This was a very good book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and plot kept me interested. I would read another book by this author.

This book grabbed me immediately. A story of two sisters who inherit a chicken ranch and hopefully turn it into an inn while coping with personal and financial problems from the past. Set in New Mexico it was an interesting landscape for a novel. As this is the first book in the series of 3, I am sure to be reading the next two.

A fun light hearted read…enjoyed their adaptation to a new life.. looking forward to the next two books.

The first book in the Inn at Verde Springs series, Wendy Cohan brings this charming New Mexico town to life from Harper and Paige’s perspectives. Sisters bonded by family trauma and divorce, both women inherit a ranch property outside Verde Springs from their late aunt. Harper starts the groundwork of renovation with the help of a local handyman Caleb and his daughter, while Paige’s big ideas grow and pay off down the line. Cohan’s characters are the heart of the story, with their emotions and relationships at the center of the plot. Harper and Paige’s bond is heartwarming, and their relationship grows and solidifies over the narrative. As for Verde Springs itself, the setting is a character unto itself as a charming, quaint desert town in New Mexico, and Cohan dedicates page space to building this town and its inhabitants, who are all fully written and dynamic across the novel’s page. The relationships across this story are so strong, and they grow and evolve naturally between characters. Tension exists in the idyllic world of Verde Springs, and these interpersonal tensions build growth and conflict for the characters. Cohan’s opening novel for this series has set a strong foundation in characters, setting, and potential for future installments.

I had high hopes for this book which unfortunately were never realized. I expected family drama or at least a story of two sisters baring their souls to each other and reconnecting. But instead this was a half-hearted attempt for a Rom Com HEA. That didn't really work.

This was a very plain story that had so much more potential. Sisters left property they didn't know their aunt owned. Wow, family mystery, right? Nope. Just... here it is. Take your key and look at it.

So then a story about sisters becoming closer through hard physical work transforming the dilapidated property into their dream? Nope. Little bits here and there were shown but the renos went largely on behind the scenes.

And what was the point of Harper's ex being a character in this story? He had nothing at all to do with anything and if his character had been removed, the story would have remained the same. I expected much more challenge from his character otherwise why bother even mentioning him, or have him show up?

Parts of this book were good but overall it's a no from me. Disappointing because it could have been so much better.

I really enjoyed this story; the writing was great, and I felt like I really got to know the characters. However, for me, I am not fully a character-driven story kind of person, so it took it down a few stars for me. I would recommend for someone who does like character-driven plots as it was truly a really good story and featured really great writing.

B O O K R E V I E W

Stars : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up to 4)

Synopsis (from Goodreads) : swipe left

Triggers : divorce, job firing

What I thought : I overall enjoyed this read. It was a fast paced, intriguing, romantic adventure with two sisters Harper and Paige. Cohen did a good job creating a romantic storyline from friends to lovers. The story made me want to go on a road trip somewhere and honestly made me want to learn to garden because I have absolutely NO idea what I’m doing there. I could have used a little bit more detail in the beginning and the end. The only part I actually didn’t enjoy was the ending. I enjoyed the outcome, yes (definitely rooted for them the whole time) but the way it was written felt rushed and I didn’t like that feeling.

Characters : I thought I was going to absolutely hate Mariah but she grew on me and I felt for her. And Paige is the best sister anyone could ask for.

Read if you like : romance
Would I pick it up again? No, I would read the next one in the series though

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Enjoyable, light read! Harper and Paige, sisters inherit a rundown chicken ranch in New Mexico. They have plans for the ranch and a local contractor has his eyes on romance. Fluffy and fun!

I loved this story, Harper and Paige inherited an old chicken ranch in New Mexico. Meeting with the lawyer and touring the abandoned property, they decide to keep it and not sell. They want to turn it into a wedding destination and bed and breakfast. Harper recently divorced is using her settlement, and Paige, a college professor, is helping during school breaks. They find a great "handyman" to help them. Harper was a landscape designer and designed the landscape.
Really great story that pulls you right in. Can't wait for book 3!

DNF

The Renaissance Sisters is about two sisters who are sisters and one is the older sister and the other is the younger sister and they refer incessantly to one another as their sister just in case you might have forgotten that they are in fact sisters.

