Autumn Leaves & Apple Cider Promises: A Maple Hollow Romance

The storyline is good. The execution, not so much. I love the small-town, apple farm, warm, and cozy feel. Like a love letter to small town romance. It uses very stilted language, which does not allow the reader to connect with the main characters, especially Hannah. She is not very likable, especially at the beginning. It is difficult to track who is speaking. There are not enough references to whom is speaking, so it can be confusing. * * ****** Spoilers Below******** * * There’s a large chunk in chapter 8 that is repetitive. For example, the handwashing station issue. It was already solved, but then it was "solved" again. Also in the same chapter, Hannah "learns" Luke studied agricultural management, but she already knew that previously. In Chapter 15, it states Hannah left, heading to Luke's home to get her mug. She leaves and forgets her car. That seems very implausible. No one leaves and accidentally forgets your car. In Chapter 16, Hannah tells Luke she disclosed their involvement to the company. He is surprised, but she's already told him in a previous chapter. It definitely needs editing. But it's a great start, with soooo much potential!

I really enjoyed this book. It has such a cozy small-town fall feeling that makes it really easy to get into. Hannah comes to Maple Hollow because she knows how to help struggling businesses, and she ends up working with Luke to try to save his family’s orchard. The orchard has been in Luke’s family for generations, so he definitely isn’t happy about Hannah showing up with ideas for changing things. They don’t exactly get along at first, and there’s plenty of arguing and stubbornness between them. As they spend more time together during the apple harvest, though, things slowly start to change. I liked watching Hannah and Luke go from getting on each other’s nerves to actually respecting and caring about each other. The apple picking, hot cider, autumn leaves, and time around the orchard give the whole story a really warm and cozy feel. Both Hannah and Luke have some things from their past they need to work through, and those old fears cause some problems along the way. They have to figure out if they’re willing to let go of some of the past and take a chance on something new. I liked that the romance didn’t happen all at once and had time to build. Overall, this was a sweet and easy romance with a cute fall setting, a little drama, plenty of cozy moments, and a nice message about new beginnings.