The Bird and the Bees

by Neena Gaynor

About the Book:

When Larkin Maybie buries her mother in the foothills of Appalachia, she is left all alone. Her only inheritance? A crazy aunt, a mountain of debt, and a run-down, secluded cabin left by a mysterious benefactor. While Larkin thinks an escape to a cabin miles from anything familiar might be exactly what she needs, the quick answer to her problems only leaves her with more questions … Questions concerning her true identity.

As Larkin searches for her link to the Lewandowski Estate, she begins to accept the kindness of strangers on Presque Isle and the affection of professional baseball player, Ketch Devine. Charged with caring for the cabin’s honey bees and haunted by past choices, Larkin struggles to move forward in a new direction and is running out of time. With summer and baseball season coming to an end, she must decide: what is the value of true love and an authentic life?

The Bird and the Bees, contemporary Christian romance by @NeenaGaynor #mustread Share on X

My review:

Oh, my heart. What is it about this gentle book that made it ache so? Had to be Ketch Devine.

I didn’t know what to expect from this first-time author, but what I discovered was a unique voice, a slew of wonderful similes, and a redemptive, empowering story with the unfailing, unconditional love of God at its heart.

Part women’s fiction, part romance, with a little mystery and a heavy does of Truth, The Bird and the Bees follows broke (financial and otherwise) nurse Larkin Maybie from the hills of Appalachian Kentucky to Presque Isle, on the Pennsylvania shores of Lake Erie. (A place not so far from my native Pittsburgh, recognizable from childhood memories.)

Enter too-good-to-be-true (or at least too-good-for-Larkin) minor leaguer Ketch Devine, whose easygoing, steady, no-strings-attached friendship, slowly wears down the walls Larkin has built around her damaged, guilt-ridden heart.

If you’re looking for a selfless romantic hero, you’ll find it, but The Bird and the Bees runs deeper, with layers to uncover about what it means to live and to what or whom we anchor our lives.

Excerpt:

On the beach, the waves rolled upon the shore. The dark blue water caressed the beach like a mother pats her sleeping baby. I inhaled the lulling landscape, my mind expecting the smell of salt and sea, and shocked by the crispness of the air. The vastness of the lake continued to thrill me. As did the man who held me. 

Ketch turned me to a large brick house. “Let’s go check this out.” 

The deep, soft sand was difficult to walk through, and I stopped to remove my sandals. Ketch carried them and managed the sand in his shoes. 

“Here’s the lighthouse. Have you ever seen one?” he asked. 

I hadn’t. Ketch kept walking and talking, telling me about how the walls were constructed to withstand weather with a five- brick thickness. 

“Remind you of anyone?” He gave me an insinuating, impish glance. 

Giveaway:

Giveaway is over.

About the Author:

I’m a Kentucky wife, mother, and beekeeper. I’ve spent much of the last decade living out of a suitcase with my husband, Wade, a former professional baseball player. Throughout the 29 changes of address, the stresses of moving a young family, and working many of those years as an emergency or surgical nurse, I learned to embrace the peace that only comes from the steady accompaniment of Christ.

Links:

Website: http://www.wordslikehoney.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeenaGaynor/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NeenaGaynor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeenaGaynorWriter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NeenaGaynor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20117947.Neena_Gaynor

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