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Busy Bean #1
Sweetheart
I just wanted to get my hands on his beans
Four years ago, I had a ridiculous crush on my sister's boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he's back, and roasting the best coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.
She should be off limits, but instead she's pushing mine
Her sister burned my life to the ground, so Haley Elliot is the last woman I should bring into my bed. Although our business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of us can help ourselves. And what’s worse, I think I’m falling for her.
But it’s a small town, and ours is a big secret. And when her sister blows back into town, suddenly the coffee isn’t the only thing brewing...
Content note: this fun and sexy romance contains a secondary character with mental health challenges. While that story is merely a small part of the book, we mention it out of an abundance of caution.
Four years ago, I had a ridiculous crush on my sister's boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he's back, and roasting the best coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.
She should be off limits, but instead she's pushing mine
Her sister burned my life to the ground, so Haley Elliot is the last woman I should bring into my bed. Although our business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of us can help ourselves. And what’s worse, I think I’m falling for her.
But it’s a small town, and ours is a big secret. And when her sister blows back into town, suddenly the coffee isn’t the only thing brewing...
Content note: this fun and sexy romance contains a secondary character with mental health challenges. While that story is merely a small part of the book, we mention it out of an abundance of caution.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2021
About the author
Sarah Mayberry
155 books1,137 followersSarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 331 reviews
August 24, 2021
2.5 stars. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a romance between a girl and her sister's ex-boyfriend, so I did my best to go in with an open mind and that mostly worked out! I didn't dislike that aspect of the plot, but I do feel like maybe the entire book as a whole was a lot darker than I was expecting so I didn't end up enjoying this as much as I had hoped I would. I do think I'll carry on in this series as it seems like all of them follow very different characters and are written by different authors, but this installment in particular was just okay to me. Meh
CW: suicide, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, domestic violence, toxic familial relationships, cheating
CW: suicide, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, domestic violence, toxic familial relationships, cheating
July 13, 2021
While this is first in a series, it takes place in a shared setting by Sarina Bowen and centers on the town she featured in the True North books. Enough of those characters show up that I recommend reading those first. Also, they're pretty good, so you have stuff to look forward to!
I don't usually go for shared settings because the tone and quality is, by definition, uneven as different authors take a swing. But I kind of love Sarah Mayberry, so I gave this one a shot regardless. And of course it paid off! I was actually a little hesitant because Haley's sister, Jess, is a mile of bad road and obviously mentally unbalanced. But Mayberry has handled tough situations with aplomb before, so I dived in anyway.
Haley and Beck are awesome characters, both hurting from the abuse they've endured at the hands of Jess. Mayberry drips details over the course of the story and that normally drives me up a wall. But as I said, she's good enough that I think it worked fine. Beck starts off in the hole because he's such a, well, hole of a specific kind to Haley. Which hurts her more than a little, however much she understands (because she knows her sister had to have put him through the wringer). Understanding or not, though, it's hard to be the one girl who doesn't get the charming, happy guy who has become a stand-out in her social circle.
Fortunately, he isn't a monster and, while it takes a bit to both understand the pain he is causing and get a handle on his own emotional turmoil, I really liked seeing him coming around. Indeed, both main characters have a fantastic growth arc in the story and I loved the healing and maturing they achieve together. And I particularly liked how well Haley handled the minor pull-back and how that didn't actually represent anything like a dark moment (because no betrayal due to actual communication). I particularly liked how Haley chose strength, though it was hard. It made me love her all the more.
And I loved how well Mayberry handled it when Jess entered the scene (as was more-or-less inevitable). A lesser author might have pulled the relationship back (for a true dark moment), but instead we get an opportunity to show their strength as they lean on each other for the hard bits. So excellent. And again, some great communication.
So this ends up a strong five stars because it was all the lovely things. Okay, I didn't like some of the epilogue (because ).
A note about steamy: There were maybe a half dozen explicit sex scenes putting this on the high end of my steam tolerance. It might have gone over if those hadn't been so well-tuned to the characters. Not that I didn't end up skimming, because enough was enough at one point.
I don't usually go for shared settings because the tone and quality is, by definition, uneven as different authors take a swing. But I kind of love Sarah Mayberry, so I gave this one a shot regardless. And of course it paid off! I was actually a little hesitant because Haley's sister, Jess, is a mile of bad road and obviously mentally unbalanced. But Mayberry has handled tough situations with aplomb before, so I dived in anyway.
Haley and Beck are awesome characters, both hurting from the abuse they've endured at the hands of Jess. Mayberry drips details over the course of the story and that normally drives me up a wall. But as I said, she's good enough that I think it worked fine. Beck starts off in the hole because he's such a, well, hole of a specific kind to Haley. Which hurts her more than a little, however much she understands (because she knows her sister had to have put him through the wringer). Understanding or not, though, it's hard to be the one girl who doesn't get the charming, happy guy who has become a stand-out in her social circle.
Fortunately, he isn't a monster and, while it takes a bit to both understand the pain he is causing and get a handle on his own emotional turmoil, I really liked seeing him coming around. Indeed, both main characters have a fantastic growth arc in the story and I loved the healing and maturing they achieve together. And I particularly liked how well Haley handled the minor pull-back and how that didn't actually represent anything like a dark moment (because no betrayal due to actual communication). I particularly liked how Haley chose strength, though it was hard. It made me love her all the more.
And I loved how well Mayberry handled it when Jess entered the scene (as was more-or-less inevitable). A lesser author might have pulled the relationship back (for a true dark moment), but instead we get an opportunity to show their strength as they lean on each other for the hard bits. So excellent. And again, some great communication.
So this ends up a strong five stars because it was all the lovely things. Okay, I didn't like some of the epilogue (because ).
A note about steamy: There were maybe a half dozen explicit sex scenes putting this on the high end of my steam tolerance. It might have gone over if those hadn't been so well-tuned to the characters. Not that I didn't end up skimming, because enough was enough at one point.
November 15, 2021
The Good
There are definitely good parts of this book. One is that she obviously did a lot of research into coffee and the equipment that goes into getting all of the different variations. When Beck wasn't being a flip-floppy toddler he was actually a genuinely decent guy who wasn't so self-involved to see what his actions did to the people around him. He was definitely a good representation of what an abusive relationship could do to a person. The other side of that coin was Haley who had lived in a manipulative household her whole life. She didn't know how to stick up for herself and she was so painfully flat due to the fact that she had constantly had to stay low to the ground due to her sister, Jess' obviously mental issues.
Now, these mental issues all swirled into a series of cruel insults hurled at the people she loved and horrific verbal and physical assaults on her spouses and friends. That's where the crux of my anger started to come in.
The Bad
For a good deal of the story, we have no clue if Jess even has mental issues. I've met a lot of people and sometimes cruel behavior has nothing to do with serious medical issues and more to do with a person's personality. That being said there are some really disturbing events that can lead people to a doctors opinion some of which being:
- multiple suicide attempts
-rapid mood swings that happen from one moment to the next seemingly over nothing at all
-kleptomania
These things paired with Jess' verbal and physical abuse and tendencies to embellish or out-and-out lie would have sent anyone to go get help - not just because they're concerning but because all of these things can be unmanageable for a parent.
Now you might be asking, why are you talking about this? She's a background character. She isn't even physically in the town for over 80% of the book.
She was mentioned every other page. I would argue that she is just as important - if not more - than both of our main characters. Her claws are in them so deep that she dictates almost every decision, knee-jerk reaction, and physical insecurity that they have.
After Haley first sleeps with Beck, she immediately goes to what her sister would think and how she was nothing like the gorgeous, enigmatic model.
When Beck first met Haley, he treated her like a leper because he immediately associated her with her sister who burned his life to the ground.
It goes so far that Beck even second-guesses his food choice on his first date with Haley because Jess freaked out about eating carbs.
The Downright Distrubing
On one hand, I liked how the aftershocks of JESS were described. It takes years for someone to fully get over an abusive relationship that goes into the physical realm. A lot of times, you feel like you're stuck inside a glass box, screaming while the other person completely ignores your obvious agony. They make you believe that their reality is the right one. They isolate you and then carve out the person that you used to be.
Beck has only spent a year outside of this frankly horrific reality. Haley is still in this orbit with parents that deny and enable Jess who is clearly screaming for help in the only way her medical issues will allow her to.
