I absolutely loved this book! I loved Sugar and Theo and George . I loved Ruby and Nate and Lola. I hated Grady. But I was supposed to. I keep wanting to say that this was such a fun romp of a book, it really wasn't. This book dealt with issues like date rape, anorexia, single parenting and cheating. It had a bunch of characters who were in denial about their lives. But it was the positive forward emotion of the whole book that made me feel like it was a happy book. I think, because every time someone needed a shoulder to cry on there was one, that it made things seem not so bad. As long as you have friends to turn to in life, you'll do okay. And I think that's part of the message on this book. I'm very interested to see if the author's other books are as good as this.

I know for some of us all this pollen in the air is torture but what a lovely Spring song  in the humming of bees .

 

I love to learn about professions and hobbies as I read. Beekeeping has always fascinated me. I think when a writer takes the time to layer a book with such details the love story is made better and deeper. 

 

Here are some great Romances featuring Apiculture (Bee Keeping)

 

1. Truly by Ruthie Knox

 

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?
 
Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.

 

2. The Tarnished Lady by Sandra Hill

 

Disgraced!

 

Banished from polite society for bearing a child out of wedlock, Lady Eadyth of Hawks' Lair spends her days hidden under a voluminous veil, tending her bees. But when her son's detested father threatens to reveal the boy's true paternity and seize her beloved lands, Lady Eadyth seeks a husband willing to claim the child as his own.

 

Eirik of Ravenshire is England's most virile bachelor, notorious for loving—and leaving— the most beautiful damsels in the land. Now a mysterious lady is offering him a vow of chaste matrimony in exchange for revenge against his most hated enemy, and Eirik simply cannot refuse. But the lusty knight's plans go awry when he finds himself unable to resist Eadyth's myriad charms . . . and he succumbs to the sweet sting of the tarnished lady's love.

 

3. Sweetened with Honey by Valerie Comer

 

Gabriel Rubachuk returns to Galena Landing, Idaho, once the setting of a charmed life before an accident killed his pregnant wife. Will he embrace hope for a new life or escape once again?

Beekeeper Sierra Riehl has spent three years helping to keep Gabe's health food store afloat while he worked with orphans in Romania. Now he's back, but it looks like he might bolt. Can she hold him still long enough to spark a romance? But Sierra's hope falters when she begins to suspect she can't give Gabe the life he deserves.

Is new love sweet enough to overcome the pain of the past and the uncertainty of the future?

 

4. The Keeper  by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

Life on Windmill Farm hasn't been the same since Julia Lapp's father has had trouble with his heart. But that doesn't stop Julia from hoping for a bright future. She has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. But when Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she is determined to change his mind. She knows who is to blame for Paul's sudden reluctance to wed: the Bee Man.

Roman Troyer, the Bee Man, travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. A mysterious man who relishes his nomadic life, Roman especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia seriously at odds with him, Windmill Farm is looking decidedly less appealing.

Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

 

5. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

 

On the eve of World War II, two people are brought together by fate and discover an unexpected passion.

Tall, dark and handsome Will Parker has served time for the killing of a Texas prostitute, but keeps losing jobs as his reputation becomes known. In the small town of Whitney, Ga., at the beginning of WW II, he answers the advertisement of a pregnant widow and mother of two, the abused and reclusive Eleanor Dinsmore, who is looking for a husband. Soon in love with ostensibly plain, bedraggled Ellie, Parker dotes on her two boys, and works to support the family. Fittingly for this sort of bucolic idyll, Will and Ellie, despite their rudimentary educations, love books and develop a special friendship with wise old Miss Beasley, the local librarian. Alas, brazen and rapacious Lula Peak, the town floozie, sets her sights on Will, waylaying him in the library; meantimes, Lula is blackmailing her lover, the cowardly Harley Overmire, who is no friend of Will. The clearly drawn characters fulfill their imperatives including Will, who becomes a war hero and all is neatly and pleasingly resolved.

 

6. The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie

 

When Nash Renfrew wakes in the bed of lovely Maddy Woodford, he thinks he's dreaming. Then he learns of his accident and the loss of his memory. But when it returns, Nash has no desire to leave Maddy's side and continues pretending he has amnesia. With each passing day, Nash's attraction to Maddy grows. But he's a diplomat and she's just a country girl. How can he even entertain thoughts of seducing her?

