Title: Sin and Cider
Author: Kimberly Reese
Year of publication: 2017
The heroine: Graphic designer MacIntosh Layne
The hero: Construction company owner Lawson Westbrook
The blurb: A lot can change in six years. Take me, for instance. I uprooted my small town life to move to Chicago, went to college, and grew up. Too bad I belatedly realized something was missing.
Determined to find myself again, I quit my job and head back to my family’s apple orchard to do some soul-searching.
A lot can also stay the same. Case in point: my brother’s best friend, Lawson Westbrook. Still charming. Still ridiculously handsome. Still an expert at making my heart race in an achingly familiar way. His desire-filled eyes and seductive promises tempt me to take him up on his offer for a sinful summer.
Lawson may see me differently, but my heart’s still vulnerable. Something’s brewing between us, but I don’t know if it’s happiness or heartbreak.
Standalone or series: Book one of the Sweet Sinners series, but can be read as a standalone.
The review: If I could sum up this debut novel by Kimberly Reese in one word, it would be delicious. MacIntosh Layne quits her fancy job in Chicago one day and decides to find herself by heading home to her family’s orchard in Tennessee. She’s happy to see her family and old friends after being away for six years, but wants to avoid seeing the man who made her flee in the first place: her brother’s best friend, Lawson Westbrook.
Avoiding him is impossible, and not noticing how utterly gorgeous he is even more so; he’s perfection. But Lawson’s never looked at Mac like that, so she works to restore the orchard’s barn so she can start selling her family’s well-known cider again. Lawson owns his own construction business, so he agrees to help Mac with the barn when time permits.
Lawson is no fool – he can see how beautiful Mac is and the woman she’s become. He wants her, but he’s not interested in a long term commitment. Which is perfect for Mac, because she’ll be heading back to Chicago in a couple of months. So they soon start sneaking around and sleeping together, and Lawson is deliciously dirty with a mouth made for sin. The more they see each other, the clearer it becomes that this is not just a summer fling… but can they make it work? Do they want to? Will Mac forgive Lawson when he does the unthinkable? Will they find their happily ever after… together? You really need to read this book and find out.
the romance shelf 