Review: 18+  I’d happily read more from this author,
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
I requested this title on NetGalley, and never really expected to be granted early access  - but I am OH SO Glad that I did.  Liz Everly has a wonderfully written, evocative story that is full of honey and bees and redolent with the Scottish countryside.Jennifer was widowed after a short marriage, and now finds herself managing her dead husband’s family business: a honey farm.  Completely unprepared for both life as it has twisted, and learning slowly about beekeeping as she is struggling to pay bills, she still hasn’t really dealt with her losses, merely struggling to put one foot in front of the other and make the business and the estate desirable for a buyer.Jennifer’s farm and business are under watch however, and Grayson is the agent sent to ferret out the possible drugs and China connections to the D’Amato Honey Farm.  Gray comes from a long line of beekeepers, and as he is singularly placed to infiltrate as her Head Beekeeper and be able to investigate from inside.So – the premise was great – there were a few issues that I did have, but overall I did enjoy the story so much that I had to get to the end (which came at 1 am, mind: for someone who is always in bed far earlier I’m paying for it today).Gray and Jennifer are hot together – they are both a touch on the oversexed side: her fantasies are odd, and there are several from them both that involve sex with former partners.  While I can sort of relate to the comparison or the fantasy when one is alone as long as Jennifer had been, there was just too many questions raised by those fantasies.The story is told in alternating points of view, and that makes for some strange transitions that don’t always flow forward into the next revelation.  While I did appreciate the moments of getting into each of the characters thoughts and feelings, there could have been transitions that were smoother and fit together a touch better.My last issue is a dubious consent issue: Gray is often slipping into Jennifer’s house in the middle of the night – that alone is creepy enough, no matter his stated intention.  And when his boss / ex-lover appears before Jennifer understands their history he not only sneaks into her house, but proceeds to seduce her, without taking her NO into account.  Considering that Jennifer’s life is in danger, and an employee had tried to strangle her – I was nonplussed.For the positives – it was fun to learn about bees, beekeeping and honey: and Everly did a wonderful job describing the countryside, the textures, and even the emotions of the characters.  While I had some issues with pieces, the whole story managed to wrap up nicely and provided a logical and thoughtful ending, even if it seemed that the relationship with Gray was accelerated.  I didn’t miss much of the background: there was enough information provided through flashbacks, thoughts and discussions to give a solid sense of the events that happened before this book.  I’d happily read more from this author, and will have to get the first two in the series to see if this installment fits the earlier books.I received an eBook copy from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.