 

7. The Beekeeper's Daughter by Janice Carter

 

Just as every bee returns to its hive…

 

She came home to help her dad. But Annie Collins never expected to run the family business on her own. Nor could she have guessed that the daughter she gave up at birth would seek her out.

 

Will Jennings never expected to find Ambrosia Apiary—a place that felt like home before he'd ever laid eyes on it—or to face the tragedy that made him quit firefighting.

Sometimes, though, the sweetest things happen when you least expect them….

 

8. The Sweetness of Honey by Alison Kent

 

Dark-haired beauty Indiana Keller buys a property in Hope Springs, Texas, for three reasons: to expand her vegetable business, to harvest and sell delicious honey from the property’s established bee colony, and to reunite with her estranged siblings. But her older brother Tennessee keeps his distance, even after Indiana hires his construction crew to fix up her cottage. It’s almost as if he shares her guilt over the disappearance of Dakota, their missing brother…

 

While Indiana tries to reconnect with Ten and find Dakota, two local men begin vying for her heart. Handsome, laid-back Will Bowman has a checkered past, but now he’s determined to get what he wants out of life…and he wants Indiana. Meanwhile, refined Oliver Gatlin can’t fight his own attraction to Indiana, especially since his brother also fell victim to tragic circumstances. Amid the raw natural beauty of Hope Springs, can Indiana’s heart finally heal enough to love?

 

9. Snowflakes & Beeswax by Jess Schira

 

Madelyn Wickham is a shy farmer’s daughter who wants to be left alone to tend to her bees and make candles so elegant they captured Queen Charlotte’s attention. For years, she and her father had a good system. Madelyn made the candles the queen requested for the Christmas celebration she hosted at the Queen’s Lodge, and Madelyn’s father handled the men the queen sent to fetch the merchandise.

Her father’s death changes everything. The idea of dealing with the queen’s men terrifies her, people have always made her feel uncomfortable, but she has no choice. It takes all of her courage, but she manages to walk up to them and start a conversation. Moments later they find the candles she’s prepared for the Queen’s celebration have been destroyed.

Oliver Hamilton has always had a knack for seeing the bright side of every situation. He understands the seriousness of the situation, but doesn’t see any reason for despair. He sees the situation as a chance to spend time with a woman who’s always intrigued him, but who he’s only ever seen from a distance. He has no idea he’s stepping into the middle of a tense sibling rivalry, and a bitter fight custody fight over the small farm, a battle Madelyn can’t handle by herself.

As Christmas Day draws close, Madelyn’s panic gives way to a softer, sweeter emotion. Instead of running away from Oliver, she wonders if there’s any possibility of ever being able to put her fear aside completely so they can explore the future together.

Snowflakes & Beeswax is a Georgian romance that is set in 1800, just before Queen Charlotte's famous Christmas Ball. It's a sweet romance that combines rural romance with historical romance.

 

10. The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch

 

Sugar Wallace did not believe in love at first sight, but her bees did. . . .

 

Every spring Sugar Wallace coaxes her sleepy honeybee queen—presently the sixth in a long line of Queen Elizabeths—out of the hive and lets her crawl around a treasured old map. Wherever the queen stops is their next destination, and this year it's New York City.

Sugar sets up her honeybees on the balcony of an East Village walk-up and then––as she's done everywhere since leaving South Carolina––she gets to know her neighbors. She is, after all, a former debutante who believes that manners make the world a better place even if they seem currently lacking in the big city.

 

Plus, she has a knack for helping people. There's Ruby with her scrapbook of wedding announcements; single mom Lola; reclusive chef Nate; and George, a courtly ex-doorman. They may not know what to make of her bees and her politeness, but they can't deny the magic in her honey.

 

And then there's Theo, a delightfully kind Scotsman who crosses Sugar's path as soon as she gets into town and is quickly besotted. But love is not on the menu for Sugar. She likes the strong independent woman she's become since leaving the South and there's nothing a charmer like Theo can do to change her mind . . . only her bees can do that.

 

Did I miss your favorite beekeeper? Let me know! Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Buzzed: Bee Keeping in Romance Novels.

 

Want to travel to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day? 

 

Here you go! Wonderful Contemporary Romance set on the Emerald Isle.

 

Happy traveling!  My lists are never in any particular order. 