Jumping into a serious relationship WITH YOUR ABUSER'S SISTER is the dumbest thing I've ever read. And Beck acknowledges this multiple times.
So what we see is Beck repeatedly breaking up with Haley, jumping back and forth from seemingly being absolutely besotted with her and then unable to even make eye contact with her.
On a singularly horrifying occasion, Haley's birthday is absolutely ruined by her parent's getting an urgent call from her sister. They don't even give Haley a cake because Jess is threatening suicide. They completely ignore Haley and then treat her budding relationship with Beck like a sad play for attention. Heartbroken, Haley leaves and Beck promptly comes over because he can hear how upset she is and after pushing for a little bit (telling Haley that he can handle talking about Jess) he gets the full story. And to me, it becomes painfully clear how much of a victim Haley herself is. She constantly tries to explain away not only her sister's behavior but her parents' as well. She recalls how all of the things she loved as a child went missing. And she tries to be not only supportive but downright accommodating.
Beck takes all this in and decides promptly: NOPE. Should not have talked about Jess. Too hard. Even though I pushed this subject and have decided to dive feet-first into this relationship, it's too much. Fuck her feelings! ABORT! ABORT!
It's around his rush to the door, that he realizes that it's Haley's birthday. And that this must happen pretty often for her to not be freaking out. That doesn't stop his scramble for the car though as he profusely apologizes and tells Haley that she's great but HIS PROBLEMS are just so big. HE can't do this. HIS issue's with Jess are seeping into this relationship with Haley.
It's around this point where I had to put the book down. This was 70% in and if you thought that this same issue didn't happen every other chapter then you're wrong. This same tug of war - Haley tip-toeing around his feelings and Beck pushing and pushing, unwilling to admit or care about his very present emotional issues - has happened AT LEAST 3 times before this.
I started to see a trend.
Him, him, him. HIS emotional issues. HIS bad relationship. HIS decision. In this dynamic, it was always on Beck's schedule. He got angry about Haley wanting to keep their purely physical relationship, in the beginning, a secret. (Although, I suspect that had more to do with the fact that her outrageous worry interrupted his boner.) He decided when they would be speaking to each other. When they would be going on a date. If they would be breaking up or if things would continue. Fuck the girl that's been in this toxic environment since birth, we should really just focus on the year long relationship that Beck had with Jess when they were fresh out of freaking high school. I have a Pringles can with more depth than any high school relationship I've ever seen.
And Haley stayed firmly in the mentally drained, battered role. She never pushed. She waited obediently for him. She never argued with his decisions or pushed back. She might have asked him to treat her like a human being instead of human garbage but that was where her backbone stopped. Because she was used to that role. She was used to being pushed to the side. Her parents did it to her and now Beck - the guy she had had a crush on since HIGH SCHOOL - was doing it to her as well.
Sure, he loved her but lots of serial killers love their wives and kids too. What does that matter to me? Why do I care that in the last 10% of the book he started to actually give a shit about her emotional well-being and stopped putting himself first? That's not what I saw for the first 90 so it doesn't really fly for me, captain.
The reason why this whole romance didn't go so well for me was because serious mental issues were being discussed. Because the author decided to make Beck's relationship so toxic and abusive, she decided to make his recovery very real too. And since Haley was so directly involved with his abuser and still, to the end of this book, didn't acknowledge or seek help for the resulting trauma, it made a lot of the romance just slip away. No relationship can last like this. Beck and Haley never went to therapy and they needed to.
This book was, simply put, a horrible advertisement for mental health awareness. Parents need help. When a child is threatening suicide, they need to push for a psychiatric consult. When a child is verbally and physically abusing partners and friends (as was insinuated when one of Jess' friends got scared that she revealed something that Jess didn't want her to to Haley) they need to see a professional. This issue was swept under the rug by a simple explanation that Jess somehow reigned herself in when she was with her parents but that's just bullshit.
Because guess what? Mental issues as wide-reaching and prevalent as Jess' don't just magically disappear whenever they walk into a room. It's not a light switch. You can't just flip it on and off. And the fact that that's even a sentence that I had to read is disturbing. The fact that we're STILL having this discussion and I'm STILL having to put this down in a Goodreads review is absolute bullshit. It's pissing me off all over again.
So, if your child or friend is showing signs of:
-Rapid mood swings that escalate into violence
-Kleptomania
-Suicide attempts. Let me just say that again:
-SUICIDE ATTEMPTS
-Depression/anxiety
Go seek medical attention. Immediately. As soon as possible. Please.
November 15, 2021
4 Standing Up For What You Want Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free-SWEET DEAL-IT'S ONLY 99 CENTS!!!
Years ago I found Sarah Mayberry when I read Satisfaction (Brothers Ink #1) and Tanner (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour #1). I enjoyed her writing style and each book was a positive experience. When I saw she was going to be part of the True North Family via the Busy Bean series, I knew the series would be off to a solid start. My instincts were on target.
Sweetheart takes on situations that are not the easiest to tackle. Our main gal Haley is finding her place in the world and has been working at the main coffee spot, Busy Bean. She loves the owners and there has been a need to locate some great beans to draw in more customers. Haley decides to see what other places are serving and she discovers the best tasting coffee she has ever had. The owner of the coffee shop wouldn't say so she takes matters into her own hands, literally.
After climbing into the dumpster behind the coffee shop, she locates the empty bag that held the beans. She looks on the internet but there is no address or website so the only thing left is to drive to the address printed on the bag. As she gets ready to get out of her car, she sees a man loading up his truck for the deliveries he is about to do.
As he turns to face Haley, Haley is stunned. There right before her is the man she had a crush on long, long ago...Her sister's boyfriend, Beck. Wow, that is not what she expected. Her crush grew into a real man and she is almost tongue-tied. When she approaches him, he doesn't recognize her and she says who she is, Jess's sister, and would like to purchase beans for the Busy Bean, where she works.
Well, that doesn't go well because Beck shuts down, says no to any orders, and can't get away from Haley fast enough.
Damn, Beck, is annoyed he reacted that way. He is over Jess and has moved on but the intense reaction he had with just the mention of her name surprised him. He knows he shouldn't turn away business, especially with the Busy Bean...but damn...
Beck's brother listens to Beck, mentions turning away the Bean is not cool, and Beck knows it too, so eventually Beck sucks it up and sells to the Bean. Yes, he will have to mix with Haley but he will figure it out.
Haley and Beck spend more time together, learning all about how beans are roasted and why Beck's are so great. These times together cause Beck to think about Haley differently and chemistry develops.
Whoa...what chemistry they have, yum. They are a no-brainer when they are in their bubble...it is only when they are out of the bubble when trouble rears its ugly head...named Jess and how she impacts Haley, Beck, her parents, and everyone around her.
Families are complicated and when there is one child that may need special handling, it is easy to lose focus on the other sibling. Boundaries are hard to do and this story approaches this difficult subject.
This does have a satisfying ending and stays true to the feel of the True North books. I am thrilled we have this new series and look forward to more.
Sweetheart (Busy Bean #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cowboy (Busy Bean #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cakewalk (Busy Bean #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Friendzoned (Busy Bean #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Studfinder (Busy Bean #5)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doubletalk (Busy Bean #6)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sidetracked (Busy Bean #7)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fireproof (Busy Bean #8)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Footnote (Busy Bean #9)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Afterglow (Busy Bean #10)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
I need My Coffee/Romance Fix, Getting It Now!
January 26, 2021
How Was I To Know...
A Silly Crush On My Sister's Boyfriend...
Would Have Serious Ramifications Four Years Later...
When They Moved Away As A Couple ...
I Was Able To Put Beck Out Of My Head...
Now I'm Focused On Getting...
The Busy Bean The Best Brew...
That Means I Have To Deal With Beck...
Four Years Have Passed And Now He's Back
My Sister Burned Him...
And Now He Roasts The Best Coffee Beans In Vermont...
Great...
I Keep Telling Myself...
It's The Beans I'm Interested In...
But Beck And I Talk And Do More Than Grind...
This Is A Small Town...
With Lots Of Eyes...
Beck And Haley Will Have To Figure It Out...
How To Be Each Other's...
Sweetheart-March 1, 2021
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * * Spoiler Free-SWEET DEAL-IT'S ONLY 99 CENTS!!!
