Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Review: One Day in Apple Grove

One Day in Apple Grove (Apple Grove - Book 2) by C.H. Admirand

Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 1402269021
ISBN-13: 978-1402269028

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

C.H. Admirand on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads, librarything, fantasticfiction

Books in the series:

A Wedding in Apple Grove (2012), One Day in Apple Grove (2013)

Coverart: Click on the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.




Excerpt from One Day in Apple Grove, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:


He's not so sure about small town life.
She can't imagine living anywhere else.
Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (population 597), where everyone has your best interests at heart, even if they can't agree on the best way to meddle. When the townsfolk of Apple Grove need handiwork done, there's no job too small for the Mulcahy sisters: Megan, Caitlin, and Grace.
Specializing in hard work and family loyalty, tomboy Meg Mulcahy has left behind any girlhood dreams of romance. Enter newcomer Daniel Eagan, looking to bury his own broken heart and make a new start. He's surprised-and delighted-by the winsome girl with the mighty tool belt who shows up to fix his wiring.
But Dan's got a lot to learn about life in a small town, and when Meg's past collides with her future, it may take all 595 other residents of Apple Grove to keep this romance from short-circuiting.

Thoughts:

Apple Grove, population 597... Salute! (think the hee-haw cornfield) Author C.H. Admirand takes a small-town America approach to writing romance. Her Apple Grove series is reminiscent of days gone by, though it is set in the present day. Apple Grove is the kind of community that readers will want to visit time and again. Admirand's command of setting and place is exceptional. With small town charm and a healthy dose of romance, One Day in Apple Grove may be just what the doctor ordered!

There are two things that make this series and especially this book worth your time to read. The first is the setting. I love books written about small towns. They just have atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and at home. They have a more laid back pace and gentler kind of way about them. One Day in Apple Grove is no different. I love the way Admirand describes the town and it's people. I live in a small town but this one doesn't remind me of my home town. It reminds of the kind of town I would have loved for my children to grow up in. Things have gotten a bit out of control in today's day and time, you don't have that camaraderie that existed in small close knit communities anymore. Very few people have spoken to their neighbors let alone have any kind of relationship with them. This series reminds me of what it was like when I was younger and the kind of place I wish my children had gotten a chance to know.  Where everybody knew your name and you couldn't get away with anything... LOL.

The second reason you need to read this book is because of the wonderful characters that C.H. Admirand has created here. Admirand gives her small town a core group of women who make sure that things run smoothly in Apple Grove. Not only are the main characters Cait and Jack imperative to the story, but it just wouldn't be the same without Miss Philo, Honey B. and Mrs. Winter. These ladies are in the middle of everything whether it's good or bad and they are a treat to read about. Admirand somehow got a hold of information about my grandmother and her "church ladies" when she was dreaming the group up, because I sit and laughed and remembered some of the things both of these groups of women got into. You'll love them, I know I did.

One Day in Apple Grove centers around the relationship of Cait who has lived in Apple Grove her whole life and can think of no place better and recently returned Navy medic Jack, who isn't sure he can go back to small town life after a stint in Iraq. It's a compelling love story that involves a wonderful puppy dog. You don't want to miss it. I will admit that I haven't read the first book in this series. But I definitely plan to go back and catch up and I hear that there will be a third book in the series possibly out in December. I can't wait to see what happens in this enchanting small town next.

One Day in Apple Grove is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!



About the Author:



C.H. Admirand has always had her nose in a book, has traveled the world over, and even tested the time-space continuum, thanks to the awesome power of the written word. One of her writing quirks is that she loves to include bits and pieces of her ancestors and ancestry in all of her books. Her family centers her and keeps her sane, which is why she enjoys adding elements of family, hearth and home in all of her romances.

C.H.'s second series with Sourcebooks began with A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE in November, available in large print in April. ONE DAY IN APPLE GROVE releases in June and WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE in December. In April she re-released the first book in her Historical Irish Western Series in e-book and trade paperback: THE MARSHAL'S DESTINY which skyrocketed to #6 and held strong at Amazon in the top ten for 3 weeks. In May she released book 2 in the same format, THE RANCHER'S HEART and has seen a steady climb up the charts. Books 3 and 4 will be released soon!
With 8 short stories and 15 novels to her credit, this award-winning, multi-published author's books are available in paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, magazine, and e-book.

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