Fun, quirky story with cute moments and a sweet romance! Enjoyed the read! Reese finds herself in the unique town of Whynot, where she’s hoping to find out more about her mom. She ends up disrupting Eli’s mellow like with her antics. He’s used to the simple life, but Reese’s charms begin to reach past his defenses. Enjoy the grumpy sunshine scenario! They work well as a couple. A good story!
Sweet Tea & Trouble
Bees, Blogs and Blushes (E-Book)
$3.99 USD
Small town opposites attract romance has never felt this good
She came to Whynot to uncover her mother’s scandal and instantly disrupted the quiet life of the local man who prefers bees to people.
Read MoreTravel blogger Reese Cartier lives for the rush of discovering the unknown. She’s survived missed flights, bad haircuts, and questionable hostels, but nothing could have prepared her for quirky, southern town of Whynot, North Carolina. She’s here for one reason… to untangle the truth about her late mother’s mysterious past.
Her first clue? A dusty rented cottage on a secluded bee farm.
Her second clue? The infuriatingly handsome, maddeningly quiet beekeeper who owns it.
Eli Hart likes his life simple, which includes tending hives, bottling honey, and avoiding unnecessary conversation. Then sunshine-in-a-sundress Reese crash-lands on his property—literally—sending her drone into a tree over his bee boxes and his sanity straight into jeopardy.
She’s chaos. He’s calm.
She wants answers. He wants her to stop breaking things.
But when the too-curious tenant begins to chip away at her mother’s long-buried secrets, a reluctant partnership is formed with Whynot’s hottest, most reclusive bachelor and becomes a full-blown adventure steeped in the town’s secrets, gossip, and nosiest residents.
Somewhere between Reese’s big questions, bigger ideas, and the way she keeps tripping into his quiet life… Eli realizes she’s the most disruptive thing he’s ever wanted.
A grumpy-sunshine romance full of small-town meddling, slow-burn heat, and one impossible beekeeper who learns that sometimes love buzzes in when you least expect it.
Read Chapter One
Chapter 1
Eli
The serpentine belt on my 2009 Silverado’s been singing to me for three days now. It’s a high whine every time I turn over the engine, and this morning I finally told it to shut the hell up and meant it.
So here I am, with her hood up against the soft gold of a mid-afternoon June sky, elbow-deep in the guts of an engine with two hundred and twelve thousand miles.
Working the new belt around the tensioner pulley, I listen to the bees buzzing as they do their work behind me. It’s a steady hum that washes over everything on this farm, pure music if you love these pollinators the way I do. I’ve got almost one hundred and eighty colonies, but only about forty live on my property. The rest are distributed to other farms for pollination or dwell under scratch-my-back-type leases. And by that, I mean a friend will let me place hives on their property, then I give them honey in return. I have to do this because at peak season with a hundred and eighty hives, that’s close to ten million bees, and my fifteen acres can’t sustain them all in such close quarters. There simply isn’t enough pollen and food to keep them healthy.
It’s a lot of work, a lot of logistical management, but it’s my life and I love it. The hum of bees is the sound of my childhood and I’ve often thought it’s the only company I’ll ever need in my life.
I get the belt seated and give it a tug to check the tension. It holds.
“You got that backward,” Colt says.
I don’t look up. “I have it perfect.”
“Pretty sure the ribbed side goes against the pulleys.”
“Pretty sure you don’t know what you’re talking about,” I retort dryly.
“Huh.” He leans in a little farther over the fender, casting a shadow across the engine bay like he’s helping. “Looked backward.”
Colt Mancinkus knows as much about a serpentine belt as he does about quantum physics, but he’s leaning on my truck like a man who’s run a garage for thirty years.
I tolerate him affectionately because one thing I’ve learned growing up here in Whynot, North Carolina, is that God didn’t give any of those Mancinkus kids a quiet opinion.
Colt’s the youngest of the brood, twenty-seven and built like somebody stretched a normal man on a rack. He’s all elbows and shoulders and a head that nearly clears the open hood.
He’s the foreman over at Mainer Farms, the three hundred acres his family’s owned and worked for eight generations. While they grow a variety of vegetables, their newest project is a vineyard planted on the western slope of their acreage that he won’t stop talking about. But I’m a farmer, same as him, so I don’t mind listening.
“Leave him be,” Lowe says, walking into my field of view, and I straighten from the engine. “Man’s been fixing his own trucks since before you could drive.”
“I’m supervising,” Cole says to his older brother.
I pull a rag out of my back pocket and wipe the grease from my hands. “You’re loitering.”
Colt snorts, Lowe laughs and I grin.
This, right here, is about as social as I get, but there’s nothing better than a little ribbing between friends. Lowe Mancinkus is the second eldest of the Mancinkus kids and my absolute best friend. He leans against the fender, a glass bottle of Dr. Pepper that’s sweating in the June heat in his hand.