Years ago I found Sarah Mayberry when I read Satisfaction (Brothers Ink #1) and Tanner (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour #1). I enjoyed her writing style and each book was a positive experience. When I saw she was going to be part of the True North Family via the Busy Bean series, I knew the series would be off to a solid start. My instincts were on target.
Sweetheart takes on situations that are not the easiest to tackle. Our main gal Haley is finding her place in the world and has been working at the main coffee spot, Busy Bean. She loves the owners and there has been a need to locate some great beans to draw in more customers. Haley decides to see what other places are serving and she discovers the best tasting coffee she has ever had. The owner of the coffee shop wouldn't say so she takes matters into her own hands, literally.
After climbing into the dumpster behind the coffee shop, she locates the empty bag that held the beans. She looks on the internet but there is no address or website so the only thing left is to drive to the address printed on the bag. As she gets ready to get out of her car, she sees a man loading up his truck for the deliveries he is about to do.
As he turns to face Haley, Haley is stunned. There right before her is the man she had a crush on long, long ago...Her sister's boyfriend, Beck. Wow, that is not what she expected. Her crush grew into a real man and she is almost tongue-tied. When she approaches him, he doesn't recognize her and she says who she is, Jess's sister, and would like to purchase beans for the Busy Bean, where she works.
Well, that doesn't go well because Beck shuts down, says no to any orders, and can't get away from Haley fast enough.
Damn, Beck, is annoyed he reacted that way. He is over Jess and has moved on but the intense reaction he had with just the mention of her name surprised him. He knows he shouldn't turn away business, especially with the Busy Bean...but damn...
Beck's brother listens to Beck, mentions turning away the Bean is not cool, and Beck knows it too, so eventually Beck sucks it up and sells to the Bean. Yes, he will have to mix with Haley but he will figure it out.
Haley and Beck spend more time together, learning all about how beans are roasted and why Beck's are so great. These times together cause Beck to think about Haley differently and chemistry develops.
Whoa...what chemistry they have, yum. They are a no-brainer when they are in their bubble...it is only when they are out of the bubble when trouble rears its ugly head...named Jess and how she impacts Haley, Beck, her parents, and everyone around her.
Families are complicated and when there is one child that may need special handling, it is easy to lose focus on the other sibling. Boundaries are hard to do and this story approaches this difficult subject.
This does have a satisfying ending and stays true to the feel of the True North books. I am thrilled we have this new series and look forward to more.
Sweetheart (Busy Bean #1)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cowboy (Busy Bean #2)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cakewalk (Busy Bean #3)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Friendzoned (Busy Bean #4)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Studfinder (Busy Bean #5) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doubletalk (Busy Bean #6)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sidetracked (Busy Bean #7)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fireproof (Busy Bean #8)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Footnote (Busy Bean #9)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Afterglow (Busy Bean #10)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
I need My Coffee/Romance Fix, Getting It Now!
January 26, 2021
How Was I To Know...
A Silly Crush On My Sister's Boyfriend...
Would Have Serious Ramifications Four Years Later...
When They Moved Away As A Couple ...
I Was Able To Put Beck Out Of My Head...
Now I'm Focused On Getting...
The Busy Bean The Best Brew...
That Means I Have To Deal With Beck...
Four Years Have Passed And Now He's Back
My Sister Burned Him...
And Now He Roasts The Best Coffee Beans In Vermont...
Great...
I Keep Telling Myself...
It's The Beans I'm Interested In...
But Beck And I Talk And Do More Than Grind...
This Is A Small Town...
With Lots Of Eyes...
Beck And Haley Will Have To Figure It Out...
How To Be Each Other's...
Sweetheart-March 1, 2021
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
March 7, 2021
Okay so at first I was going to try this but 'It had been two years since he and my older sister, Jessica, had broken up, and three years since they’d left Vermont to move down to New York together. He probably wouldn’t even recognize me.
And it’s not like he’d ever known I’d had a crush on him. I had been very, very careful not to reveal my interest to anyone.'
I'm not keen on a Hero or heroine seeing an ex of a sibling but this was really good.
The ex is an issue but more because she's a huge drama queen with issues so they are not looking forward to the fallout.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine except a vague scene recalled, details below.
Dual POV.
Pushing away at first from the Hero as he has had huge mysterious issues over the breakup so he's reluctant to get involved with the family again.
The heroine remembers the Hero coming to their parents house for meals a couple times, he doesn't remember her so he is with her sister when they first meet.
Regarding his time with the ex
'The twelve months we’d lived together in New York would forever be branded on my psyche as the worst of my life. She’d pushed me to the breaking point and beyond—and I’d stayed because I’d felt absurdly responsible for her happiness and because she’d gaslit me into believing all our problems were my fault.'
The ex is a piece of work, she has mental illness but it's really hard on those close to her, esp her sister.
Details of intimacy with the ex?
'She’d dazzled me from the moment I’d seen her across a bar in Burlington. She’d easily been the most beautiful girl in the room with her long, wavy blond hair and perfect features. And her body... She’d been every Sports Illustrated cover come to life in a tiny minidress that molded her incredible figure. I’d pinched myself when she’d started paying attention to me, and when she took me outside and insisted I **** her against the wall in the alley, I’d been so turned on I’d done it, even though I’d been waiting for someone to bust us the whole time. I’d soon learned that Jess got off on that kind of excitement, and I’d told myself she was passionate and bold and had gotten sucked all the way in.'
I did feel the end was resolved a bit quickly, the sister getting therapy etc and doing better, it was summarised so maybe that's why.
I'm not sure it would be so permanently resolved, to me it seemed like it would be something they would all have to live with.
I think the issue was the parents attitude changed so they were all behind her getting help.
HEA.
Epilogue 6 months later.
And it’s not like he’d ever known I’d had a crush on him. I had been very, very careful not to reveal my interest to anyone.'
I'm not keen on a Hero or heroine seeing an ex of a sibling but this was really good.
The ex is an issue but more because she's a huge drama queen with issues so they are not looking forward to the fallout.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine except a vague scene recalled, details below.
Dual POV.
Pushing away at first from the Hero as he has had huge mysterious issues over the breakup so he's reluctant to get involved with the family again.
The heroine remembers the Hero coming to their parents house for meals a couple times, he doesn't remember her so he is with her sister when they first meet.
Regarding his time with the ex
'The twelve months we’d lived together in New York would forever be branded on my psyche as the worst of my life. She’d pushed me to the breaking point and beyond—and I’d stayed because I’d felt absurdly responsible for her happiness and because she’d gaslit me into believing all our problems were my fault.'
The ex is a piece of work, she has mental illness but it's really hard on those close to her, esp her sister.
Details of intimacy with the ex?
'She’d dazzled me from the moment I’d seen her across a bar in Burlington. She’d easily been the most beautiful girl in the room with her long, wavy blond hair and perfect features. And her body... She’d been every Sports Illustrated cover come to life in a tiny minidress that molded her incredible figure. I’d pinched myself when she’d started paying attention to me, and when she took me outside and insisted I **** her against the wall in the alley, I’d been so turned on I’d done it, even though I’d been waiting for someone to bust us the whole time. I’d soon learned that Jess got off on that kind of excitement, and I’d told myself she was passionate and bold and had gotten sucked all the way in.'
I did feel the end was resolved a bit quickly, the sister getting therapy etc and doing better, it was summarised so maybe that's why.
I'm not sure it would be so permanently resolved, to me it seemed like it would be something they would all have to live with.
I think the issue was the parents attitude changed so they were all behind her getting help.
HEA.
Epilogue 6 months later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2021
All the stars. I had to read this True North Spin -off.
I heard some buzz that this had some angst and would be a little heavy and serious at times
I love sweet Haley. What an unsung heroine. I love shy heroines that just get stuff done.
I would NOT call her a doormat. Do not listen if you hear that. Haley has a very sweet nature.
She's overshadowed by her fashion model sister Jess.
Haley takes a job at the Busy Bean, but has so much more going for her. I won't spill too much, since I loved how it unfolds in the story. The Busy Bean is an awesome setting + Audrey and Zara are the owners!
The hero, Beck has a coffee bean roasting business with his brother Sam. Haley realizes that she knows Beck. He was her sister Jess' ex-boyfriend. Jess is much more than a drama queen. She has to be the center of attention. There's much more to Jess, but I was so glad that there was so much time spent on the simmering between Beck and Haley. **The build up is so so good**
I usually don't like sisters ex's trope. I do make the exception when it's done well.
