Genre ~ general/women’s/cozy fiction
Featuring ~ small town, farm life, reality tv show, cheating, abortion, loss of a family member, slow burn, no steamage
POV ~ dual 1st person
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Release date ~ January 24, 2023
Page count ~ 409
Audio length ~ 9 hours 21 minutes
My rating ~ 3.5⭐
I am delighted to be on this blog tour ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.
⤵ check out what my fellow bloggers thought of this one ⤵
My review:
Barney & Amber
Sweet, sweet Barney ~ if I wasn’t married, and a little younger, I’d hop across the pond in a heartbeat and live on the farm with him. He’s like the sweetest, most compassionate person ever.
Amber is just as sweet. I was rooting for these two from the get go.
What I enjoyed the most:
~ the family dynamics for both of them. They were really close with their families and had great respect for each other. I even liked grumpy old Grandad.
~ the atmospheric descriptions of the countryside.
~ no main character drama
~ even though I haven’t read them ~ the tie in from Jessica’s other series that follows Hedgehog Hollow.
I liked that the story had some sad elements of loss, along with how the farm name Bumblebee Barn came about, that really made the story come together as a whole. We have behind the scenes reality tv show drama that I can totally picture as being what really happens.
Most characters were very lovable, but there’s always a few that could use a poke with a pitchfork. I was happy that the author made some from both genders unlikable instead of just going with one or the other.
Overall, this was just fine for me. I thought I’ve read slow burn before but this is the slowest burn of my entire reading life. Maybe it’s the authors writing style, but the journey for love took a lot longer than I would have liked. I think it’s more on the general/women’s/cozy fiction side as opposed to romance. I did find it to be well written though. The cover is cute too. With that said I do feel invested in Barney and Amber and would be delighted to read more about them if this is the beginning of a series.
*Thanks to the author, Rachel’s Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Add to your never ending TBR ~ goodreads
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.
Book blurb:
Welcome to Bumblebee Barn, home to wonderful animals, stunning views and spectacular sunsets – and resident young farmer, Barney.
While Barney loves his life at Bumblebee Barn – a farm that has been in his family for generations – he’s struggling to find someone to share it with. The early mornings quad biking through muddy fields and the long hours looking after the crops and animals are proving to be a deterrent to finding love.
So when his sister, Fizz – desperate for Barney to find his soulmate – sees an advert for Love on a Farm, a new reality TV show to help farmers find love, he has nothing to lose by applying. Afterall, he isn’t meeting anyone suitable down the traditional route and surely he won’t be picked anyway…?
Thrown into the chaos of reality TV, Barney could never have expected that his whole life would be turned upside down, with buried secrets to be uncovered and his heart on the line. With his family and friends rooting for him, could the magic of Bumblebee Barn heal his broken heart and help him find love on the farm?
Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3Nq8mOD
Author Bio –
Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.
Social Media Links
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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-redland
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Connect with me ⬇
Thanks for joining in the blog tour for Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn and for sharing what you liked about the story including your fondness for Barney. I’m sorry it didn’t quite hit the mark for you. It’s my 18th novel and, as you’d expect, the way in which the relationship unfolds across each book differs and slow burn felt like the right approach for this particularly story. It’s such a shame your first read of one of my books is the type of relationship you don’t enjoy reading about but thank you for giving it a try and I really appreciate your kind comments about my writing 🙂
You’re welcome! As a new reader to your work I am happy to know there will be more for Barney and Amber. I really do look forward to seeing what’s in store for them next 💗