Lowe’s the kind of man who runs on emotion and feels things out loud. He’s one of the best custom carpenters in a five-county radius and serves the type of clientele who can afford to commission handcrafted dining tables. But he came up on a farm, same as his brother, same as me, and it’s a bond that others can’t understand.
“What’s wrong with the truck?” Lowe asks.
I lower the hood, forcing Colt to push off the fender. It latches into place. “Not a damn thing. It’s fixed.”
“Look at that,” Lowe muses with a dimpled smile. “Didn’t even need Colt.”
“Never do.”
Colt flips me off without heat and wanders toward the bee yard, keeping the respectful ten yards back that everyone in this county has learned to keep if you come to visit me.
“What are you two up to today?” I ask, eyes cutting over to Lowe.
“I’ve got to head to Raleigh for some specialty wood and Colt’s tagging along. Saw you out here working on the truck and thought we’d stop for a few minutes.”
“Mama wants to know when you’re bringing the girls over,” Colt calls out over his shoulder.
The girls.
He means the hives.
“Melons coming on?” I ask him.
“Squash and melons both. Cukes behind that. Mama says the blossoms are opening up and she’s not seeing the traffic she wants.”
“It’s still a bit early.” I squint west, toward where Mainer Farms sits a couple miles off, and do the math I’ve done a thousand times. Bloom timing, hive strength, how many frames of brood I can spare without robbing the orchard run I just finished. “I can have eight colonies out there by Thursday. Put ’em on the south edge of the cucurbit field, close to the tree line. You leave the wildflower strip alone like I told you?”
“Left it. Darby said the same thing you did, so I figured a woman with a PhD—”
I chuckle because, yeah… Colt’s wife is smart as hell. “Darby’s got the PhD. I just got bees.”
“You know more than the textbooks, and everybody knows it.” Colt crouches, watching the bees pour in and out of the entrance of one of the hives. They’re heavy-legged with pollen, nature’s own miracle. “How’d the peaches set this year at Farrington?”
Colt rises and glances back at me. I see a little flush of pride as he heads our way. Darby oversees the orchards at Farrington Farms. “Set so heavy, branches damn near touched the ground. Don’t know what we’d do without your bees to ensure good pollination.”
That right there.
That’s one of my favorite things that Hart Apiaries does: helping farmers with pollination. Most people don’t understand it, so I’ve stopped explaining. The honey production is only part of the business of bees. There’s also beeswax, queen breeding and raising nuc colonies to sell to hobbyists.
But there’s also using the girls—because it’s the female bees who really do the work—to do the heavy lifting for the farmers. I load them up in the dark and drive them to wherever something’s blooming. It might be peaches in March or cucurbits in June, and I let them do the oldest work there is—pollination. Half the fruit in this county sets because of hives I trucked in at four in the morning. Nobody sees it and the bees don’t care if anybody sees it.
Unsung heroes and all that.
My folks built this farm thirty years ago when I was just a toddler. Hank and Brenda Hart, two Whynot dreamers who bought four hives and tended them with a stubbornness that bordered on a medical affliction. They put in the work year after year and turned four hives into twenty, then a hundred, and by the time they turned it over to me last spring, almost two hundred in total. Hart Apiaries is a name that is recognized at every farm stand from here to Raleigh, and I couldn’t be prouder of my parents’ legacy handed down to me.
Of course, they’re out of the bee business now. They turned the keys over to me, moved out of the big farmhouse and I moved in. They bought a place down in Wilmington on the coast and their most stressful day revolves around them not catching anything while surf fishing.
“Mely’s heading to Nashville next week for an interior design symposium,” Lowe says. “She’s going to get up with Lila for dinner.”
“That’s awesome,” I reply with a grin. “She’d love that.”
“Mely’s going to drive so if you want to send anything with her, just let her know.”
“Will do,” I say, thinking of putting together a care basket of some of my sister’s favorite Whynot things. Hart honey, Muriel’s biscuits and a few packages of Farrington goat cheese.
“How’s she doing?” Colt asks.
I smile, shaking my head in half amusement, half frustration. My younger sister, Lila, is a pistol, bound and determined to make it on her own. She’s been in Nashville for four years now, trying to make a career out of singing. She’s got the voice of an angel but quickly learned, like all the others chasing their star power, that it’s hard to get noticed. “She’s mostly waiting tables and singing in a few honky-tonks.”
“She’ll get discovered one day,” Colt says with absolute certainty. He’s a musician himself—not professionally, but good enough he should be—and he knows talent.
“No doubt of that,” I agree because I have faith in Lila. But I hate seeing her hopes continually dashed.
Lowe takes a pull off his Dr. Pepper and gets that look, the one he wears when he’s about to be soft, and I brace for it.
“So, I kind of got news,” he says, eyes locking onto mine.
