Blurb
Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace — despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.
But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met and a mother who spent more time travelling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town of Archangel.
The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half-sister she’s never heard of.
Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.
My Perspective
This is the ninth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs from Ionia at Readful Things Blog. You can read her thoughts on the book here.
The Apple Orchard is about Tess, a treasure hunter who’s life solely revolves around work and the occasional catch up with friends. However her world is ripped apart when one day a man turns up at her office telling her she’s inheriting half an estate from the grandfather she didn’t even know – the other half being inherited by the half sister she never knew about either.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it however it was a bit too unbelievable.
At first I found Tess hard to relate to however the more she opened up about herself, the more I liked her. Dominic was extremely likeable however thinking back he was pretty much perfect, which is way too unrealistic. Everyone else had equal measures of strengths and weaknesses except for him.
The story was written well with a steady pace. It was a mix of family saga, romance, and mystery. The story wasn’t entirely predictable however the essence of it was, which is what I found so unrealistic about it.
One thing about this book is the cooking and baking, which makes you drool. I also really enjoyed the added recipes throughout.
Overall this was a pleasant and interesting read however it was a bit too escapist for me. I would definitely recommend it if you like a light family saga and romance that really takes you out of the believability realm.
Reading For The Masses 