MF - Sweetheart (Busy Bean #1) by Sarah Mayberry

 

SWEETHEART BY SARAH MAYBERRY

Release Date: March 1, 2021

Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/

Goodreads Link

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The first Busy Bean novel is an achy breaky romance with gorgeous writing! - Sarina Bowen

I just wanted to get my hands on his beans

Four years ago, I had a ridiculous crush on my sister's boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he's back, and roasting the best coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.

She should be off limits, but instead she's pushing mine

Her sister burned my life to the ground, so Haley Elliot is the last woman I should bring into my bed. Although our business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of us can help ourselves. And what’s worse, I think I’m falling for her.

But it’s a small town, and ours is a big secret. And when her sister blows back into town, suddenly the coffee isn’t the only thing brewing...

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My Rating - 5 Stars!

Sweetheart is the first book in the multi author Busy Bean series. This Sarah Mayberry contribution is a fabulous M/F romance.

I love the Busy Bean. It's a wonderful place to set a series around. Part of Sarina Bowen's True North world, it's full of characters we've come to love and adore, creating the perfect setting. 

This is the story of Haley and Daniel (Beck). Daniel used to date Haley's sister and things didn't end well. He wants nothing to do with Haley when he sees her. But, once she breaks him down a little, and he agrees to help her, things start to change. 

Now, let's start with the sister's ex thing. I know a lot of people won't read that trope and I understand. Trust me, I do. But, Haley's sister has some major mental illness issues and his relationship with her was anything but healthy. So, maybe that will help you. Maybe not. It definitely helped me.

The big part of this tale is Haley's sister. Basically, one would say she's crazy and her family babies her. She has undiagnosed mental issues and her past attempts at suicide have left her family walking on egg shells around her.

The result? Haley spends her life focusing on her sister's needs. And her parents do the same. No matter how she feels about Daniel, she can't left herself upset her sister by being with him. Basically, it's a major forbidden relationship. 

In the end, this story is absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down. The connection between Haley and Daniel is fabulous and one can't help but to root for them for to be together. Their journey isn't easy, as it's full of obstacles, but they are definitely wonderful together.

The family issues are a problem throughout. It's a tough thing to read. Jess is awful. Just awful. But, her part of the story is both heart breaking and gut wrenching. But in the end, I love the way everything is resolved. 

As well, Haley's issues with her parents had me ready to cry. It's just heart breaking to read. But, again, in the end, it's all well resolved.

The writing is gripping and I enjoyed it all, other than there being a few too many "he saids" for my liking. Yes, that pesky pet peeve of mine.

Sweetheart is a riveting small town romance. This is my first Sarah Mayberry read and I definitely enjoyed it. I am excited to see what happens next in this multi-author series. 

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Sweetheart by Sarah Mayberry - Excerpt for Bloggers

You know that thing where the rational part of your brain decides on a sensible course of action and commits to it, but then the murky, primal, unsupportive part of your brain refuses to get on board? The Germans probably have a name for it, something hard to pronounce with lots of umlauts. All I had was a feeling, and it hit me on a regular basis over the next couple of weeks whenever Beck set foot in the Busy Bean. 

Every time I saw him propped in the kitchen doorway sharing a laugh with Zara, I felt it.   When I realised Roddy had started using Beck as a taste tester for recipes he was developing, even though they barely knew each other, I got a big, hard dose of it. And the day I left the cafe to find Beck and his dog playing with Audrey and her two kids down by the river bank, I was awash with it. 

If I had to parse this feeling into its component parts, it would be made up of nine-tenths envy and one-tenth wistfulness. With a sprinkle of sexual jealousy thrown in, just for kicks and giggles. 

Because I wanted Beck to laugh with me the way he laughed with Zara. I wanted us to have the kind of relationship where I could run ideas past him, the kind of friendship where I could come upon him and his dog down by the river and feel free to hang out with them.  

I was fully aware that this stupid, stubborn longing I was experiencing was at complete  odds with my decision to respect his obvious desire to have as little to do with me as possible, but no matter how many times I told myself I didn't care, the lump of concrete in the pit of my stomach said otherwise. 

The problem was that Beck was just one of those people that other people wanted to be around. He'd always been that way, hence the fact that my sister had wanted him, and the fact that I'd developed my ridiculous, hopeless-cause crush on him in the first place. 

  He had a natural ease and charm that made people smile, even if they were having a shitty day.  He gave good banter, and he knew how to tease people in a gentle, utterly harmless way that made them feel like they were special because he'd noticed them.  And he was curious about people, asking lots of questions and genuinely listening to their answers. 

It probably didn't hurt that he was extensively easy on on the eyes, either.

All of this worked together to make him a warm, real presence that people wanted to get closer to, like campers gathering around a fire at night. 

I witnessed the power of his charisma over and over, in the way Audrey stood a half-foot closer to him than she did to other people, even though she was madly in love with her husband Griff, and in the way Roderick launched into an amusing anecdote whenever Beck arrived with his delivery, as though he'd been waiting to share the story with him.  Even snarky, cynical Zara wasn't immune, spending extra minutes chatting to him on the phone when she called through our bi-weekly order, her laughter ringing through the cafe. 

Everybody loved Beck, and Beck loved everybody - with the notable exception of me.