“What’s that?” I ask, cutting a glance over to Colt. His head is tilted in interest so that tells me whatever Lowe’s about to say, it’s news to his brother as well.
He glances away, down to the ground, over to the bees and then back to me. “Well… Mely and I are… uh… we’re trying.”
I frown and Colt scratches his head.
“Trying what?” I ask.
Lowe rolls his eyes. “Trying, Eli. We’re trying.”
It takes me a second and when it lands, my smile goes from normal to split wide open. “No way! That’s fantastic.”
Lowe smiles and ducks his head. “Yeah… it feels right.”
“Trying,” Colt hollers as he joins us at the truck, grinning like a fool. “He can’t even say it. My brother’s gonna be a daddy and he turns the color of a tomato when he talks about it.”
“I’m not… we’re not yet… it’s just—” Lowe scrubs a hand down his face, and he’s laughing now too, helpless and happy. “Y’all are the worst. I tell you one nice thing.”
“It’s a real nice thing,” I say, and I mean it. I clap him on the shoulder and squeeze. “You know what you signed up for? Little girl Mancinkuses running around painting things pink?”
“God help us all,” Colt mutters.
“Who are you kidding,” Lowe says with a laugh. “Her Uncle Colt will be the first to volunteer his fingernails to get painted.”
“That’s probably true,” he concedes.
Lowe turns to me. “You too, Uncle Eli.”
I shake my head, holding up my hands. “No nail painting for me, but I’ll gladly teach her how to handle bees as soon as she’s old enough.”
“Fair.” Lowe chuckles.
I tilt my head. “Is that what you want… a girl?”
My best friend rubs his jaw and considers the question. “I know I should say I just want a baby that’s healthy and happy, but yeah… I think my preference would be a girl and hope to hell she turns out just like Mely.”
That makes me smile, and a small tug of fondness hits. Lowe and Mely really are the perfect couple, but outside of a genuine respect for what they have, I also have no desire to find it for myself. I glance around at my slice of heaven here, with the bees providing music and the almost-summer breeze cooling my heated skin.
This is all I want or need.
“Oh… heads up,” Colt says, and now there’s mischief in it. “Morri D.’s in town.”
Lowe groans like he’s been shot and Colt shoves his brother playfully. “Your wife is over the moon to have her bestie back, so suck it up.”
Lowe shakes his head, but he’s fighting a smile and losing badly. He stares at me pointedly. “The man flew in two days ago with six suitcases, one of ’em just for what he calls his ‘evening looks.’”
I’ve met Morris Dwight exactly four times and every single time the man was wearing an ensemble that cost more than my truck. When he sees me, he squeals and says, “Oh, there’s the bee whisperer” in a voice that carries across the whole of Courthouse Square. I’m always greeted with air kisses and subjected to his god-awful flirting.
Morri D. is Mely’s best friend from New York, gay as the day is long in summertime and an accomplished drag queen. He’s weirdly ingratiated himself here into the conservative Southern town of Whynot and visits often. No matter how outrageous he is, at the end of the day, he’s always had the Mancinkus family’s, as well as some of my closest friends’, best interests at heart, and is now my friend too.
“I’m sure I’ll see him around town then,” I say, noting it will probably be at Chesty’s when I stop by for a beer and he’ll be sipping on a crisp white wine.
I hear the crunch of tires on gravel and our heads swivel. Out past the gate, coming up the long dirt drive that runs a quarter mile from the road to my place, a gray sedan kicks up a tail of red dust as it approaches.
“You expecting somebody?” Colt asks.
I glance at my watch and see she’s right on time. “Rental tenant. Some lady checking in.”
The sedan reaches a fork in the dirt drive and should bear left, as the check-in instructions indicated. Instead, the car keeps right, leading her up my driveway and straight for me, Lowe and Colt. I find myself growing irritated at the imminent intrusion.
A handful of years ago, my mama got the bright idea to fix up the old tenant cottage and list it for rent. It’s a beautiful little home, no more than nine hundred square feet and sits among lush gardens beside a pond.
My dad was dubious, but she’d said, “Hank… it can give us a good steady income, and you’ll barely know anyone’s there.”
She wasn’t wrong about that, but it didn’t quite happen the way she thought it would. Mama was looking for a long-term tenant, someone who would commit to at least a year’s lease so that she could count on the monthly income. Turns out, it seems to be better suited as a short-term rental on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, where you can charge a premium rate for a cute cottage on a bee farm in the country.
Yeah, it’s good money, but it means opening my property to strangers who ask stupid things like, “Can we pet the bees?”
“Thought you killed that,” Lowe says.
“Keep meaning to.” I don’t know why I haven’t. Inertia, maybe. Or maybe I just understand the income’s worth the intrusion. Either way, the bookings keep coming and I keep saying yes only to later stand in my own yard resenting it.
It’s a special kind of stupid, to be honest.
