Hi y’all!

I hope this post finds you enjoying a slower moment in your day. It seems like everyday is so full of things to do that finding slower moments is hard sometimes. But when I take a little time for slowing down and reading, life is a bit more doable. I hope you feel that way too!

Today I am so excited to share my review of the first two books in Kate Watson’s Sweet as Sugar Maple series — Strawberry Fields for Never and Baby Llama Drama as well as a Christmas novella set in the same world: Single all the Way. A dear friend of mine won a giveaway of Single all the Way from Kate and the prize was a free copy of the book sent to friend. I was that lucky friend! Thank you!!

These books are my new favorites. I love everything about them. The setting. The characters. The food. The beautiful love stories. Everything felt so nostalgic — I want to go live at Sugar Maple Farm!

Book Summaries: Strawberries – “She’s the desperate CEO hired to rebrand a sleepy Southern orchard. He’s the stubborn heir determined to see her fail.All’s fair in love and farming.

Jane. I fix things. It’s what I do. So when I’m hired to fix what’s broken at Sugar Maple Farms, I see an even bigger project in the form of the sexy, surly, six-foot-five owner, Tripp Carville.

Tripp may be a thorn in my side, but lucky for him, I can see beyond his impressive, prickly front to the wounded boy underneath. And I know exactly how to fix I’m going to make him fall back in love with Sugar Maple Farms. Now if I can just keep myself from falling in love with him in the process.

Tripp. I’ve never been enough for the people around me, not for my parents before they died and not for the tough grandfather who raised me. When he unexpectedly passes, leaving me the famous (and failing) Sugar Maple Farms, all I want is to sell so I can leave the weight of being a Carville behind. Until Jane shows up.

The woman is smart, salty, and sexy as can be. I can’t admit it, but her vision for Sugar Maple Farms is captivating. Everything about her is captivating. While we spend every day arguing, I spend every night thinking about her. I’m damaged beyond repair, and after never being enough for the people in my life, if I can’t be enough for Jane, I don’t think I’ll ever recover. So I can’t let Jane in. No matter how badly I want to.”

Llama – “Embittered single dad Duke has sworn off love forever. Unfortunately, his daughter just met the mother of her dreams.

I have it all. I work my dream job doing animal-assisted therapy, I live with the four best friends in history, and I own an actual pair of Louboutins. I should be content. Right? Except, ever since an adorable toddler begged me to be her momma, I want more, and an insta-family is my only chance at motherhood. Unfortunately, her absurdly hot NFL star dad isn’t quite as enthusiastic about me as she is. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was avoiding me. At least until his nanny leaves abruptly mid season. Now, he’s knocking down my door, pleading with me to help watch the little girl I’ve already fallen in love with. And the more he knocks, the more I’m in danger of falling for him, too.

Never get married. Seriously, people, don’t do it. If you never get married, your influencer wife can’t abandon you and your baby during the middle of your cancer treatments. It doesn’t matter that you kick cancer’s butt or come back to the NFL stronger than ever. Love is for suckers. Which is why meeting the intriguing, far too intuitive Millie Campbell is so frustrating. Isn’t it enough that she’s drop dead gorgeous? Does she also have to be the mother of my daughter’s dreams? Love is a brutal sport, and I have no intention of playing it ever again. But if I do get back in the game, Millie needs to know one I play for keeps.”

Single – “When a secret billionaire and his obnoxious(ly pretty) upstairs neighbor get stuck together on an elevator, their sparks could light a Christmas tree.

Juliet. I go through crushes faster than a little kid goes through presents on Christmas morning. But when I crash into my annoying(ly hot) nemesis and we get stuck on the elevator during a blackout, the last thing I expect is to develop feelings for him. Nate Cruz is opinionated, a stickler for justice, talks with his hands, and is the space heater keeping me safe while we’re stuck on this freezing metal box.

He’s also the first person to ever push past my defense mechanisms and see me as more than “the girl who messes up everything” that my family sees. And when the blackout ends and we’re back in the real world, he’s the first person to ever stand up to my family…for me. Now that I’ve fallen for Nate, I’m determined not to mess up things with him, and I know exactly how: we’ll fake date to get through the holidays. Because a fake relationship can’t leave me brokenhearted on Christmas. Right?