Sorry, I think my brain shut down temporarily from the redundancies and stilted dialogue. I really tried to like this book, and to enjoy as the potential fluff it aspired to be, but there were too many issues with excess repetitive and /or irrelevant details, typos, and a sense that the page numbers were being “padded” to make it seem like a story long enough to be considered a full novel.

I read about a third of the way and finally gave up, so perhaps I missed out- but I’m okay with that.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Light romance about a woman who, along with her sister, inherits an old chicken ranch in New Mexico and finds love with a sexy contractor as they renovate the property. Enjoyable, although not much substance.

Sometimes it's best to simply rip the band-aid off: The Renaissance Sisters is not a good book. And, in many respects, that's perfectly fine.

For the most part, this book accomplishes all that it wants, or perhaps needs, to do; it's neither groundbreaking nor well-written, but it doesn't need to be. The plot is, at least in the beginning, fairly by-the-numbers Hallmark channel (a fact that the book seemingly attempts to lampshade twice by referencing Hallmark directly; this is a mistake, as Hallmark existing in the universe of this book simply reminds one that it's the slightly less enjoyable equivalent of the novelization of a Hallmark film). Its target audience will largely overlap, though it gets a bit muddled in its appeal to the whole of the Hallmark-viewing demographic; one will not dick jokes and active sex lives on the Hallmark channel. (Do not mistake me: this is, by the genre standard, a clean romance novel free of smut. In that respect, it's a reasonably suited novel for those who want to simply relax with mindless, harmless fluff. I should like very much to be able to report that this is good, clean fun, if lacking in characterization and skillful storytelling.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, here. While not intentionally malicious, The Renaissance Sisters can't be called, in my own opinion, harmless. There's a smattering of what genre-savvy readers might have come to expect — some casual misogny played for laughs, a one-off dated joke with slightly biphobic undertones, a good deal of commentary on women's bodies and their figures, sometimes weighed against each other. I'm referring to none of those; the far more concerning issue is actively central to the plot, permeating through the narrative in its entirety. The manner in which the protagonists — characters we are meant to sympathize with and root for — discuss a character surviving postpartum depression and an eating disorder is ignorant at best and actively vile at worst; there is an occasional placating comment thrown out to acknowledge that these are "serious," but those are too little, too late when a previously belittled and demonized survivor is an inconvenient plot device we are meant to actively want out of the picture as our primary protagonist boils with righteous resentment, pondering her candidacy for sainthood for not outright wishing harm on an extremely ill woman.

This would not inherently something condoned by the narrative, but given the number of times readers are outright told that this same character is the image of sensitivity, kindness, and perception, it can safely be assumed that my takeaway — that this character was undeniably selfish and callous — was not intentional. Little about the characterization in this story does; we are often told outright that a character is some particular way with little to nothing to back it up. The titular sisters are nearly indiscernible from each other in personality; the novel itself appears to have difficulty telling them apart, with the sister slinging dick jokes in the first chapter later acting scandalized by the other's capacity for vulgarity, and the professional landscaper needing to have it explained to her on more than one occasion, exactly, a gazebo is. The dialogue never feels human or natural; characters spill their entire backstories (of wildly varying degrees of future plot relevancy) moments after introductions are made. Nearly all exposition is established in stilted dialogue (the sisters remarking to each other what their careers are and which of them is the oldest in a phone conversation pertaining to neither of these things is a stand-out). The pacing of the final chapters absolutely crawls, a stark contrast to the rest of the book, which flows at a quick and consistent speed.

This is, ultimately, a book that is exactly what it wants to be, and exactly what it needs to be; there is no harm in that. I am admittedly not its target audience, and I imagine that those seeking to scratch a particular itch will find this book suits them well. I would recommend this book unreservedly for anyone who wanted something fast, feel-good and formulaic, if not for the extremely unfortunate handling of a particular character (who is, ironically, the most likable and well-written in the novel). This is the first novel in a planned trilogy, and though there are allusions to the plot of the second novel, it stands perfectly well on its own. Potential readers who dislike waiting for future installments should not be deterred. While I won't be seeking it out, I'm not opposed to continuing the series in the future. I am certain that it will find an audience, and has the potential to deliver light comedic romance without the unnerving treatment of sensitive topics in future installments.