The car rolls to a stop under the large oak tree that’s shading us. It removes the glare of the sun from the windows, and I see a woman wearing big sunglasses and a head of blond hair so wild and curly it looks like a lion’s mane.
She’s talking to someone, her hands waving. I see her mouth moving and assume she’s on her Bluetooth phone or maybe she’s talking to herself.
Colt lets out a low whistle. “Well now.”
The woman shoves open the door and one sandaled foot hits the gravel. She steps out and pushes the sunglasses on top of her head, revealing the biggest, bluest eyes I’ve ever seen on a woman. She’s got a heart-shaped face, golden skin and that wild blond hair is something to behold. I take in the V-neck T-shirt stretched tight over an ample chest and the curves for days underneath a pair of denim shorts.
We’re offered a big, flirtatious smile framed by full lips and one slightly crooked tooth in the front that makes her beauty all the more believable. “Hi. I’m looking for Eli Hart.”
Yeah… she’s hot all right and I wasn’t expecting that. Hadn’t even given two thoughts as to who the tenant might be, as I rarely ever run into them.
Her eyes land on Lowe first, then slide briefly over Cole before coming to rest on me. She tilts her head when none of us say anything and I find it terribly awkward that she seems to have dumbfounded three grown-ass men.
“You look like an Eli Hart,” she says, and I jolt out of my haze.
“Yeah… that would be me,” I say, remembering my manners. “And you must be Reese—”
And then it hits me.
I’ve seen this woman before.
About three weeks ago at Central Café. I was leaving and she was walking in, and I remember thinking how gorgeous she was as I held the door open.
It was a brief passing but one I didn’t think about again because I had more important things to do.
She seems to remember me at the same time and lifts a finger to point. “Wait… have we met before?”
“I think I held the door for you at Central Café a few weeks ago.”
“That’s right,” she says, snapping her fingers. “Small world.”
Indeed.
“Hi,” Lowe says, stepping forward and offering his hand. “I’m Lowe Mancinkus and this,” he says, throwing his thumb over his shoulder, “is my brother, Colt. Welcome to Whynot.”
That’s what I should have done as the proprietor of the rental cottage, but it never occurred to me.
“Pleased to meet you all,” she says after shaking his hand, giving Colt a wink and then turning back to me. “Looks like I’m in the right place. I’m Reese Cartier and I believe I’m renting your cottage for the next few weeks.”
“You’re in the right place.” I point down the dirt road. “It’s down the lane there. Just follow it back and you’ll run into the cottage. You should have the code to get in.”
“Yes, I do,” she says with another blindingly huge smile. “Appreciate it.”
She turns toward her car.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I find myself saying and then almost curse because I really don’t want to be bothered.
She merely throws her hand up in a wave and hops back into the sedan. We watch as she drives off and disappears around a bend in the road.
“Dude,” Lowe says, giving me a playful punch on the shoulder. “You’ve got a woman like that staying on your property. Good luck getting any work done.”
“Shut up,” I mutter.
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Release Date:
Bees, Blogs and Blushes (E-Book)
$3.99 USD
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 33 reviews.
Eli and Reese are quite different. Reese lives on the edge and Eli would rather spend time with bees instead of people. Reese is visiting Eli’s town to find out information about her mother. The town is pretty helpful. These two definitely wouldn’t seem like a match, but Eli has finally found someone he prefers to the bees. An enjoyable read.
Lindsey J. 4/5
Bees blogs and blushes is the second boom in this series. Reese and Eli don’t disappoint. In this fun read Reese is a travel blogger and she heads to small town Whynot NC to find out about her mother’s past. She rents a cottage from Eli, The towns grumpy beekeeper. Their interactions are fun and as time goes by they start to have feelings for each other. As Reese learns more about her mom her time starts to end in Whynot, except does she really want to leave and will Eli let her go? With laughs, emotion and a HEA you can’t go wrong with this fun read.
Judy H. 4/5
Love it! How could you no love Whynot and its people. Such a good story with a mix of everything. Reese is in town trying to get answers about her mom. When she was going through her belongings, she found a pageant sash from Whynot. Her mom never told her about her childhood . Eli runs the family bee farm. He likes his life and the quietness of it. Until Reese. She brings a whole new level of chaos to it. While they both know her time in town is limited, she is a travel blogger after all, they can't deny the draw. When she gets all the answers she came for, will she be ready to leave? Eli wants her to stay, but he can't ask her to give up her career, and he can't leave the bees. How will they make this work? With some insight from the folks of Whynot, it just may be able to happen
Jackie Z. 5/5
It is so fabulous to be back in the town of Whynot, feels like I’ve come home in a sense! This book is so unique and wholesome! I love both Eli and Reese so much! The underlying chemistry, the banter and the way Eli helps Reese with finding out who her mother was, makes him swoonworthy too! Reese is a travel blogger and has come to Whynot to find out about her mother. Gosh her journey is heartbreaking but it’s also beautiful to see who her mother really was. Im unsure how to convey how much I really enjoyed this story! It was interesting, intriguing and made my heart happy! I absolutely loved it!
