Sweet story. Astrid and her family have a bee farm in Honey, Texas, where they produce honey and other honey and bee-related items. Astrid is a master beekeeper with a reputation as a bee whisperer - she is the one people call when they have a problem. She also leads the Junior Beekeepers group, passing her love of bees to the next generation. She is worried about an upcoming group event on a neighboring property. Rebecca had promised the group the use of her hives and land before she passed away. Now, she has to depend on the heir to keep his aunt's promise, and she isn't too confident he will.

Charlie is a tech guy who works from home, enabling him to avoid most contact with people. A recent widower, he has brought his two stepdaughters with him to Honey for the summer, hoping to escape their grief. Though he's only been in Honey for a short time, Charlie already has a reputation as an aloof grump, mainly because he's never developed the ability to interact with people. He is determined to sell the property as soon as possible and return to his comfort zone in the city. He doesn't count on his girls getting involved with the family next door.

I enjoyed the first meeting between Astrid and the girls, Halley and Nova. They are friendly, curious, and quite put out with their dad, who has kept them close to home while he works on his computer. I loved how quickly they connected with Astrid. You can't say the same for Charlie. He wasn't sure how to handle Astrid, whose cheerful personality and refusal to be chased off confused him. I liked her determination to bring him out of his shell without causing any trauma. It was fun to see how quickly Astrid came to understand him. I laughed out loud often as Charlie found himself doing things he never expected to do.

Neither Astrid nor Charlie expected the sparks of attraction that grew between them. I enjoyed the slow build of their relationship from neighbors to friends and more. But the question is whether anything can come of it since Charlie plans to return to the city at the end of the summer. I liked seeing how Charlie and the girls came to love their lives in Honey.

There is a fly in their ointment in the person of Charlie's sister. She and her husband are developers, and when she looks at the property and the potential gold mine of Honey, she does her best to convince Charlie to sell the property. The sister is obnoxious, selfish, and not very nice to Charlie. I loved her shock at the will reading and cheered for Charlie and Astrid. I loved the ending and seeing the difference Honey and Astrid have made in Charlie. His big moment at the end was sweet and funny.

I liked the assorted secondary characters. Halley and Nova were adorable. I felt their grief over their mother's death and their worry over their relationship with Charlie. I enjoyed seeing them interact with Astrid's family and the difference it made in their lives. The closeness of Astrid's family was terrific. I liked how they could support each other and call each other out when needed. Aunt Camellia and her boyfriend were sweet, and I laughed at Aunt Mags' crustiness that covered a soft heart. I look forward to seeing more of them in future books.

I loved all the information about bees, beekeeping, and the importance of bees that was woven into the story.

#netgalley ( )

Must Love Bees by Sasha Summers
Honey Acres series #2. Contemporary romance. Can be read as a stand-alone. Grumpy sunshine. Family oriented.
Astrid Hill has the patience and love for working her family bee farm. She volunteers with Junior Beekeeping sharing her knowledge and need to keep industry front and center in her hometown. She’s hoping that Charlie Driver will honor the commitment to allow the training to continue on his farm even though he intends to sell his aunt’s farm.
Charlie has a high stress job that has him working on his computer for long hours. He’s in the town of Honey, Texas with his step-daughters just for the summer, while he makes arrangements for the property of his great aunt. His daughters befriend Astrid and soon their families are intertwined with the girls learning the love of small town living. But for Charlie and the girls, Honey is temporary. What comes next?

Charming, sweet and absolutely lovable. This author has a knack for writing adults learning how children and their complexities can become families and how love can make the heart stronger. Adding in bees and their importance in the town of Honey made it feel like a place I could visit. The romance is a slow build and there are both tears and swoons. In the end it’s such a sweet love for the entire family that makes the story endearing.

The paperback and ebook include 15 honey based recipes.

Bonus Novella - Honey Ever After, series book 2.5
Camellia’s wedding. All the family from the books are included, helping and supporting each other. It’s adorable and delightful. It’s family at its best. ( )