I hope that this will get an audio. I do want to reread.
The whole journey with these two. *sigh*
I loved the ending- so well done. Haley stays true to herself. I loved the outcome. Oh, I should not forget to tell you- Beck is swoony-dreamy. Is that a word?
I heard some buzz that this had some angst and would be a little heavy and serious at times
I love sweet Haley. What an unsung heroine. I love shy heroines that just get stuff done.
I would NOT call her a doormat. Do not listen if you hear that. Haley has a very sweet nature.
She's overshadowed by her fashion model sister Jess.
Haley takes a job at the Busy Bean, but has so much more going for her. I won't spill too much, since I loved how it unfolds in the story. The Busy Bean is an awesome setting + Audrey and Zara are the owners!
The hero, Beck has a coffee bean roasting business with his brother Sam. Haley realizes that she knows Beck. He was her sister Jess' ex-boyfriend. Jess is much more than a drama queen. She has to be the center of attention. There's much more to Jess, but I was so glad that there was so much time spent on the simmering between Beck and Haley. **The build up is so so good**
I usually don't like sisters ex's trope. I do make the exception when it's done well.
I hope that this will get an audio. I do want to reread.
The whole journey with these two. *sigh*
I loved the ending- so well done. Haley stays true to herself. I loved the outcome. Oh, I should not forget to tell you- Beck is swoony-dreamy. Is that a word?
March 1, 2021
Sweetheart was a nice read for me.
The story is lovely, well written and the plot takes us back to the Busy Bean, the best cafe in the world.
Haley Elliott has just got a job as barista at the Busy Bean, but during her first week everybody notices that the coffee sales declined, so she tries to find out what's causing it. She finds out that in the city there is a new brand of coffee that is indeed delicious so she goes to the owner to get a deal for the Busy Bean but when she meets him she is shocked. Daniel Beck is the owner of the Dark Horse coffee and Haley's sister ex boyfriend, they didn't have a nice break up so he is adamant to not help Haley until his co-owner tells him to accept because it is a bargain. Will they take the chance to be friendly or will they just ignore each other?
Haley and Beck journey is a roller-coaster, there are ups and downs and heavy topics to deal with in order to put them to rest and to be happy. Haley is so nice and sweet, she always tries to not be a burden for the others. I really liked her, she didn't give up easily and she deserved a good, caring man like Beck in her life.
It was a pleasure to read about old and new characters, I especially loved the atmosphere of this novel, the deep attraction between the main characters and the low angst feelings made me feel serene and happy.
I recommend this book but be careful if mental illness is a trigger for you because one of the support character suffers of it.
Copy kindly provided by the Publisher/Author.
February 24, 2021
You had me at coffee beans…
This review is a wee bit spoilerish, please proceed with caution
Bring me a story where coffee plays a major part and you’ve got my attention. When I heard that a fellow Aussie was contributing to Sarina Bowen’s – True North world, I was very excited. I’m a huge fan of both authors, so I had a feeling that Sweetheart would work for me. Sarah Mayberry settled into Sarina’s world like she’d been there (writing) for years. Sarah’s writing style complimented what Sarina had created.
I settled into Sweetheart fairly easily and I liked the main characters straight away. Sure, Beck gave a wee bit of attitude in the beginning, but you could tell he was dragging around some emotional baggage. I hated that Haley was rejected and made to feel like garbage but as the story developed you realised that Beck wasn’t the first to make her feel insignificant. Honestly, there were a few times I wanted to reach into this story and take Haley away from it all.
I absolutely loved the coffee talk and I’m always fascinated when I get some *behind-the-scenes* information on how one of my favourite drinks is made. It made it even more interesting that Haley, with all her coffee-making abilities, recognised a good coffee bean from her first sip. If I ever learnt to be a Barista, I should have been a great proficient… at recognising good coffee beans. (I’m channelling a little Lady Catherine de Bourg – Pride and Prejudice.) 😉
***spoilery bits and pieces up next***
Like most stories touching on diverse subjects or characters, I find it extremely hard to judge or review. Where do I draw the line between judging a story for its entertainment and judging for its ability to tackle diverse topics? In Sweetheart, the main characters have or had a close relationship with someone dealing with mental illness. I, myself, do not have firsthand experience with mental illness, so I can’t judge how I would handle it or what I would do if I was in the same situation as Haley and Beck. BUT, I can’t help feeling sad that it took Beck coming into Haley’s life for the blinkers to come off with how they (Haley and her parents) dealt with a very unstable Jess, Haley’s sister.
Did the above affect my enjoyment? A wee bit. Haley was expected to sacrifice her happiness to make sure Jess stayed stable. Sure, it all worked out in the end and we’re given a fantastic epilogue to show us everyone ended up happy. It’s just that I’ve never understood suffering to make another happy. I understand sacrificing a little but not suffering. I hated that Haley had spent years as an afterthought and that watching out for Jess was more important than anything else in their lives.
***End of spoilery bits and pieces***
I enjoyed Sweetheart but I think I would have approached the read differently had I known the level of ”burned my life to the ground” Beck had faced at the hands of Jess. Haley and Beck were wonderful characters, and I enjoyed their journey to happiness. I loved catching up with Zara and Audrey and it made me want to get my hands on Roommate now that I’ve ‘met’ Roderick and Kieran.
For fans of Sarina Bowen’s, True North series, you will not be disappointed. Sarah Mayberry fits in well but also makes it her own Busy Bean world. Go in knowing that it does address some heavy issues, but it was never too heavy or made me too uncomfortable.
Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.
This review is a wee bit spoilerish, please proceed with caution
Bring me a story where coffee plays a major part and you’ve got my attention. When I heard that a fellow Aussie was contributing to Sarina Bowen’s – True North world, I was very excited. I’m a huge fan of both authors, so I had a feeling that Sweetheart would work for me. Sarah Mayberry settled into Sarina’s world like she’d been there (writing) for years. Sarah’s writing style complimented what Sarina had created.
I settled into Sweetheart fairly easily and I liked the main characters straight away. Sure, Beck gave a wee bit of attitude in the beginning, but you could tell he was dragging around some emotional baggage. I hated that Haley was rejected and made to feel like garbage but as the story developed you realised that Beck wasn’t the first to make her feel insignificant. Honestly, there were a few times I wanted to reach into this story and take Haley away from it all.
I absolutely loved the coffee talk and I’m always fascinated when I get some *behind-the-scenes* information on how one of my favourite drinks is made. It made it even more interesting that Haley, with all her coffee-making abilities, recognised a good coffee bean from her first sip. If I ever learnt to be a Barista, I should have been a great proficient… at recognising good coffee beans. (I’m channelling a little Lady Catherine de Bourg – Pride and Prejudice.) 😉
***spoilery bits and pieces up next***
Like most stories touching on diverse subjects or characters, I find it extremely hard to judge or review. Where do I draw the line between judging a story for its entertainment and judging for its ability to tackle diverse topics? In Sweetheart, the main characters have or had a close relationship with someone dealing with mental illness. I, myself, do not have firsthand experience with mental illness, so I can’t judge how I would handle it or what I would do if I was in the same situation as Haley and Beck. BUT, I can’t help feeling sad that it took Beck coming into Haley’s life for the blinkers to come off with how they (Haley and her parents) dealt with a very unstable Jess, Haley’s sister.
Did the above affect my enjoyment? A wee bit. Haley was expected to sacrifice her happiness to make sure Jess stayed stable. Sure, it all worked out in the end and we’re given a fantastic epilogue to show us everyone ended up happy. It’s just that I’ve never understood suffering to make another happy. I understand sacrificing a little but not suffering. I hated that Haley had spent years as an afterthought and that watching out for Jess was more important than anything else in their lives.
***End of spoilery bits and pieces***
I enjoyed Sweetheart but I think I would have approached the read differently had I known the level of ”burned my life to the ground” Beck had faced at the hands of Jess. Haley and Beck were wonderful characters, and I enjoyed their journey to happiness. I loved catching up with Zara and Audrey and it made me want to get my hands on Roommate now that I’ve ‘met’ Roderick and Kieran.
For fans of Sarina Bowen’s, True North series, you will not be disappointed. Sarah Mayberry fits in well but also makes it her own Busy Bean world. Go in knowing that it does address some heavy issues, but it was never too heavy or made me too uncomfortable.
Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.
