Keepsake by Sarina Bowen

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Title: Keepsake
Author: Sarina Bowen
Series: True North #3
Published by: Indie
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 326
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2018 #LetsReadIndie Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 AtoZ Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 New Adult Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound
My rating:

Blurb:

There's a first time for everything. Lark Wainright used to be fearless. Her life was a series of adventures, each one more exhilarating than the last. But her recent overseas adventure was one too many. Now she’s home and in one piece. Mostly. But her nights are filled with terror.

When her best friend offers her a stay at the orchard in exchange for help at the farmers’ markets, Lark jumps at the chance to spend fall in Vermont. But her nightmares don’t stop. Desperate to keep her fragile state a secret, she relies on the most soft-spoken resident of the Shipley Farm to soothe her when her dreams prove too much.

Zachariah is a survivor, too. It’s been four years since he was tossed aside by the polygamist cult where he grew up. He’s found a peaceful existence on the Shipley’s farm, picking apples and fixing machinery. But getting thrown away by your own people at nineteen leaves a mark on a guy. He doesn’t always know what to make of a world where movie quotes are the primary means of communication. Before hitchhiking to Vermont, he’d never watched TV or spoken on the phone.

Actually, there are a lot of things he’s never done.

Zach and Lark slowly grow to trust one another. One night they become even closer than they’d planned. But Lark may still be too broken to trust anyone. When she pushes Zach away, he will have to prove to himself that he's good for much more than farm labor.

My Review:

4.5 stars — Welp, I do believe this is my favourite series by Sarina Bowen…which is saying something, b/c she has a lot of amazing books.  But every book in this series offered up something different, but was consistent in giving me characters I loved, humour, feels, and the desire to visit Vermont.  😛

Zachariah was the whole reason I was looking forward to this book.  From the first moment I met him in Bittersweet, I was all in.  I wanted to know his story.  I was half in love with him already.  And he did NOT disappoint.  He was everything I was hoping for and more.  We all, as romance readers, have characters that we’re drawn to…and not everyone’s are the same.  Zach was the epitome of what tends to draw me in.  He’s a bit more beta, he’s kind, he’s generous, he’s sensitive…he’s just GAH!  And he has no idea how attractive he is (not just physically).  I loved getting in his head, even as my heart broke for him and his own issues.  I felt like we really got to watch him grow and come into his own in this book…sometimes all it takes is meeting someone who brings you out of yourself.  But it wasn’t just Lark, I appreciated the way Zach’s relationship with the Shipley family grew as well.

I had a completely different expectation for Lark’s character, and I honestly have no idea where it came from.  And I was looking forward to that character, so you’d think I’d be disappointed right?  But I wasn’t!  Lark was fantastic!  She was sassy, smart, kind, and dealing with an absolute nightmare.  It’s not that I didn’t want to smack her when she kept trying to hide her mental state from everyone, and kept rejecting professional help, but at the same time I got it.  It’s really hard to make yourself vulnerable, and to allow others to care for you and be there for you.  It’s funny how it’s so much easier to see that Lark’s being a dummy assuming she’s a burden, but I know I’ve likely done the same thing in many aspects of my life…stupid human nature.  I loved the way her story played out…I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but I absolutely loved the way her PTSD was handled and how she worked through her issues.

And Zach and Lark together were just sweet and smoking.  I loved the way they came together, and how their relationship built.  I truly felt their chemistry, and how they brought out the best in each other.  I even appreciated the struggles their relationship met, but how it grew stronger in the end.

I wasn’t expecting all the little side stories we got in this one.  I now understand why everyone wants May’s story (and thank the baby jesus that is happening).  I appreciated the way that all played out as well.  Obviously I loved seeing the Shipley family again, and seeing glimpses of what was happening in all their lives.  I loved learning more about Isaac and Leah, and the surprise new character we met nearer to the end…it helped give some closure to Zach’s cult story.  And I loved the little teaser for Zara’s book at the end!  Again, makes me want to reread Bountiful now.

So yeah.  It’s hard to decide, but I almost think this is even my favourite story in the series.  They’re all so fantastic, but I can’t help but want to place Zach at the top.  I kind of don’t want it to be over.  So glad I’ll get more in a few months.  I’ve also convinced my hubby we need to go find some Keepsake apple trees this summer…because they sound tasty.  And that we need to visit Vermont in the fall and be one of those annoying tourists…