 

 

1. Mack's Witness by Myla Jackson

 

Tired of eating sand and dodging bullets, Marine Captain Mack Magnus is ready to relax and enjoy his brother’s Dublin wedding. If that involves a few pints in a quaint Irish pub and getting laid by a pretty Irish lass, all the better.

 

Instead he winds up getting ordered around by the cousin of the bride. Fed up with her mouthy attitude, he kisses her to shut her up. Now he has a new mission: get into the sexy redhead’s panties.

 

Busy international model Deirdre Darcy knows the six-foot-four Marine’s type: hit-and-run sex and off to the next port. Fall into bed with an arrogant bastard like Mack? No thanks. When she stumbles upon a couple of Irish gypsies leaving a murder scene, she must go into hiding or become their next victim.

 

His protective instincts kicking into high gear, Mack whisks Deirdre away to a small town where it’s easier to keep her safe. Except there’s no escape from their growing attraction—or from the one thing neither of them thought they wanted. Love.

 

2. Whiskey Prince by Toni Aleo

 

Take a risk.
Do something drastic.
Fall in love.

When Amberlyn Reilly loses her mother, her whole world comes crashing down. Having been caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hasn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.

Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth—the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.

With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves traveling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?

 

3. Dancing to an Irish Reel by Claire Fullerton

 

On sabbatical from her job in the LA record business, Hailey takes a trip to Ireland for the vacation of a lifetime. What she finds is a job offer too good to turn down.

Her new job comes with one major complication—Liam Hennessey. He’s a famous Irish musician whose entire live has revolved around performing. And Hailey falls in love with him. Although Liam’s not so sure love is in the cards for him, he’s not willing to push her away completely.

And so begins Hailey’s journey to a colorful land that changes her life, unites her with friends more colorful than the Irish landscape, and gives her a chance at happiness she's never found before.

 

4. Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna

 

Experience Ireland—the dramatic beauty, the warm hospitality…and the smoking hot local guys!

 

Imagine nursing a pint in a cozy, authentic country pub, far from Cork's busy city pulse. Getting here took you a plane, bus, taxi and…um, bicycle. But just as you're resigning yourself to drinking beside grey-haired farmers, you see him—a man with the looks and charm to soothe any heartbroken girl.

 

He's your bartender. Your really, really gorgeous bartender.

 

For American Jamie Webb—recently dumped and housesitting for two weeks—Connor Kelleher is like a six-course feast after a 23-year starvation diet. But it's gotta be casual. She's just begun rerouting her life after a three-year man-related detour. Still, a sexy romp (or twenty!) with Sexy McBartender?

 

But what happens when Jamie's best-laid plans for no future plans with any man begin to change?

 

5. The Last Bride in Ballymuir by Dorien Kelly

 

When Michael Kilbride, a handsome man with a dark past, arrives in the Irish village of Ballymuir, rumors begin to fly. While many turn against him, one woman steps forward--the village's beloved schoolteacher, Kylie O'Shea. Kylie's friends have long believed that proper Kylie is bound to fulfill the local legend of being the last bride in Ballymuir. But sparks soon ignite between Michael and Kylie. Will Kylie, who also hides secrets, find the courage to confront her past and claim passion as her own?

 

6. Notes from a Spinning Planet--Ireland by Melody Carlson

 

It’s pretty humiliating to admit, but I’ve never flown in a plane before today. So wouldn’t you think that I’d be feeling pretty jazzed right now? Instead I keep grabbing onto these armrests as I ask myself why on earth I ever agreed to come on this frightening trip.…

Affectionately teased as a “country bumpkin,” nineteen year-old Maddie has never been one to explore new territory. Her first trip outside of the country with her Aunt Sid and Sid’s godson, Ryan, promises an exhilarating adventure. Northern Ireland is more captivating than she even imagined–and Ryan is offering plenty of intrigue himself.

As Aunt Sid researches peace camps, Maddie and Ryan explore Ireland’s rich landscape. During the journey, Maddie begins to discover more about what she wants from life, while developing a deeper friendship with her irresistible traveling companion.

When Maddie and Ryan dig for the truth about the IRA car bomb that killed Ryan’s father years ago, questions about the past accumulate. Unable to let go of growing suspicions in this mysterious country, Maddie finds herself on a dangerous journey, a journey that will lead her to the greatest discovery of all.

 

7. Kinsale Kisses by Elizabeth Maddrey

 

he wants stability. He wants spontaneity. What they need is each other.