March 1, 2021
We're back in Vermont!
We all remember the Busy Bean Coffee Shop/Bakery from Sarina's True North series. Audrey and Zara are the boss ladies.
And now Haley has her first day there too. She needs to make some money while dreaming of making a living with her own shoe/boots/belts/bags creations.
Beck is her model sister's ex. The guy she's had a crush on years ago. And suddenly he's back in town and right in the middle of Haley's new professional coffee-shop-life. LOL!
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN!! ☺
══════════════════
Adorable!!
I was really excited to get started with this new coffee series. And it's so very coffee-y! Beck is a coffee roasting hottie! I could almost smell all the roasting coffee goodness through the pages!
The romance part is also very adorable and very sexy. But also so very complicated. Haley's sister Jess and Beck did not end their relationship on good terms. We don't yet know what happened back then, but it wasn't good. For Beck. Jess seems to be the bad guy here. But she's Haley's sister, she'll always be in her life, and so we just know that it won't be an easy road to that happy end for our darlings!
But we love every single page of that journey!
Beautiful start into this second series of Sarina Bowen's True North World.
I could read these kinds of books every day for the rest of eternity!
I also wouldn't mind seeing this whole world on Netflix one day!
Can't wait to get more Vermont soon!
SWEETHEART was such an adorable + sexy + coffee-y romance!!! I loved reading it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Beck - he'll be sold out in no time!
💜
💜
March 1, 2021
This whole true north world announcement has been so exciting. First I thought I would just read the moo u series, but then I had to know what was happening at the busy bean. Then I had to find out more about the vino and veritas books and now I just need more.
A lot of these authors have been new to me authors which I love. Because their writing style has been perfect for this project and every book has been awesome. And Sarah Mayberry has just been added to my author stalking list.
Beck and Haley were really deep, and real characters with flaws and faults that made them really relatable. And the amount of emotion and the depth of the underlining story took me completely by surprise. I really was expecting something light and surface level.
But everything about both characters came was completely understandable. And I loved that they were mature and reasonable. They were dealing with a variety of issues and they did it openly and with great communication. And after a recent binge of new adult romance it was a really great change of pace.
Now I am jumping into the next book in the series and loving seeing Audrey and Zara and Roddy.
A lot of these authors have been new to me authors which I love. Because their writing style has been perfect for this project and every book has been awesome. And Sarah Mayberry has just been added to my author stalking list.
Beck and Haley were really deep, and real characters with flaws and faults that made them really relatable. And the amount of emotion and the depth of the underlining story took me completely by surprise. I really was expecting something light and surface level.
But everything about both characters came was completely understandable. And I loved that they were mature and reasonable. They were dealing with a variety of issues and they did it openly and with great communication. And after a recent binge of new adult romance it was a really great change of pace.
Now I am jumping into the next book in the series and loving seeing Audrey and Zara and Roddy.
March 6, 2021
I am a sucker for the shy, quiet heroines. The sassy, outspoken heroines get lots of love, but I really appreciate the focus on the overlooked character type! She spent her life sort of in the shadow of her sister. As a woman whose parents spent most of their time and energy dealing with my brother, I felt an emotional bond with Hailey. I said this years ago with a Lauren Layne book, but being with the same guy your sister has been with is weird. But, it worked in this book. The story isn't all sunshine and roses-there are some heavy moments and the romance is slow building. Overall, I think fans of Mayberry and her work will love this as much as her other books. Fans of Bowen's true north series might just find a new author to enjoy!
March 1, 2021
I’m going to need a whole lot more from the Busy Bean community STAT!
So, the last time I read a book written by Sarah was 2015 and, it’s the only book I’ve read by her. So for all intents and purposes, she’s a new-to-me author with this story. I can’t say I’m going to do a deep dive into her backlist, but I sure do hope I see her again in this world or another world she might create. Her style is smooth and easy. She spun a tale of complicated love with complex characters, without drowning it in angst or emotion, other than hope.
There are circumstances in this story that could have gone sideways fast but Sarah presented them realistically and respectfully. The synopsis does not give you details on this, so I will not be doing it, but I do want to say one thing. When you read this story, you might find yourself thinking “I wouldn’t have done that or I can’t believe they did that or some other version of those phrases …” and you might be right, but try to not have it color your opinion of the story too much, one way or the other. Fiction or not, it’s easy to look in at a situation and think this, that or the other, but when you live it … This story has complexed plot points swirling all around it and at its base, it’s a sweet and sexy romance story!
So, the last time I read a book written by Sarah was 2015 and, it’s the only book I’ve read by her. So for all intents and purposes, she’s a new-to-me author with this story. I can’t say I’m going to do a deep dive into her backlist, but I sure do hope I see her again in this world or another world she might create. Her style is smooth and easy. She spun a tale of complicated love with complex characters, without drowning it in angst or emotion, other than hope.
There are circumstances in this story that could have gone sideways fast but Sarah presented them realistically and respectfully. The synopsis does not give you details on this, so I will not be doing it, but I do want to say one thing. When you read this story, you might find yourself thinking “I wouldn’t have done that or I can’t believe they did that or some other version of those phrases …” and you might be right, but try to not have it color your opinion of the story too much, one way or the other. Fiction or not, it’s easy to look in at a situation and think this, that or the other, but when you live it … This story has complexed plot points swirling all around it and at its base, it’s a sweet and sexy romance story!
November 22, 2021
Although Haley’s true passion is art, she’s beyond excited to get a job at a local coffee shop, Busy Bean. It just so happens, there’s a new coffee bean distributor that roasts the best beans around and unfortunately for Haley, the co-owner is her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Beck, who seems to want absolutely nothing to do with Haley, nearly refusing Busy Bean their business.
Beck hasn’t seen Haley for years and her reappearance in his life reminds him of his darkest days while dating Haley’s sister. But he realizes maybe he jumped the gun and went a little too hard by turning away the Busy Bean’s business. Now that he’s delivering beans to BB, he sees Haley on the regular.
Haley’s always had a crush on Beck and it wasn’t reciprocated—until now. Although it’s so wrong since Beck is her sister’s ex, she can’t stay away, and neither can he. But the relationship that forms between them could cause complications in their lives that both of them aren’t sure they’re ready to welcome.
Sweetheart by Sarah Mayberry is book 1 in the Busy Bean series. This was a great series starter set in the True North world by a new-to-me author. This was sweet, steamy & heartfelt. I appreciated the talk about mental health in regard to Haley’s sister & I like that we got to see her actually get the help she needed, rather than her very real issues being brushed under the rug. Overall I really enjoyed this one & I can’t wait to continue in the series and read more by Sarah in the future. 4/5 stars.
Beck hasn’t seen Haley for years and her reappearance in his life reminds him of his darkest days while dating Haley’s sister. But he realizes maybe he jumped the gun and went a little too hard by turning away the Busy Bean’s business. Now that he’s delivering beans to BB, he sees Haley on the regular.
Haley’s always had a crush on Beck and it wasn’t reciprocated—until now. Although it’s so wrong since Beck is her sister’s ex, she can’t stay away, and neither can he. But the relationship that forms between them could cause complications in their lives that both of them aren’t sure they’re ready to welcome.
Sweetheart by Sarah Mayberry is book 1 in the Busy Bean series. This was a great series starter set in the True North world by a new-to-me author. This was sweet, steamy & heartfelt. I appreciated the talk about mental health in regard to Haley’s sister & I like that we got to see her actually get the help she needed, rather than her very real issues being brushed under the rug. Overall I really enjoyed this one & I can’t wait to continue in the series and read more by Sarah in the future. 4/5 stars.
July 29, 2023
I actually wanted to listen to Jess's story instead of the boring ass couple we got. That sounded more interesting. Jess sounded volatile and a great character.
I wanted to see their toxic relationship and how hot and messy it was.
Which reminds me... maybe I should write something like that...
Welp, at least this was sort of inspiring and made me want to write something better lmao...
I wanted to see their toxic relationship and how hot and messy it was.
Which reminds me... maybe I should write something like that...
Welp, at least this was sort of inspiring and made me want to write something better lmao...
March 18, 2021
4.5 stars.
I haven't read a Sarah Mayberry book in a minute and this was a great reminder how good a storyteller she is.