Marina 5/5
I LOVE WHYNOT and all the people in it. This was a great addition! Eli is a beekeeper and prefers to keep to himself. He doesn't like to venture to far away from Whynot and his bees. Reese is a travel blogger and always on the go. She loves meeting new people and trying new things. She's in Whynot to uncover the mystery surrounding her mom (and boy is it an interesting one!). Reese rents a building on his property and nothing is the same. I thoroughly enjoyed these two and how they get to know each other. A great read!
Jean K. 5/5
Thirty-five year old Eli Hart enjoys his quiet life in Whynot, North Carolina, his best friends and his bees which belong to his company Hart Apiaries. Eli does not enjoy chaos so when his newest short term renter, thirty-one year old Reese Cartier shows up she is nothing but trouble. She is pretty easy on the eyes and stirs something in him that hasn't been stirred in a long time! Reese is in town trying to find out information about her deceased mother. It turns out her mom grew up in Whynot, a fact that Reese and her brother Theo never knew. As Reese makes her way through the town, trying to find the answers she desperately wants, Eli finds himself being drawn into the mystery and helping her every chance he can. Pretty soon the town's hottest, and most reclusive bachelor finds himself completely enamoured by the chaotic beauty. Of course the more time these two spend together, the quicker their chemistry starts to ignite until it finally explodes. Too bad there is an end date to their romance. Just when it looks like things are finally over, true love has a way of making things all right! I just adored this grumpy vs sunshine story. Eli was super yummy and just the perfect guy. I loved how Reese just came swooping in and changed his life for the better. I enjoyed how all the usuals in Whynot showed up....Lowe, Colt, Morri D, Floyd, Pap and Muriel. Overall this was another fun addition to the town of Whynot!
Sue G. 5/5
A stress free, fun, good old fashioned romance. I love the town of Whynot and all the quirky characters that reside there. Eli Hart is one of the good ones, he’s a quiet one, keeping himself to himself (and his bees), note, I loved all the bee data, facts and figures (very interesting). In a town that thrives on gossip he likes flying under the radar. When Reese Cartier comes to Whynot looking for answers about her mother’s past, she rents the cottage on Eli’s property, and herein starts the gossip mill, all centring around Eli and Reese and their ‘not’ romance, much to Eli’s chagrin. What a wonderful couple. Opposites definitely attract in this sweet entertaining read. Thoroughly enjoyable. I received an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.
Pam L. 5/5
This series is always so much fun to read. In this small town of Whynot, there are many quirky busy bodies who will always speak their minds, and it always makes for a very entertaining read. This story is about Eli and Reese and is just so sweet and wonderful. Reese, who is a travel writer, comes to town to write an article about the town and rents the cottage on Eli’s farm. Saying Eli is a beekeeper is an understatement, given the vastness of his operation, and it keeps him very busy. Not too busy to take an interest in his new temporary tenant though. The chemistry is two-way and so they agree to a no strings fling while she is in town. Things get complicated when it is clear there are now feelings involved as he helps her try and learn more about her mom who she believes used to live in Whynot. But how can a travel writer and a man with deep roots to his hometown make anything permanent without one of them giving up their passion? I love these characters and their story so much! And I always love being taken on a trip back to Whynot with Sawyer Bennett!
Marybeth C. 5/5
Bees, Blogs and Blushes, book two in the Sweet Tea and Trouble series takes us on an enjoyable journey back to the quirky town of Whynot where Reese Carter, a traveling blogger finds out that everyone in this town is in everyone business. The question is, is that a bad thing or a good thing? Well, it’s a little of both. Reese is in the town looking for information on her mother who grew up in Whynot and there is so much about her moms life she never knew about and she finds that some of the long time residents have the answers she is seeking. Eli Hart, the quiet resident bee keeper is not what she was looking for but boy, he is everything she needs. Eli has been going through life content and he never realized what he was missing until a feisty woman rocked his world. It was so much fun to be alongside these two as their journey took them both to a relationship they never expected but both needed.
Chris G. 5/5
Such downhome flavor! I love being in Whynot and this book was great! Beekeeper Eli is happy with his quiet life and taking care of his bees which is quite the impressive endeavor. Reese has returned to her mother's hometown (she thinks) to try and figure out a past that she knows nothing about. These two have an instant connection even if Eli won't admit it since he has no intention of letting Reese disrupt his life. Oh the best laid plans... I love this cozy, nosey town and all its quirky characters. You will get so much more from this series if you've read the earlier books, but you can really start anywhere. Sawyer Bennett has the Southern sayings down pat and it reminds me of growing up in the South even if my hometown wasn't quite so southern. And I really liked the bee education as well. This one had quite the mystery to solve as well. Overall a delightful read with steam, sweet tea (is there any other kind?) and the downhome flair that we've come to love with the Sweet Tea series. I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.