Nate Juliet Shippe is the loudest, most obnoxious(ly pretty) upstairs neighbor in the world. But after six hours on an elevator with her, I’m fighting feelings deeper than I’m willing to admit. And after the power is restored and she manages to drag me to my apartment and give me my insulin shot, I’m all in.

When Jules suggests I come to her identical twin’s wedding as her “fake date,” I agree, but only if she comes to my ultra ambitious parents’ holiday party as my real one. Because I know the truth she’s too scared to admit: she isn’t faking. And I’ll do everything I can to help her realize it. All I want for Christmas is Jules.”

At the heart of this series are 5 best friends who are fiercely loyal to each other and so much fun to read about as they each fall in love. I love how fiercely the friends love each other. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and enjoy their fun witty banter throughout the novels. Jane’s friends are so loyal and also sometimes intense. They can be honest even brutally so. And I think they have all been through some hard things. But they will also fight for each other and defend each other no matter what. The same goes for Tripp’s friends. They help him see more of the past while also supporting him into the future.

• I loved Millie’s perspective on relationships and the ways her therapist background helped her see things in a calmer way. I also appreciate that she finds peace and love with Duke and Lottie. Their relationship is so beautiful!
• I loved getting Duke’s backstory as well and seeing him fall in love. Certainly he’s made mistakes as we all do, but he is trying to be his best for Lottie and for Millie. I admire his dedication and loyalty and that he tries new things and makes amends for his mistakes.
• I absolutely loved getting to know Millie, Duke and Lottie better in this novel. The pain, grief and anxiety they all carry is at times intense but the beautiful ways they find healing and peace together are just magical.
• I loved how Nate sees how wonderful Juliet is and how he stands up for her with her family and friends. It was sad how mean her family was to her and how much misunderstanding could be figured out with a bit of honest conversation. Love that Juliet finally gets that with her family – especially her mom and sister.

The romance is beautiful, sweet, and so very swoony. These couples are so easy to cheer for. They see the best in each other and give each other strength and peace. I love how they find each other and the beautiful ways their relationships build into something more.

• I loved Jane and Tripp. They both have experienced hard things and are working through how to live with their pasts. I appreciated their journeys as individuals and together. They make mistakes. They push each other away. Sometimes they just don’t communicate well! But they also forgive each other. They make things right. And they discover a fierce love worth fighting for. And can we talk about the swoony kisses? So fantastic! Also the epilogues are my favorite ever.
• Millie and Duke have obvious and passionate attraction for each other. Their swoony kisses are fire and their tender declarations of love are so sweet. But they also have depth and complexities. They make mistakes. They get in fights. They don’t understand each other’s side. They have deep, intense grief from their pasts including losing a loved one, being abandoned, single parents, and personal illness. Yet they bring out such beautiful hope and healing in each other. I absolutely loved their journey!
• I love that this is a love at first sight romance. Juliet and Nate are so wonderful together. I loved their banter so much and their first kiss is worth the wait.

I love the setting at the farm. The ways Jane and her friends change the look, community and vibe at the farm is genius and so clever. I loved hearing about the ideas for pumpkin patches and Christmas lights. Movie nights and food truck Fridays. The farm can become the center of town life and I love that. The details are just gorgeous. The changing leaves. The darling baby animals. The barn. The B&B. Everything is full of charm and beauty. In each novel so far, we get to see the farm at different times of year and at different stages of it’s revitalization. I actually read Single All the Way first. And we get such a fun sneak peek in the bonus epilogue of what the farm becomes after all the hard work of Jane & Co. I am looking forward to more books and seeing what happens at the farm.

Kate Watson’s Sweet as Sugar Maple series is one of my new favorites! I love the characters, the farm setting and the witty banter. The sweet romance is just lovely. I can’t wait to read It’s Always Sonny coming out later this year and the other books in the series!

What are your favorite romcom series? 
Which series are new to you lately that you’ve loved?