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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the return to Bella Vista but I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as book #1. I'm curious if there is going to be a book #3 given the open ended conclusion.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
“Listen, Isabel. I like you. We can be good together. Can we be good forever? Who knows? Just because we don’t know shouldn’t hold us back.”
The Beekeeper’s Ball is about learning to love and trust someone….to take that leap of faith, even if it seems frightening. It’s also the breathtaking story of how a loving family was formed out of one of the most devastating events in history: WWII.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this ever since I flew through The Apple Orchard, which is book one in the Bella Vista Chronicles. Susan Wiggs has yet again combined the current happenings at Bella Vista with flashbacks to Isabel and Tess’s grandfather, Magnus in the 1940s during the Nazi occupation in Denmark. What a detailed, heartbreaking story we get about his family and friends. But it showed a sense of courage and selflessness as well that was incredible. How Magnus, Eva, Ramon, and Annelise found a way to carry on, day after day, never knowing if their efforts were helping was simply inspiring to me.
See my complete review here:
https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-the-beekeepers-ball-by-susan-wiggs/
“Listen, Isabel. I like you. We can be good together. Can we be good forever? Who knows? Just because we don’t know shouldn’t hold us back.”
The Beekeeper’s Ball is about learning to love and trust someone….to take that leap of faith, even if it seems frightening. It’s also the breathtaking story of how a loving family was formed out of one of the most devastating events in history: WWII.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this ever since I flew through The Apple Orchard, which is book one in the Bella Vista Chronicles. Susan Wiggs has yet again combined the current happenings at Bella Vista with flashbacks to Isabel and Tess’s grandfather, Magnus in the 1940s during the Nazi occupation in Denmark. What a detailed, heartbreaking story we get about his family and friends. But it showed a sense of courage and selflessness as well that was incredible. How Magnus, Eva, Ramon, and Annelise found a way to carry on, day after day, never knowing if their efforts were helping was simply inspiring to me.
See my complete review here:
https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-the-beekeepers-ball-by-susan-wiggs/
Book 2 in the Bella Vista series continues with Isabel. We also learn more about Grandpa Magnus as a teen and his involvement occupied Denmark.
The ending of this book left some loose ends, will this be a trilogy?
3 stars
The ending of this book left some loose ends, will this be a trilogy?
3 stars
lighthearted
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/the-beekeepers-ball-bella-vista-chronicles-2/
I don't read Harliquins, but this was for a book group & we try to choose one from everyone over the course of the year. The author has some nice writing skills; there were several lovely metaphors. Her descriptions of details such as place, cuisine, clothing, and physical characteristics are excellent. There are many scenes depicting sexual attraction, sexual arousal & response, and sexual inuendo, which I guess pleases some readers. However, there is little character development and depth/insights about inner lives of the characters. They seem to be cookie cutter people stuck into the story to make it work. There were nice story themes, including the Danish Resistance to the nazis during World War II, but there were too many stories going on in the book. It could have been at least 3 novels & editing of dialogue could have been better.
This book was perfect for the springtime mood I have been in. The sun is shining, and I am itching to get outside and plant flowers and do outdoorsy things.This book is book two in the Bella Vista series; the first is The Apple Orchard, which I didn't like quite as much as this book. I think the story line was more developed this time, and the characters as well.
Isabel is a reserved, organized woman, who grew up practically in paradise at Bella Vista. Her parents died before she was even a week old, and she was raised by her adoring, indulgent grandparents. She loved cooking, and went off to cooking school to pursue her dream of becoming a chef, and now she is back, turning her home into a destination cooking school. And from the sound of it, if this place were real I would want to go myself! Although Isabel seems so together, she is harboring a secret that is preventing her from living her life fully. She closes herself off from love, and prefers her orderly world of her own creation.
When sexy-hot Cormac "Mac" O'Neil bumbles onto her property, you know he is definitely going to shake things up. A journalist and adventurer, he is at Bella Vista to write the biography of Isabel and her half-sister Tess' grandfather Magnus. Isabel mistakes him for a local beekeeper that she has contacted, and this results in a trip to the emergency room. Cormac is anything but safe and orderly, which is intimidating to Isabel. She fights her attraction to him, even as he pursues his attraction to her. He has his own demons, but as he is enveloped into the world of Bella Vista, he does his own soul searching.
When Mac begins the biography on Magnus, the reader is transported back to Nazi occupied Copenhagen, as we hear about Magnus' life under the regime. Later, we also hear about the ordeals that Anneslise shares. Her story actually brought tears to my eyes. Wiggs does an excellent job writing about such sensitive topics in a respectful manner.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a book about family, love and healing, set in a gorgeous paradise. If you liked The Apple Orchard, you will love this one.
Isabel is a reserved, organized woman, who grew up practically in paradise at Bella Vista. Her parents died before she was even a week old, and she was raised by her adoring, indulgent grandparents. She loved cooking, and went off to cooking school to pursue her dream of becoming a chef, and now she is back, turning her home into a destination cooking school. And from the sound of it, if this place were real I would want to go myself! Although Isabel seems so together, she is harboring a secret that is preventing her from living her life fully. She closes herself off from love, and prefers her orderly world of her own creation.
When sexy-hot Cormac "Mac" O'Neil bumbles onto her property, you know he is definitely going to shake things up. A journalist and adventurer, he is at Bella Vista to write the biography of Isabel and her half-sister Tess' grandfather Magnus. Isabel mistakes him for a local beekeeper that she has contacted, and this results in a trip to the emergency room. Cormac is anything but safe and orderly, which is intimidating to Isabel. She fights her attraction to him, even as he pursues his attraction to her. He has his own demons, but as he is enveloped into the world of Bella Vista, he does his own soul searching.
When Mac begins the biography on Magnus, the reader is transported back to Nazi occupied Copenhagen, as we hear about Magnus' life under the regime. Later, we also hear about the ordeals that Anneslise shares. Her story actually brought tears to my eyes. Wiggs does an excellent job writing about such sensitive topics in a respectful manner.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a book about family, love and healing, set in a gorgeous paradise. If you liked The Apple Orchard, you will love this one.
This is the first Susan Wiggs book I have read. I really enjoyed it. So many stories within the story going on and believable characters. I would highly recommend this book if you want a unique story of generations of a family, some historical value and romance.
I really liked this book. The story line was simple and easy to follow; a good book to read as a form of escape. Susan Wiggs has a way with words that appeals to me. Although it is a romance novel, it still had a . historical slant through the back story of Isabel and Tess's grandparents. I also liked the cooking aspect of the story; Isabel's passion for food and cooking resonated in me. I'd love to visit her vision of a cooking school, if one really existed!
A little more information; I did not read the first one, and there were some noticeable holes in my knowledge, but I could catch up on the missing information as the story progressed. The ending is a cliffhanger, and know that I know there is a series of these books, it makes perfect sense what the next book will be about.
A little more information; I did not read the first one, and there were some noticeable holes in my knowledge, but I could catch up on the missing information as the story progressed. The ending is a cliffhanger, and know that I know there is a series of these books, it makes perfect sense what the next book will be about.