Kara S. 5/5
Bees, Blogs & Blushes is packed full of southern charm, interesting characters and wonderful storylines fuelled heartily by the gossip mill. Life in Whynot is colourful, quaint and an acquired taste for many. When a travel writer crosses paths with a steadfast local beekeeper the tongues do wag and their relationship blossoms with each interaction. A wonderful read about self discovery, family history and the importance evolving throughout one’s lifetime. Super sweet and wee bit spicy. Loved it!
Casey L. 5/5
I was so excited to be back in Whynot and even more excited about the sexy stud Eli. He's a catch who never wanted to be caught, but in walks Reese with all her sexy confidence and her determination to find out the truth that Eli never really stood a chance. Eli has such a good heart and anyone who loves bees is good in my book. I adore how much Eli helped and encouraged Reese in her journey, I also adored how much Reese brought out Eli's softer side. These two were spicy in the sheets and determined in the streets...
Lauren 5/5
Bees, Blogs and Blushes Eli Hart is everything that is roots. His bees and his hometown of Whynot. He's content with his life and his choices. But there's something about this one woman that makes him unable to look away. Reese Cartier lives out of a suitcase, always ready for the next adventure her travel blog takes her on. But one southern town of Whynot, North Carolina where's she's come to solve the mystery of her mother's past makes her rethink things. She learns more than she expects. And the town in all it's gossip and quiet beauty draws her in. They have history and stories and it's opened her eyes to the possibilities of more. Welcome back to Whynot. Nice of y'all to visit, come back anytime.
Jeanne B. 5/5
This story felt very settled and mature. Almost like the love story took a backseat. Instead it's more about having unsolicited support, and having grace and consideration towards who needs it. I liked the mystery and Reese's personality. I also liked seeing how the town is always helpful. But most of all I liked discovering Eli through Reese's eyes. It felt honest and unguarded. He is such a catch too.
Dimaris R. 4/5
A great small town romance. Reese Cartier is a travel blogger on a mission to learn about her late mother's past, Eli Hart is a man that loves his simple, quiet life tending to his bees and the people of Whynot are nosy but very welcoming. Eli had no idea the spitfire that is Reese would change his life forever in the best way possible. Reese went to Whynot to get answers and each person she talked to, filled in more of the puzzle to her mother's past. The more Eli gets involved in her search for answers, the harder it is to keep their relationship "casual". When it comes time for her to leave for her next assignment, will they part ways or admit their feelings for one another. This story takes you on a fun, sometimes emotional story about two people getting an unexpected HEA.
A M. 5/5
I have been eagerly waiting to return to Whynot, North Carolina, and Bees, Blogs & Blushes did not disappoint! Sawyer Bennett once again delivers a charming, heartfelt romance filled with small-town warmth, engaging characters, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Reese, a successful travel blogger who is always on the move, and Eli, the town's devoted beekeeper with deep roots in Whynot, seem like complete opposites on the surface. What follows is a beautifully crafted story about finding balance between adventure and stability, and discovering that sometimes the person you least expect can become exactly what you need. The chemistry between Reese and Eli felt authentic from the start, and I loved watching their relationship develop as they navigated their very different lifestyles and future goals. One of my favorite aspects of this book was returning to the wonderful community of Whynot. The town itself feels like a character, and catching up with familiar faces made the story even more enjoyable. Bennett has a gift for creating a setting that readers want to visit and characters they want to spend time with. Filled with humor, heart, and plenty of sweet moments, Bees, Blogs & Blushes is a delightful addition to the Sweet Tea and Trouble series. If you've been waiting for the next visit to Whynot, you won't be disappointed. I cannot wait to see whose story Bennett tells next!
Pfl 5/5
Such a sweet and tender story filled with humor and love. A town community that had such a warm and welcoming atmosphere,made me smile from ear to ear. Sawyer definitely brings out the warm and fuzzy feeling! Amazing!
Kim W. 5/5
Reese Cartier is a travel blogger who comes to Whynot to write a blog and find her mother’s connection to this town. Eli is the local bee keeper, a silent type who got left at the altar 10 years ago and he rents is small guest cottage to Reese. They have this intense connection, she is outgoing, smart and he is quiet and a bit intense. However, he will join her on her quest into her mother’s past with interest. I was very happy to have some news of our favorite locals eet some new ones. This is an emotional story you will laugh, cry and go through every emotions in between, but the EPIC finale is a chef’s kiss Sawyer Bennett. Happy tears and laughter guaranteed in Whynot and the mill is in full working order as usual. I am always sad to leave Whynot, but I am sure we will be back soon!
