I'm not sure why Sasha Summers didn't land on my reading radar before now but this error has been corrected and will not occur again. I've already downloaded the first book in this series, The Sweetest Thing and preordered the third book, Honey, Be Mine (June 25, 2024).

I was completely charmed by Honey Hill Farms, the Hill family, bee whisperer Astrid, new arrival Charlie, and his adorable daughters. I loved how fully developed these characters were, even Charlie's daughters, young Nova and tween Halley. Both were integral pieces of the plot, helping to move both the story forward as well as the growth of Astrid's and Charlie's characters, and their own in the process.

There was a lot of fun and charm in this story and a sweetly satisfying romance, but a surprising depth of emotion as well. Charlie, in particular, was a fascinating character. I enjoyed the gradual evolution of his character without sacrificing the neurodiversity that made him unique, especially in the growth of his relationship with Nova and Halley as well as his slow-burn romance with Astrid. I wanted to be besties with Astrid. She really is the nicest person in town. I loved how she interacted with Charlie, appreciated him once she got to know him, how the gradual deepening of her feelings for him occurred because of the whole person he was, not in spite of it. Unlike his estranged family who - yes, I cheered - got exactly what they deserved.

The supporting Honey Hill Farms cast brought everything together in a warm, welcoming hug of affection and acceptance. I adored them. I wanted to spend the day baking with them. I even wanted to help tend the bees...and that's something I never expected to say in this lifetime. I was fascinated with the honey bee knowledge I gathered from this book, especially the organic manner in which it was delivered. It left me - someone who has always been afraid of bees - actually feeling affection for them and wanting to know more. As for the delicious recipes (all using honey) in the back of the book? I plan to make them all!

*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Fair and unbiased review

Sweet story. Astrid and her family have a bee farm in Honey, Texas, where they produce honey and other honey and bee-related items. Astrid is a master beekeeper with a reputation as a bee whisperer - she is the one people call when they have a problem. She also leads the Junior Beekeepers group, passing her love of bees to the next generation. She is worried about an upcoming group event on a neighboring property. Rebecca had promised the group the use of her hives and land before she passed away. Now, she has to depend on the heir to keep his aunt's promise, and she isn't too confident he will.

Charlie is a tech guy who works from home, enabling him to avoid most contact with people. A recent widower, he has brought his two stepdaughters with him to Honey for the summer, hoping to escape their grief. Though he's only been in Honey for a short time, Charlie already has a reputation as an aloof grump, mainly because he's never developed the ability to interact with people. He is determined to sell the property as soon as possible and return to his comfort zone in the city. He doesn't count on his girls getting involved with the family next door.

I enjoyed the first meeting between Astrid and the girls, Halley and Nova. They are friendly, curious, and quite put out with their dad, who has kept them close to home while he works on his computer. I loved how quickly they connected with Astrid. You can't say the same for Charlie. He wasn't sure how to handle Astrid, whose cheerful personality and refusal to be chased off confused him. I liked her determination to bring him out of his shell without causing any trauma. It was fun to see how quickly Astrid came to understand him. I laughed out loud often as Charlie found himself doing things he never expected to do.

Neither Astrid nor Charlie expected the sparks of attraction that grew between them. I enjoyed the slow build of their relationship from neighbors to friends and more. But the question is whether anything can come of it since Charlie plans to return to the city at the end of the summer. I liked seeing how Charlie and the girls came to love their lives in Honey.

There is a fly in their ointment in the person of Charlie's sister. She and her husband are developers, and when she looks at the property and the potential gold mine of Honey, she does her best to convince Charlie to sell the property. The sister is obnoxious, selfish, and not very nice to Charlie. I loved her shock at the will reading and cheered for Charlie and Astrid. I loved the ending and seeing the difference Honey and Astrid have made in Charlie. His big moment at the end was sweet and funny.

I liked the assorted secondary characters. Halley and Nova were adorable. I felt their grief over their mother's death and their worry over their relationship with Charlie. I enjoyed seeing them interact with Astrid's family and the difference it made in their lives. The closeness of Astrid's family was terrific. I liked how they could support each other and call each other out when needed. Aunt Camellia and her boyfriend were sweet, and I laughed at Aunt Mags' crustiness that covered a soft heart. I look forward to seeing more of them in future books.

I loved all the information about bees, beekeeping, and the importance of bees that was woven into the story.

This was such an inspirational story! It’s a sweet tale of family, friendship and love in a charming small town. There is just enough conflict and sweet to keep a reader completely entertained. With intriguing bee knowledge, enchanting romance and inspiring character growth, this feel-good book will definitely leave your heart smiling.

Sasha Summers is a new author to me. I really enjoyed reading Must Love Bees. The writing was engaging and beautiful.
The information about bees was intriguing and so informative.
I loved seeing the relationship evolve with the two main characters, Astrid and Charlie and his daughters.
Truly a heartfelt and inspiring story for those that know about how being on the autism spectrum can be very challenging.
Definitely looking forward to reading more by Sasha Summers.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
@Harlequintradepublishing
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Must Love Bees by Sasha Summers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first novel by Sasha. I really like the way her words flowed throughout the book. She grabbed your attention and held it the end.

A great love story from 2 people who definitely was not looking for it. In fact neither wanted anything to do with each other. It snuck up on them while they weren't looking. Lol

Pre-order your copy today, it releases on Jan 20th. Its a great story you will enjoy reading as much as I did.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

A lovely story about two people - Astrid and Charlie- who find love. Charlie Is in town, with daughters, to settle his aunt's estate and he plans to leave as soon as possible. Astrid runs her family honey business. This takes a much appreciated sensitive approach to social anxiety. There aren't really any surprises here but it's a good read with characters you will root for. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This book will make you want to start a beehive and bake sweets for your whole family! It was adorable. My favorite part of this book was the Hill family. The Aunts, the sisters, the cousins, all of them.

When Charlie comes to town, Astrid sets her sights on her new neighbor, a handsome, single dad immediately. The only problem was that Charlie has severe social anxiety. He believes that he is actually on the Autism spectrum.

Astrid and Charlie were cute, when they finally got together, but I didn't like the fact that Astrid did most of the work for the relationship. Charlie's anxiety was a big barrier in their communication. Thankfully, Astrid knew how to communicate with him and ease his stress. I especially loved how she was able to help him connect with his daughters on a deeper level.

#beekeeper
#mustlovebees
#cleanromance
#romance
#socialanxiety
#autismspectrum
#smalltownromance
#grumpysunshine
#singledadromance
#bookstagram
#bookreview

I loved Astrid with Charlie and his daughters!

Must Love Bees is a sweet romance set in the Texas Hill Country where Astrid Hill and falls and falls in love with Charlie Driver and his daughters Halley and Nova and learn a lot about bees.

Beekeeper Astrid Hill loved working with her bees in the Texas Hill Country after her family won the Best in Honey contest for Wholesome Foods and teaching the next generation about bees. But there was something about her neighbor Charlie Driver who was staying at his great-aunt’s house while her estate was settled.

Widower Charlie Driver was visiting Honey, Texas with his daughters to settle his Great Aunt Rebecca’s estate so they could hopefully deal with the death of his wife. Charlie hated change and dealing with new people because he had a hard time with strangers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.