Colin O’Bryan cashed out of the software company he founded and started a new life in Ireland. Content to wander from town to town as a traveling musician, he had no goals beyond healing from the betrayals that led to his career change, and finding his next gig.

After the death of her parents, Rachel Sullivan hoped her aunt’s B&B on the Southern coast of Ireland would be a place for her to settle and start a new life. Though she can’t deny the sparks in Colin’s touch, his lack of concern for hearth and home leave her torn. Can this free-spirited minstrel win her heart or will Rachel choose roots and stability over love?

 

8. Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch

 

et on a small Irish dairy farm, this tender and funny debut novel follows two lost souls as they try to carve out new lives amid a colorful cast of characters reminiscent of those in the hit film Waking Ned Divine. Abby has been estranged from the family farm since her rebellious mother ran off with her when she was a small child. Kit is a burned out New York stockbroker who's down on his luck. But that's all about to change, now that he and Abby have converged on the farm just in time to help Corrie and Fee, two old cheesemakers in a time of need. Full of delightful and quirky characters--from dairy cows who only give their best product to pregnant, vegetarian teens to an odd collection of whiskey-soaked men and broken-hearted women who find refuge under Corrie and Fee's roof.

 

9. Hot Gossip by Susanne O'Leary

 

When Janine Marchand leaves her native France for a remote village on the Atlantic coast of Ireland, she hopes to let go of a painful past. She has changed her name and taken on a whole new identity. But the locals are curious and soon tongues start wagging. To complicate matters, Janine gets involved with Mick O’Shea, a handsome man who harbours dark secrets of his own. She is drawn to him even though she knows the attraction might jeopardize the fresh start she is trying to build. When someone in the village alerts the press, Janine must make a decision: run away once more or stay to confront her past.

 

10. The Empress of Ireland by Jennifer Conner

 

Laila Byrne made a final promise to her friend. She will travel more and work less. After sticking a pin in a map of the world, she heads off to Ireland.

Laila's trip doesn't work out as planned, but the mix-up results in a chance encounter with a handsome Irishman, Alasdair.

Alasdair spends all his waking hours trying to figure out how to keep his family’s century old pub, The Empress of Ireland, open for business. He doesn’t have time for anything. But when the lovely American comes across his path, will he find time?

Once you come to Ireland, you may never leave.

 

Did I miss your favorite? Let me know!

 

To get more recs and vote for the best of the best, go to my Goodreads list: Éire: Contermporay Romances Set in Ireland.

 

As Leah at Books Speak Volumes once described a book, starting The Wedding Bees was like sinking into a warm bath. The writing is just so beautiful! It’s lovely, warm, vivid, charming – perfect for the story of a Southern girl like Sugar. When I first read a post by Kayla at The Thousand Lives, I didn’t get what she meant about wanting authors to write with more color. Since then, I’ve read several books, including this one, where the author describes things using more color. And I love it! The addition of more colors to the descriptions gave the places she described a vibrancy that brought them to life. I also loved the dialogue, which was cute and funny, but not unbelievable. Sugar is almost unbelievably sweet and positive, but I couldn’t help falling in love with her right away.

While the other characters the author created weren’t as sweet as Sugar, they were easy to fall in love with too. They’re very real and they all have their flaws, but the author puts you right into their heads and into their lives. By sharing the bits of their past that got them where they are, she makes you understand each and every character she introduces. Even though all of the characters have their flaws, this is not a book that makes you wonder if everything is going to work out. The saddest of back stories still seems optimistic in this book, because you just know that everything is going to work out. For the most part, everything does. I would like to mention though that one of the characters is anorexic, and while things get going in the right direction for her, they don’t just magically work out. While this isn’t a topic I know much about, I thought this was a far better way to end her story than with an unrealistic instantaneous cure.

I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by my blog this week so this sweet, beautiful, happy little confection of a book was just what I needed. If you love Southern lit or NYC or sweet romances or are just looking for a book that will put a smile on your face, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.

This is a deliciously quirky novel which sits happily in the magic realism genre, with just a nice touch of romance too. It's got everything you might need - wonderful descriptions, particularly of the cheese making, lots of Irish folklore, a bizarre community of cheese-making folks, and a magical romance.

 

Mind you, I was less impressed with the ridiculous handling of Kit's estranged wife and feel that whole story line could have done with a lot more editing to make it work - as for me, it just didn't. But definitely a fun read, nonetheless.