Jo-ann F. 5/5
I so enjoyed being back in Whynot, NC and this time with the beekeeper, Eli, who rents the cottage on his property to Reece, a travel blogger. A sweet story of an extroverted woman, and a strong, silent guy and of course a small town of very quirky, lovable people. Reece has come to Whynot to look for the history of her mother as Reece knows nothing about her mom’s life before moving to Ohio. The entire town, and Eli get involved in learning about her mother’s life. A great story with lots of emotion and the last part is true Sawyer Bennett. A wonderful ending to a great story.
Bobbie C. 5/5
Bees, Blogs and Blushes is travel blogger Reese Cartier and Whynot’s bee keeper Eli’s entertaining and heartwarming story. It’s book two in the Sweet Tea & Trouble Series and from the moment I picked this one up I knew I was in for a very special ride. Eli loves his home town of Whynot, he loves the bee farm he took over from his parents and he loves the nosey residents of the small town that’s always been home, he hasn’t needed anything else until Reese rents a property from him while she writes her travel blog. Reese is meant to be in Whynot writing for her blog but she is also looking for information on her birth mother but while she is digging she gets to spend time with the friendly bee keeper and that’s when things start to get interesting …… This is a beautifully written, small town romance, I fell hard and fast for Eli and I wanted to Reese in my corner but what takes this book to another level is the residents of the wonderful town of Whynot. I smiled and I swooned as I cheered this couple on.
Jackie W. 5/5
I fell in love with Whynot, NC again…And truly enjoyed the self-journey of learning the mother you adored, of finding that one you think you might want to stay for &/or keep. Reese & Eli have a LOL, what do you say moments that will keep you turning the pages and falling in love right along with them. Loved it!!❤️❤️❤️
Nancyk 5/5
Absolutely loved this small town romance. Our quiet Eli is a bee keeper and basically keeps to himself. When he rents his cottage to a city girl his whole life changes. Reese is on a mission to find out where her mom came from. She has questions and needs answers that this small town can give her. When her landlord offers to help she gets more than she ever dreamed possible. I love the small town characters and the rumor mill. Coming from a small town myself I loved how accurate this was. It’s a great story with wonderful characters and I loved it.
Terri 5/5
4.5 🌟 That was a treat to read. There’s nothing like a sweet small town romance that just makes me smile. There really wasn’t much I didn’t like. Firstly to revisit Whynot was so much fun and to catch up with the previous characters from the two series this universe is set in, just fabulous. I adored Eli and his quiet manner and knowing what he wanted and more importantly what he didn’t need in his life. But when he sees something worthwhile to pursue, he’s so swoony. He was dependable, loyal and a great deal of strength for Reese as well as others in the community. Reese bought a lot of joy to Eli’s life by just being herself. She brightened his day and he never wanted that to end. They said it was casual and had a time limit on their relationship but everyone else in town could see how compatible they were together. I was fully invested with this couple and I know they are going to have a great HEA but I wish there was an epilogue to highlight that. Due to an absence of one, I can only hope there’s going to be another book in the series.
Monique C. 4/5
This irresitibly tender, sweet, and sizzling romance was absolutely perfect for me, having everything I want, and love to read! Eli and Reese are opposites with an undeniable chemistry that draws them together from their very first hilarious meet cute. Reese is a travel blogger who came to Whynot, North Carolina, to investigate her late mothers secrets and charms everyone she meets. Eli is a man of few words who is happy to live a quiet life on his farm with his bees. He is continuously surprised by his willingness to help Reese on her quest. The more time they spend together, the more their hearts open to each other, and their nights are filled with passion. As her time in Whynot comes to an end, they don't want their temporary affair to stop. Can they fight for their new love when she is meant to travel the world and he could never leave his small town? I was completely consumed by this beautiful story. I loved how perfect Reese and Eli were for each other, completing each other, and their chemistry leaped right off the page. I loved the quirky town of Whynot and how they welcomed Reese so warmly and helped her discover the mystery of her mothers youth. This story was entertaining, emotional, and made my heart pound as the mystery was revealed. I loved it!
Karen G. 5/5
Bees, Blogs and Blushes was a cute read! Whynot is an adorable little town with a lot of entertaining people! Eli likes things quiet and calm. He'd rather spend his time with his bees than with people. That is until Reese, the out of towner, rents his cottage. I really enjoyed seeing Reese break down Eli's walls and get him to open up, even smile and laugh. They seem quite different, but they complement each other well. I also loved the storyline of Reese finding information about her mother. I found it interesting and loved that the gossip mill was able to help her. It was an enjoyable and adorable read! *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
Katie K. 4/5
The latest book from Sawyer has a little bit of everything. Mystery, romance, and everything in between. Reece is a travel blogger coming to Whynot to write a story about the charming town. On a side note, she is also looking for answers regarding her mother. She found something of her mom's and wants to find out where she came from. Reece books a cottage at Eli's property. Eli rents out one cottage and lives at the main house. He isn't fond of people nor small talk. Reece comes in town and Eli gets his hackles up. That is until he starts to get to know Reece and his feeling start to change. As they say the rest is history. Super cute story.