Beck, the hero in this novel, has a coffee bean business with his brother. Their roasting techniques have created a truly tasty coffee and they are in hot demand. He is happy back in the small town where he lives and working with his brother. He had been in a severely toxic relationship with a woman named Jess who gaslit him, emotionally abused him and even threatened to accuse him of being an abuser and even worse. He is happy to be out of her emotionally wrecked sphere and is slowly recovering from the trauma of that relationship.
Haley is a barista of a busy, popular coffee shop/bakery. She is also an artist who is a little shy and self effacing. She has had a long time silent crush on Beck. She is also Jess' younger sister. Jess' actions toward Beck were not an anomaly. We learn that Jess has a long history of emotional manipulation, not just with Beck but with her family her entire life. We also learn that Jess' state is a form of mental illness (possibly a borderline personality disorder with heaping dose of narcissism) that has resulted in many destructive and self destructive behaviors. Jess' issues have cannibalized their family so that she is very much the center of everything. Because of it, Haley has always sort of faded into the background. Understanding that the lion's share of her parents' attention must go to her emotionally volatile sister and doing her part, along side her parents, to make sure her sister's emotional and mental state does not deteriorate too badly.
So Haley and Beck meet again over coffee bean delivery. Haley is happy to see Beck again, to be in the presence of her crush. Beck however is not happy at all to see Haley. Not because of her, but because of her potential proximity to her sister, even though Jess lives miles away in New York City. He basically treats Haley like she has 2 different plagues. He wants nothing to do with her. Haley is crushed, but the two have to brush past each other occasionally as he is the supplier of the coffee her shop uses.
Things come to a head when Haley fed up with his avoidance (especially since he is super friendly to everyone else) confronts him. Beck for his part realizes with some horror that he is actually attracted to Haley. During an argument they realize they have combustible chemistry and act on it.
This was such a good book with a really good conflict. Beck really, really liked Haley. They have great sex and she is funny and interesting. Basically all the tings that he really wants in a woman. And yet her sister is the single worst experience of anything he has ever encountered in his life and he just doesn't want to be sucked back into any vortex that would include her. It was a believable and utterly understandable stance on Beck's part. We are not given a long litany of what the relationship was like, the author spares us of that, but we get enough to understand just how much Jess traumatized Beck.
So it is something that even amongst the lovely romance that unfolds and the smoking chemistry and great sex these two have, they have to navigate. What I really liked is that while they attempted to kinda tiptoe around the elephant in the room, both Haley and Beck were adult enough to discuss it and communicate. It created a few hiccups but they liked each other too much to let it derail them.
One thing I was worried about what that Jess would blow into town and blow up the really nice romance we have cooking with these two. But interestingly, as much as the spectre of Jess hovers around the story on the edges as a conflict point, she doesn't actually appear on page until the very end of the story.
I was also gratified by how the story side-stepped some cliches. Sure Haley's parents gave a lot of energy and time to Jess, but she is the squeaky wheel that demanded attention for legit reasons. Even so, they also very much loved and had a great relationship with Haley. It was a very realistic, imo, family dynamic where in such a small family one member was dealing with a mental illness that manifested itself so destructively.
The story also managed to not completely vilify Jess, her treatment of Beck aside. In the end we get a positive message about the helpfulness of therapy in this situation.
I don't want to make it sound like the book is a downer and is all about Jess. It really isn't, like I said she doesn't even make an appearance until the very end of the book and it is after the HEA in the epilogue and pretty positive. She is the romantic conflict, though, so her background, especially with Beck, matters. But Haley and Beck are lovely and I liked the quirkiness of the setting, the coffee bean business. And the quirkiness of Haley's side business, she does leather art and is a cordwainer (something new I learned about in this book!). And I liked how everything -- the romance, Haley's family dynamic, the supporting characters and friend group -- all intertwined in the story.
I haven't read a Sarah Mayberry book in a minute and this was a great reminder how good a storyteller she is.
Beck, the hero in this novel, has a coffee bean business with his brother. Their roasting techniques have created a truly tasty coffee and they are in hot demand. He is happy back in the small town where he lives and working with his brother. He had been in a severely toxic relationship with a woman named Jess who gaslit him, emotionally abused him and even threatened to accuse him of being an abuser and even worse. He is happy to be out of her emotionally wrecked sphere and is slowly recovering from the trauma of that relationship.
Haley is a barista of a busy, popular coffee shop/bakery. She is also an artist who is a little shy and self effacing. She has had a long time silent crush on Beck. She is also Jess' younger sister. Jess' actions toward Beck were not an anomaly. We learn that Jess has a long history of emotional manipulation, not just with Beck but with her family her entire life. We also learn that Jess' state is a form of mental illness (possibly a borderline personality disorder with heaping dose of narcissism) that has resulted in many destructive and self destructive behaviors. Jess' issues have cannibalized their family so that she is very much the center of everything. Because of it, Haley has always sort of faded into the background. Understanding that the lion's share of her parents' attention must go to her emotionally volatile sister and doing her part, along side her parents, to make sure her sister's emotional and mental state does not deteriorate too badly.
So Haley and Beck meet again over coffee bean delivery. Haley is happy to see Beck again, to be in the presence of her crush. Beck however is not happy at all to see Haley. Not because of her, but because of her potential proximity to her sister, even though Jess lives miles away in New York City. He basically treats Haley like she has 2 different plagues. He wants nothing to do with her. Haley is crushed, but the two have to brush past each other occasionally as he is the supplier of the coffee her shop uses.
Things come to a head when Haley fed up with his avoidance (especially since he is super friendly to everyone else) confronts him. Beck for his part realizes with some horror that he is actually attracted to Haley. During an argument they realize they have combustible chemistry and act on it.
This was such a good book with a really good conflict. Beck really, really liked Haley. They have great sex and she is funny and interesting. Basically all the tings that he really wants in a woman. And yet her sister is the single worst experience of anything he has ever encountered in his life and he just doesn't want to be sucked back into any vortex that would include her. It was a believable and utterly understandable stance on Beck's part. We are not given a long litany of what the relationship was like, the author spares us of that, but we get enough to understand just how much Jess traumatized Beck.
So it is something that even amongst the lovely romance that unfolds and the smoking chemistry and great sex these two have, they have to navigate. What I really liked is that while they attempted to kinda tiptoe around the elephant in the room, both Haley and Beck were adult enough to discuss it and communicate. It created a few hiccups but they liked each other too much to let it derail them.
One thing I was worried about what that Jess would blow into town and blow up the really nice romance we have cooking with these two. But interestingly, as much as the spectre of Jess hovers around the story on the edges as a conflict point, she doesn't actually appear on page until the very end of the story.
I was also gratified by how the story side-stepped some cliches. Sure Haley's parents gave a lot of energy and time to Jess, but she is the squeaky wheel that demanded attention for legit reasons. Even so, they also very much loved and had a great relationship with Haley. It was a very realistic, imo, family dynamic where in such a small family one member was dealing with a mental illness that manifested itself so destructively.
The story also managed to not completely vilify Jess, her treatment of Beck aside. In the end we get a positive message about the helpfulness of therapy in this situation.
I don't want to make it sound like the book is a downer and is all about Jess. It really isn't, like I said she doesn't even make an appearance until the very end of the book and it is after the HEA in the epilogue and pretty positive. She is the romantic conflict, though, so her background, especially with Beck, matters. But Haley and Beck are lovely and I liked the quirkiness of the setting, the coffee bean business. And the quirkiness of Haley's side business, she does leather art and is a cordwainer (something new I learned about in this book!). And I liked how everything -- the romance, Haley's family dynamic, the supporting characters and friend group -- all intertwined in the story.
March 1, 2021
ARC received for an honest review
Annnd now we are back in Shipley-land, an my favourite fictional coffee shop (though I am only here for the baked goods, I hate coffee!)
Haley has had an unrequited love for her sister's ex since forever, and now it is her turn to get all the goodness that is Beck.
But firstly, don't get me started on the sister, Jess (the ex). Ugh, I hate, hate hated her for most of the story, and the way that all this time later, she is still affecting her family and her ex. I wanted to slap her around the head with my Kindle for it. The more we learn, the more I dislike her really. We learn more and my feelings change - slightly - but sheesh.
And really, she is not the only one who frustrated me, but she is the worst of the lot.
I adore both our lovelies, and I hurt for them as the complications of the past come to haunt them in the now.
But I am telling you now, you are gonna love them, even when you heart is hurting for them.
