The Sweetest Thing

Tansy Hill and Dane Knudson are longstanding rivals. Tansy is convinced that Dane's charming good looks hide a heart that dances with glee every time he can do something to benefit his family's honey operation and get in the way of hers. And right now, they're both aiming to win the best honey award at the upcoming Honey Bee Festival. Can Honey Hill win and keep the business going?

The Sweetest Thing is a treat! Sasha Summers creates a lovely small town in Honey, Texas, and she populates it with characters you can love (and love to hate). Tansy assumes the worst of Dane based on their shared past, and Dane seems to delight in allowing her to make those assumptions, even as he finds himself attracted to her. They alternate between bickering and drawing closer, back and forth, and they're simply adorable even when they're infuriating. (Because I did occasionally want to reach into the book and shake them and tell them to get over themselves already!) It was fun seeing them thrust together to work with the Junior Beekeepers.

In addition to the competition for the best honey award, there is also multigenerational family drama. Dane is trying to keep Viking Honey going while his father hides out after his latest failed marriage. This includes trying to keep his younger brother, Liam, on the straight and narrow. Tansy's aunts, Camellia and Magnolia, each have a secret of their own. What happened between Camellia and Harald Knudson? Who is the red-haired woman seen with Magnolia, and why isn't Magnolia talking? The side stories in addition to the main plot really kept things buzzing.

Dane's brother Liam was an especially appealing character. I'm a boy mom. I know what teenage boys are like, particularly when their older brother is trying to keep them in line and they're interested in exactly none of it. Liam was just about perfectly drawn as a young man heading for a heap of trouble, and I loved that Dane didn't just give up on him.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the details on beekeeping! I know very little about the care and keeping of bees, so all the information Summers included was fascinating to me. It was clear she'd done a lot of research, and if we had room, I might like to try keeping a hive or two of my own after reading the book.

A second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance, the tension of waiting to see whether Honey Hill will survive, some surprise plot points that I didn't see coming, and a fascinating look into the world of apiary care and management made this a solid four-star book for me. It's a quick, engaging read, and would be perfect for road trip reading or for reading while you're outside swinging in a hammock. The recipe for lavender-honey lemon poppyseed muffins is a tasty bonus. I can't wait to try those out!

The Sweetest Thing is a honey of a story! Buzz on down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. You'll be glad you did!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.