the early access.
This is the first book I've read by Jaimie Admans but I shall be on the lookout for more. This was a totally enchanting ,as well as educational(who knew bees were so amazing!) book . Full of charm, magic,humour,romance...and bees!' Ok you need to suspend any pedantry that makes you question the accuracy of how councils ,employment laws,food preparation laws etc etc work, but who cares when you're under the spell of Elderflower Grove and all it's eccentric characters,both human and winged!
A quick, easy and cute read that had great writing, a compelling and engaging storyline and well developed characters.
Every time I read a new book from Jaimie Admans, I think *this* is her best so far - she just outdoes herself every time. In this book we meet Kayleigh and Carey - two people who are thrown together as part of their work at the crumbling deserted local Manor House called Elderflower Grove. Hilariously, Kayleigh bluffs her way into being their new beekeeper (despite having no experience) and Carey is tidying up the massive garden grounds. The two main characters get drawn into the mysterious past of the last known owner Josie (presumed dead after a fire ravaged the building seven years previously). Oh I feel like I am not doing this delightful read justice with my description. It is a sparkling romance with lots of intrigue thrown in along the way. Plus, there’s several Jane Austen references! If you’re a fan of women’s fiction you need to read this one (and all of Jaimie’s back catalogue) immediately. I’ve just realised I have one of hers outstanding that I didn’t know she’d released so I’ll be reading that very soon. I do wish I could find Jaimie on socials as I’d love to tag her so she sees this review as I am such a fangirl of hers!
The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove is a gem of a book, a story that is uplifting, humorous and with depth and a cast of great characters and wonderful dialogue.
Kayleigh has had to move back in with her mother, now penniless and jobless after the end of a relationship that has left her emotionally battered. Desperate for a job she has a surreal job interview for the post of beekeeper at a local uninhabited manor, not knowing a thing about bees she manages to pass the interview. Armed with her ‘idiots guide to beekeeping’ she embarks on her new post.
At the Manor she meets Carey who is living at the Manor without anyone knowing, he is on a quest, adopted at birth he think the now deceased owner of the manor could of been his birth mother. So starts a lovely friendship, with the trials of beekeeping well described, I loved all the little facts at the beginning of each chapter.
A story that flows beautifully with an evil character thrown in to up the tension. A perfect book for summer or anytime. I would of loved an short epilogue to see a little more into the future which I’m sure was wonderful.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.
Jamie is an author that I absolutely love to read. This novel didn't disappoint. Kayleigh desperately needs a job and fakes her way into a beekeeping position. The best is that she knows nothing about it. Utterly sweet and charming storyline.
Another fantastic read from Jamie Admans.
Kayleigh has moved back into her family home after a disastrous relationship and the loss of her job/company. She needs a job and when she sees a beekeeper job at the local hunted Manor House, she has an online interview and is utterly gobsmacked to get it. After ordering an idiots guide to beekeeping she starts her job. Knowing nothing about bees and how to look after them she wings it on a daily basis. Until her curiosity gets the better of her and she enters the inside of the house, she finds more than she expected in the form of a human called Carey who has been living there. An unexpected friendship blossoms as she grows to love the bees, learns all about the history of the house and it’s occupants, as well as Carey. A lovely story of love, loss, loneliness, friendships, secrets and love
It was a thrilling ride and not what I really expected from the title and the cover of the book. It was much deeper and involved a variety of wonderful characters. I also loved how the novel made you feel like you were on a magical journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.