But we get there. We get the smiles and the love and the happy, so I can get over the frustratin parts!
I am really invested in this whole World of True North / Busy Bean series, and I hope we keep getting them for the next 30 years!
October 3, 2022
I was a little iffy on this one as I started it. Beck was an ass and the ex of Haley's sister, which made things sticky, with potential for icky. But somehow it worked. While I loved Haley from the start, I was quickly rooting for her and Beck to be a couple. If they forgot about the sister, these 2 were really good together, had a lot of the same ideas and just plain had fun. I did like when Beck talked about the sister he talked from his experience with her and why he was such an ass at the start, it made total sense. I also loved that when the sister started to cause issues Beck stood up for Haley and pretty much ripped the parents a new one, something that was long due.
I really loved how this one ended, the two of them happy and Haley's business really taking off.
I really loved how this one ended, the two of them happy and Haley's business really taking off.
Shelved as 'avoid'
September 11, 2024Self note
The H is the h’s sister’s ex
There are also details (probably off page!!) about his first meeting with the h's sister and how he f*cked her against the wall in the alley (so icky)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The H is the h’s sister’s ex
There are also details (probably off page!!) about his first meeting with the h's sister and how he f*cked her against the wall in the alley (so icky)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 6, 2021
3.75 stars rounded up
The last time I read Sarah Mayberry was last year (it was one of her older titles) and I honestly couldn't remember if she ever written smoldering sexy scenes 😂. No matter though, I thought it fit with the book. Haley and Beck had that intense 'thing' also caused by Beck's previous toxic relationship with Haley's troubled sister. While Haley clearly had a crush on Beck. FEELINGS, people.
I loved Haley and her creativity - her shyness and inability to take compliment, to stay away from spotlight suits with her character. Especially because of her older sister's mental health problem and that her parents didn't want Haley to 'rock the boat'. I was happy that Beck took charge of being Haley's champion though. The part where .
I really liked Beck too, and I could understand his first dismissal of Haley, with that horrible history with Haley's sister.
On that note, while I knew that the author didn't make Jess (Haley's sister) a simple villain, that she REALLY has mental health problem that needs professional help, I am rather weary with that epilogue timeline. Does really enough? I know that this is Haley and Beck's book, NOT Jess, despite her being a very strong element of the relationship, but I sort of want a longer timeline for Jess to get the help, maybe a couple of scenes with Haley and Jess during therapy, so I can accept that Jess is really better in the epilogue chapter.
But again, it's NOT Jess' book, is it 🤷♀️
The last time I read Sarah Mayberry was last year (it was one of her older titles) and I honestly couldn't remember if she ever written smoldering sexy scenes 😂. No matter though, I thought it fit with the book. Haley and Beck had that intense 'thing' also caused by Beck's previous toxic relationship with Haley's troubled sister. While Haley clearly had a crush on Beck. FEELINGS, people.
I loved Haley and her creativity - her shyness and inability to take compliment, to stay away from spotlight suits with her character. Especially because of her older sister's mental health problem and that her parents didn't want Haley to 'rock the boat'. I was happy that Beck took charge of being Haley's champion though. The part where .
I really liked Beck too, and I could understand his first dismissal of Haley, with that horrible history with Haley's sister.
On that note, while I knew that the author didn't make Jess (Haley's sister) a simple villain, that she REALLY has mental health problem that needs professional help, I am rather weary with that epilogue timeline. Does really enough? I know that this is Haley and Beck's book, NOT Jess, despite her being a very strong element of the relationship, but I sort of want a longer timeline for Jess to get the help, maybe a couple of scenes with Haley and Jess during therapy, so I can accept that Jess is really better in the epilogue chapter.
But again, it's NOT Jess' book, is it 🤷♀️
Shelved as 'nope-nope-nope'
March 6, 2021Sister double dipping 🤢
March 1, 2021
4.5
OUT TODAY, PEOPLE!!!
Soooo, wow. As I was reading this book I was like "oh wow there are so many funny one liners, this is amazing. So glad to be back in the Busy Bean. Dang these two have some explosive chemistry, amirite ?!?!?" and then BOOM. The emotional kick that this one has at the end got me good (and I say that in the best way possible). But I'll get to that in a bit...
First of all, can I just live in the World of True North? CAN I? Because I'm telling you, even excluding the amazing characters and strictly thinking about the places like the Busy Bean or Shipley Farms has me wanting to move out to that version of Vermont, lol. THEN we DO add in the characters and it feels like coming home every time I pick up one of these books. I love it.
I was so interested to start this story because it came with a trope that I haven't seen often. Haley, who is a waitress and barista at the Busy Bean and has an Etsy shop on the side where she makes GORGEOUS leather creations (shoes, belts, you name it), has always had a crush on her sister's old boyfriend Beck. They had a messy breakup a few years back that she knows nothing about and hasn't seen him since. UNTILLLLL she does some sleuthing on a new coffee company that's been stealing business away from the Bean and runs into the handsome Beck himself. Of course he's part owner of this coffee bean company (see, do I even need to point out this is another reason for moving there?!?) with his brother, Sam. Beck, who we find out did in fact have a VERY very messy breakup with Haley's sister, does not react well to seeing her.
I'm not going to break down the whole story but what you need to know is that Beck is wise enough not to let that stop him from doing business with the Bean. He and Haley are obviously thrown into close quarters a few times because of it and eventually this crazy explosive chemistry comes blasting out after one single kiss that was meant to just be comforting.
At first I was a bit wary of how fast things were going between them but they themselves wondered about it enough that I felt it was all natural. After all, sometimes you do just find yourself having an insane amount of chemistry with someone else. Once that was settled, the thing I was most worried about was how they were going to pull off telling Haley's sister, Jess.
At first we don't get a full picture but what we do get isn't all that pretty. Haley does love her sister, there is no doubt about that, but it's clear that Jess struggles with extreme highs and lows and takes the people close in her orbit long with her for the ride. Because of this, Haley has always unconsciously been put in second place by her parents. After a failed suicide attempt years ago, their parents are always on high alert of things setting Jess off and are constantly having to talk her out of these dangerous moods and lows. We find out later that Beck himself had to endure this behavior for a year and is still pretty messed up from it.
Despite that though, Beck and Haley decide that this explosiveness between them is worth exploring and before long fall madly in love. There is a moment where things come to a head on the Jess front but what I loved was that Haley decided that enough was enough of not coming in first. She chose to be happy with Beck instead of denying herself of that and I was so happy. I'm not going to lie though, the ending was very emotionally intense. Once we find out more about Jess and Beck's relationship and the severity of the issues that Jess has been dealing with her entire life my heart hurt for ALL of them so badly. I was so relieved with how everything turned out in the end so rest assured there is that HEA that we all crave. :)
Huge thanks to Heart Eyes Press LLC for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥
OUT TODAY, PEOPLE!!!
Soooo, wow. As I was reading this book I was like "oh wow there are so many funny one liners, this is amazing. So glad to be back in the Busy Bean. Dang these two have some explosive chemistry, amirite ?!?!?" and then BOOM. The emotional kick that this one has at the end got me good (and I say that in the best way possible). But I'll get to that in a bit...
First of all, can I just live in the World of True North? CAN I? Because I'm telling you, even excluding the amazing characters and strictly thinking about the places like the Busy Bean or Shipley Farms has me wanting to move out to that version of Vermont, lol. THEN we DO add in the characters and it feels like coming home every time I pick up one of these books. I love it.
I was so interested to start this story because it came with a trope that I haven't seen often. Haley, who is a waitress and barista at the Busy Bean and has an Etsy shop on the side where she makes GORGEOUS leather creations (shoes, belts, you name it), has always had a crush on her sister's old boyfriend Beck. They had a messy breakup a few years back that she knows nothing about and hasn't seen him since. UNTILLLLL she does some sleuthing on a new coffee company that's been stealing business away from the Bean and runs into the handsome Beck himself. Of course he's part owner of this coffee bean company (see, do I even need to point out this is another reason for moving there?!?) with his brother, Sam. Beck, who we find out did in fact have a VERY very messy breakup with Haley's sister, does not react well to seeing her.
I'm not going to break down the whole story but what you need to know is that Beck is wise enough not to let that stop him from doing business with the Bean. He and Haley are obviously thrown into close quarters a few times because of it and eventually this crazy explosive chemistry comes blasting out after one single kiss that was meant to just be comforting.
