Pretty as a Peach

There is nothing more pleasurable when you want to escape from reality and fall into a love story without too many complications than to read this series / book. This is number 4 - Colt's chronicle. The thing I love the most about these books is the family loyalty, respect and bonds these siblings have. When push comes to shove, you know the Mancinkus clan will pull together to remedy the problem at hand. And that sort of devotion will only spill out to their personal relationships too. Colt has been working on the family farm since leaving school, he is at his happiest there. That is until Darby McCulhane comes to town and could ruin it all by stealing his grant to produce a vineyard. It is not the only thing she might steal from him, his heart is on the line too. They have an instant attraction that is enamouring and rapturous. He is the perfect southern gentleman and she finds it charming. I also love the secondary characters that come into play in this book. The camaraderie of the whole town is delightful. I only wish there was more humor in this one. There is one more book to come, number 5 - Larkin's tale, and I think she is in for a wild ride! *I am grateful for the copy provided by the author for my honest opinion.

3.75 stars--PRETTY AS A PEACH is the fourth instalment in Juliette Poe’s (aka Sawyer Bennett) contemporary, adult SEX AND SWEET TEA romance series. This is farmer Colt Mancinkus, and Darby McCulhane’s story line. PRETTY AS A PEACH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual first person perspectives (Darby and Colt) PRETTY AS A PEACH follows the building relationship between Whynot farmer Colt Mancinkus, and newcomer Darby McCulhane. Working on her PhD in agronomy, Darby McCulhane, and her seven year old daughter head to Whynot, North Carolina to take over Farrington Farms, a farming operation her former brother-in -law Jake has offered in return for a brand new start, but securing one of the rare farming grants from the Department of Agriculture comes with competition. Enter life-long resident and family farmer Colt Mancinkus, who has plans to open a winery with his share of the government grant. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Colt and Darby, and the potential fall-out when Darby’s soon to be ex-husband comes into town. Colt’s attraction to Darby is immediate but tempered by the knowledge that the newcomer in town is his only competition for the government grant. Hoping to save the family farm Colt is desperate to push forward with his plans to open up a winery on the family lands. Darby McCulhane needed to escape her emotionally abusive husband when her ex-brother in law Jake offered her the position of Operations Manager of Farrington Farms in Whynot, North Carolina-a position she hopes to use towards her PhD. The relationship between Darby and Colt is one of immediate attraction but Darby is a single mother of an angry seven year old girl who has a difficult time adjusting to her new home. Never one to give up, Colt takes Darby’s daughter Linnie under his wing, in an effort to begin a relationship with our story line heroine. Most of the previous story line couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles including Laken and Jake ;Laken’s twin sister Larkin; Lowe and Melinda; Trixie and the ever absent Ryland Powers, as well as grandfather Pap Mancinkus; Colt’s parents Catherine and Gerry Mancinkus; Darby’s daughter Linnie, and her ex-husband Mitch; and the ever present townies including Floyd and his ever present rifle, and Melinda’s BFF Morri D. We are quickly introduced to Deacon Locke who may or may not have a passing interest in Larkin Mancinkus. PRETTY AS A PEACH is a clean romance with no $ex, limited kissing, and no physical contact. The premise is sweet and charming; the characters are sassy and smart. PRETTY AS A PEACH is a playful and tender love story by Juliette Poe.

***4 Stars*** It’s funny. As much as I was interested to find what would happen when Colt and Darby finally collided, I just wanted a reason to spend more time with Pap and the rest of the Mancinkus clan and hang out in Whynot with all the other eclectic characters that populate the small town and I got that in spades with this one AND got Morrie time *happy sigh* I loved Darby. I did. Her drive to not only achieve her own goals, but give her daughter, Linnie, more was something I found admirable. But what really got me was what a huge heart she had and how it showed through her actions. Colt. I honestly didn’t care for him all that much in the beginning, his issues did not endear him to me, regardless of his reasoning. So, it took me awhile to warm up to him once he got over himself, but in the end I liked the man he was when he wasn’t acting like a child. Their romance was a definite slow burn for good reason, but it gave them time to really get to know each other and become friends, as well as have Linnie get sorted on all fronts, and when it became more it was perfect. This was another fun and quick read. Pap and Morrie are my absolute favorites, but catching up with the rest of the Mancinkus clan and their significant others was a lot of fun and I loved Linnie, even when she was making it extremely difficult to find her loveable, and then there is Larkin...after that ending, I cannot wait to see how her own HEA plays out! ~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~