Highland, Georgia #1, This book was so enjoyable! All the characters not just the main ones were memorable; I'm glad this is the start of a series I already can't wait to read everyone else's story. I love reading Laura Trentham she has a great narrative voice and is so funny, her romance slow burning building the sexual tension between them until they are combustible and with a heartfelt and sweet ending that leaves me wanting more. I fell in love with Highland, Georgia it sounds like a wonderful place to live; except the humidity would probably kill me in the summer.

Rose and Isabel Buchanan love their hometown. Rose married into one of the founding families and after her husband died she kept his spirit and his love for the town alive by continuing on with his favorite time of the year, the Highland Games. Izzy loves this place just as much as her mother and she has fully accepted that her life will always be in Highland. Izzy usually trusts her mother's judgement so it blindsides her  when Rose comes back from her Scotland trip with more than just a scarf and earrings as souvenirs. The man her mother brought home to help organize the games could be after their land or money, but her mother is infatuated it's up to Izzy to keep things in check.

Alasdair Blackmoor use to be close to his uncle, Gareth, but that was before his father died and the truth came out. Alasdair hasn't seen his uncle since he was eighteen so when his mother calls him and tells him he needs to go to America to bring home his uncle before the American woman swindles away his inheritance he goes to appease his mother. He never expected to find a home away from home, his uncle the happiest he's ever seen, and the feisty and beautiful Isabel. Everything smooths out for the most part Rose has Gareth and Alasdair has Izzy and they are happy and the preparations for the games are going well but Gareth and Alasdair are hiding something from the girls; a big secret that can ruin both their relationships. 

Overall, such a joy to read. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love and with the epilogue teasing the next character's book I'm excited and can't wait for it. 

I'm putting this one on hold, actually, it's been on hold. I am having difficulty connecting to any of the characters and story lines. (All story lines are at a different time periods). I really thought I would like this book.

The story line follows bees, from farmers who built beehives and depended on bees, to people who hand pollinated flowers and more to ensure they bloomed and produced food since bees were extinct. I'm big on gardening, so i do love my bees and other pollinators flying around my yard. So I don't think it's the story itself. It is translated, but it seems to be a decent translation. But, the going back and forth between time frames and characters seems to be bothering me. Each section is short, but there's like 5 time frames the author is switching to and from. Kind of difficult to get to know the characters and follow each story line.

THE SLAVE PLAYERS

Megan Allen

What would happen if roles were reversed for white Americans and black Americans in history? Megan Allen takes on this thought and places it in modern day Alabama. While the town's sheriff tries to cover up what really happens to 12 black girls on a bus trip to a camp, the medical examiner sees something different. He and his daughter take it all the way up to the governor, then the President. And chaos starts when the truth comes out in the press. The daughter of the medical examiner I didn't like. She was well written, like all the main characters. I felt she came off as a little bratty. Allen's writing moved along quickly, holding my attention, and making me think. This may be a book that some will either like it or hate it. Will what happened in the book become a reality at some point? I don't know. But the writing does bring out questions, some reality in how the different cultures think (both good and bad), and is very thought provoking.


***I won this paperback copy through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair review.***