At first I was a bit wary of how fast things were going between them but they themselves wondered about it enough that I felt it was all natural. After all, sometimes you do just find yourself having an insane amount of chemistry with someone else. Once that was settled, the thing I was most worried about was how they were going to pull off telling Haley's sister, Jess.
At first we don't get a full picture but what we do get isn't all that pretty. Haley does love her sister, there is no doubt about that, but it's clear that Jess struggles with extreme highs and lows and takes the people close in her orbit long with her for the ride. Because of this, Haley has always unconsciously been put in second place by her parents. After a failed suicide attempt years ago, their parents are always on high alert of things setting Jess off and are constantly having to talk her out of these dangerous moods and lows. We find out later that Beck himself had to endure this behavior for a year and is still pretty messed up from it.
Despite that though, Beck and Haley decide that this explosiveness between them is worth exploring and before long fall madly in love. There is a moment where things come to a head on the Jess front but what I loved was that Haley decided that enough was enough of not coming in first. She chose to be happy with Beck instead of denying herself of that and I was so happy. I'm not going to lie though, the ending was very emotionally intense. Once we find out more about Jess and Beck's relationship and the severity of the issues that Jess has been dealing with her entire life my heart hurt for ALL of them so badly. I was so relieved with how everything turned out in the end so rest assured there is that HEA that we all crave. :)
Huge thanks to Heart Eyes Press LLC for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!♥
February 10, 2021
This is a wonderful little story and a cute, low-angst romance.
However, there’s a trigger that I was unaware of before starting, namely mental illness in a family member. And I can’t honestly say I would have read this book had I known that in advance. The romance-part in itself is low-angst and super sweet. But I can say with certainty that this story will not be perceived as such by those who have personal experience of a loved one with a mental disorder.
Anyway. Haley and Beck were the sweetest. I really appreciated that the struggles they had, and the obstacles they faced before their HEA wasn’t about them per se, but it was from an outside source – Haley’s sister. I think the older I get, the more I appreciate the MCs being grounded and less high-strung. And both Haley and Beck were like that. Sincere. Mature.
This story takes place in Sarina Bowen’s True North universe, so you could say I read this book with some heavily, rose tinted glasses. And I realize this is somewhat of a problem. Sweetheart is the start of a brand new series, but for me, the world-building is already done. I know all about it, so it’s really easy to just slide right into the story and immediately feel at home. What I’m saying is that I can’t be an un-biased judge of the world-building in Sweetheart. And I have no idea how someone new to the True North world will view this story.
For me though? It’s like re-visiting old friends. That I love. So despite that this book absolutely can be read as a stand-alone, I still can’t think that the best way to enjoy it is to read all of the True North books first.
But about the trigger (I really hope there will be a trigger-warning when this book is released), the circumstances described in this story hit me HARD. As someone who grew up with a family-member with a mental disorder, this story had me extremely emotional. The walking on eggshells, the “handling”, the excuses. The parent trying to cover up and shield the rest of us, but failing. It was painful as hell to read because it brought back so many bad memories.
So basically, if you have no personal experience with mental illness, go ahead and read this cute romance! It’s so well-written and an absolute joy!
However, if mental illness is a trigger for you, you might want to stay away.
https://reflectionsofaswedishgirl.blo...
*** I was kindly provided with an ARC from the publisher ***
However, there’s a trigger that I was unaware of before starting, namely mental illness in a family member. And I can’t honestly say I would have read this book had I known that in advance. The romance-part in itself is low-angst and super sweet. But I can say with certainty that this story will not be perceived as such by those who have personal experience of a loved one with a mental disorder.
Anyway. Haley and Beck were the sweetest. I really appreciated that the struggles they had, and the obstacles they faced before their HEA wasn’t about them per se, but it was from an outside source – Haley’s sister. I think the older I get, the more I appreciate the MCs being grounded and less high-strung. And both Haley and Beck were like that. Sincere. Mature.
This story takes place in Sarina Bowen’s True North universe, so you could say I read this book with some heavily, rose tinted glasses. And I realize this is somewhat of a problem. Sweetheart is the start of a brand new series, but for me, the world-building is already done. I know all about it, so it’s really easy to just slide right into the story and immediately feel at home. What I’m saying is that I can’t be an un-biased judge of the world-building in Sweetheart. And I have no idea how someone new to the True North world will view this story.
For me though? It’s like re-visiting old friends. That I love. So despite that this book absolutely can be read as a stand-alone, I still can’t think that the best way to enjoy it is to read all of the True North books first.
It’s like, sure, you can drink that glass of wine all by itself, but wouldn’t you like some cheese and fruit to go with it? And maybe an orgasm or two?
But about the trigger (I really hope there will be a trigger-warning when this book is released), the circumstances described in this story hit me HARD. As someone who grew up with a family-member with a mental disorder, this story had me extremely emotional. The walking on eggshells, the “handling”, the excuses. The parent trying to cover up and shield the rest of us, but failing. It was painful as hell to read because it brought back so many bad memories.
So basically, if you have no personal experience with mental illness, go ahead and read this cute romance! It’s so well-written and an absolute joy!
However, if mental illness is a trigger for you, you might want to stay away.
https://reflectionsofaswedishgirl.blo...
*** I was kindly provided with an ARC from the publisher ***
November 7, 2021
2.5 curmudgeonly stars
I'm feeling let down for two very specific reasons which made a perfectly competently written book into a dud.
Numero uno. Here's a book whose whole raison d'être is that She is the sister of His awful ex.
Watch! - them cower at the very mention of the Ex's name.
Shiver! - as they break under the tension.
Long! - to bring their silly heads together.
Seethe! - when
Number two is less structurally destructive but raised some questions in my mind about Sarah Mayberry's view of women. That irritated the hell out of me. Equality has some way to go in Mayberry-world.
I'm feeling let down for two very specific reasons which made a perfectly competently written book into a dud.
Numero uno. Here's a book whose whole raison d'être is that She is the sister of His awful ex.
Watch! - them cower at the very mention of the Ex's name.
Shiver! - as they break under the tension.
Long! - to bring their silly heads together.
Seethe! - when
Number two is less structurally destructive but raised some questions in my mind about Sarah Mayberry's view of women. That irritated the hell out of me. Equality has some way to go in Mayberry-world.
May 3, 2021
Ohhh this one was good!
I loved Hailey so much. I wanna be her friend!! She’s just such a wonderful character. I loved seeing Daniel come to realize how great she really was. These two are couple goals for sure! I also enjoyed how the family drama played out and how it wasn’t over the top or took over the whole story. I will definitely be checking out more books from this author.
I loved Hailey so much. I wanna be her friend!! She’s just such a wonderful character. I loved seeing Daniel come to realize how great she really was. These two are couple goals for sure! I also enjoyed how the family drama played out and how it wasn’t over the top or took over the whole story. I will definitely be checking out more books from this author.
April 7, 2023
I really did want to like this.... but .. here we are.
I don't like leaving negative or ... low reviews, so I usually don't rate under 2 unless it's horrid
I think my main issue here was that I was bored. Horribly bored.
The writing style didn't keep me engaged.. I didn't find myself wanting to read more. I had to literally force myself to turn the pages and keep going.
The characters weren't all that interesting either.
Something positive? the cover is cute!
I don't like leaving negative or ... low reviews, so I usually don't rate under 2 unless it's horrid
I think my main issue here was that I was bored. Horribly bored.
The writing style didn't keep me engaged.. I didn't find myself wanting to read more. I had to literally force myself to turn the pages and keep going.
The characters weren't all that interesting either.
Something positive? the cover is cute!
June 29, 2023
An attempt was made
February 28, 2021
Love, Love, Love. Still reveling in the goosebumps. My First Sarah Mayberry read! Loved Beck & Hailey's story. I was sad to finish the book. I wanted more of Hailey & Beck. Love the whole vibe that was created in this book. Loved the family feel of the whole book. I felt very welcomed into their world. I can not wait to continue my journey through the World of True North!
March 21, 2021
I read this, I really liked it, I have no recollection of it at all except I was deeply grateful for the messed up family dynamics being respected.
(I do not have the finish date recorded in my media log but I am REASONABLY certain I finished it in one day. I feel like that happened.)
(I do not have the finish date recorded in my media log but I am REASONABLY certain I finished it in one day. I feel like that happened.)
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