Jennifer F. 5/5
I was so excited to get to revisit Whynot, North Carolina in Bees, Blogs and Blushes! This small town has got an eclectic set of townsfolk and there is always something being shared through the gossip mill! Reese Cartier is a travel blogger who recently lost her mother. When going through her mom's belongings, she came across a sash from the Miss Whynot pageant which her mother had never told her about. She knew she had to learn more, so she set out to find out what secrets the town held about her mother. Eli Hart is a beekeeper who tends to like the buzzing little guys and gals more than people. He has taken over the family business and is fully entrenched in Whynot and loves his small town and its way of life. When Reese rents the cabin on Eli's property, they end up in one another's orbit. While they seem like they couldn't be more different, they actually have a lot more in common than you might think. Reese is on a mission to find out what she can about her mom and Eli wants to help in any way he can. He also is willing to teach her about bees which turns out to be something she really enjoys. The chemistry between the two felt authentic and it unfolded naturally. While they set an expiration date on the relationship, will it really stick? Or will they realize that together is where they belong? This was a really lovely and fun read! One that is a great addition to the series and I'm already looking forward to visiting Whynot again soon! **I voluntarily read an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review**
Heather F. 4/5
I found myself unable to put this book down. I had to keep coming back to Reese Cartier & Eli Hart’s love story. And a sweet story it absolutely is! Sweet like honey! Eli has always been more of a loner. He prefers the quiet life. The one with his farm, his bees, and his small town of Whynot. When the beautiful bombshell that is Reese Cartier pulls in to check into his cottage rental, he’s a goner. He just fights it every step of the way. Their chemistry came out throughout the pages so fiercely, that you knew when they eventually gave in, it was going to be like fireworks. While Reese was in town to write a blog, she was also there to find more about her mother’s past. And she found so much more than she expected. But Eli was there with her every step of the way, supporting her, comforting her, and loving her through this trying time of her life. Neither of them are ready for their expiration date but don’t want to mention it to the other… for the sake of going back on their original agreement. This one was just perfect & sweet and left me feeling light hearted and happy.
Denise H. 5/5
Travel blogger Reese Cartier is in Whynot to find answers about her mom. She’s staying at Eli Harts cottage and it’s lust at first sight. These two had me laughing out loud. Loved the trip back to whynot…getting to visit with Floyd and Muriel and the gang at chestys……it’s like visiting with old friends and finding new ones. Can’t wait for the next trip to whynot.
Lynne S. 5/5
I loved being back in Whynot. This was a great story, while frustrating because the whole time I yell at my kindle to talk to each other, in the end, they yelled their feelings to each other,the whole journey was heartwarming and I loved every page
Lindsay B. 5/5
Reese and Eli's story is one of mystery and chaos. Reese is a travel blogger from the city who after her mother passes away discovers she had a double life essentially when she discovers a beauty pageant sash from you guessed it Whynot, a small hole in the wall town. She sets out to find out who her mom really is and the local beekeeper who has his own set of troubles from a ex that can't seem to southern charm her way back into his life. Insert small town gossip and a whirlwind trip to Nashville and everything starts to fall into place.
Terren H. 5/5
She came to Whynot to uncover her mother’s scandal and instantly disrupted the quiet life of the local man who prefers bees to people. Travel blogger Reese Cartier lives for the rush of discovering the unknown. She’s survived missed flights, bad haircuts, and questionable hostels, but nothing could have prepared her for quirky, southern town of Whynot, North Carolina. She’s here for one reason… to untangle the truth about her late mother’s mysterious past. Her first clue? A dusty rented cottage on a secluded bee farm. Her second clue? The infuriatingly handsome, maddeningly quiet beekeeper who owns it. Eli Hart likes his life simple, which includes tending hives, bottling honey, and avoiding unnecessary conversation. Then sunshine-in-a-sundress Reese crash-lands on his property—literally—sending her drone into a tree over his bee boxes and his sanity straight into jeopardy. She’s chaos. He’s calm. She wants answers. He wants her to stop breaking things. But when the too-curious tenant begins to chip away at her mother’s long-buried secrets, a reluctant partnership is formed with Whynot’s hottest, most reclusive bachelor and becomes a full-blown adventure steeped in the town’s secrets, gossip, and nosiest residents. Somewhere between Reese’s big questions, bigger ideas, and the way she keeps tripping into his quiet life… Eli realizes she’s the most disruptive thing he’s ever wanted. Loved Reese and Eli’s story! I was hooked within the first few pages and couldn’t wait to see how their story unfolded. Their chemistry, the quirky small-town charm, and the mystery surrounding Reese’s mother made this such a fun, engaging read. A sweet, entertaining romance with plenty of personality!
Stacie C. 5/5
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