Amy E. Reichert - The Simplicity of Cider

Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.
Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.
Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.

Comment: A few years ago, I've read and loved the debut book by this author and I got really curious about her writing. After she wrote a couple more books, I decided to get them and try to revive my likeness for the writing but sadly I'm starting to believe the first book was a one hit wonder for me.  I mean, this one was not bad, but it was not fantastic either, for me.

In this story we meet the Lunds, father and daughter Sanna, who own a orchard and they have a business with the apples and cider making.

Sanna is a very bitter woman because of how her mother abandoned her, her father and brother. It seems Sanna only lives for her routines and cider making but things change when her father decides to hire Isaac Banks ans his small son Sebastian as temporary help in the orchard.

Isaac is still trying to find a way to tell Sebastian his mother (Isaac's ex) has died and to be distracted by orchard's work seems a good, healthy way to  be with his son while he still can be happy.

However, between problems with the orchard and the slow developing attraction between Sanna and Isaac, is there any way things can be simple again?

As I've said, this was not a bad book. I particularly liked to learn some things about cider making - even if I never manage to remember the details - and also the fact this was a story that reads easily, the writing is fluid. If one were to put all the main details together, there's plenty to make this a successful story but then there other aspects I remember not being as smoothly included in the story...

The basis for this story is Sanna and her attitude towards life. I suppose one of the "lessons" we could gain here is that, as it happens with apples and cider making, everything has a process and we should adapt, we should learn from what goes wrong but not get stuck, otherwise we stagnate and nothing improves. Sanna is the embodiment of this, she is in her early thirties and she has a stagnated life, even if she loves her cider so much. I kind of understand where Sanna is and to be really honest, I felt a little in sync with her behavior... it's a lot easier to just rely on our routine's than put ourselves out there.

Sanna has some emotional wounds to heal and she is also obstinate enough to not see some difficulties in her father's life and their orchard. This change with the arrival of Isaac and his son and I happy enough to see Isaac could be a good guy for Sanna and her relationship with Sebastian was believable, she said she didn't like kids at first so her growing care for the boy was cute to watch. Her relationship with Isaac was more gradual and, in a way, not as romantic or strong as I imagined. Things between seemed to be too easy in how they just accepted it but I'd like to have seen a little more sexual tension or attraction scenes between them.

Part of the problem is Isaac and his wishes to give his son a last summer to remember before telling he doesn't have a mother anymore. I understand this but it felt a little silly and the way this subject was solved proves that, considering Sebastian's reaction.

Another situation that complicates everything at the orchard are the financial problems since Sanna has no head for business deals and her father hasn't got the money anymore to pay the bank. The solution for this is quite modern and believable but, of course, quite convenient too.

I think this novel has good elements but they don't always feel cohesive to me. Too many emotional wounds to heal, too many complicated situations, too much angst to solve (and only at the end), not enough romantic scenes, Sanna is very obstinate in her ways, I liked how she learned to accept help and communicate but...she wasn't always easy to root for. 

I'd say this novel could have been better but there's some pacing that could have been improved to help with the cohesion and, therefore, the "feel" of this book.

Grade: 7/10

Amy E. Reichert - Luck, Love and Lemon Pie

When Milwaukee-area wife and mother MJ Boudreaux notices her husband Chris seems more interested in the casino than her, she’s more bothered that she isn’t upset than by her husband’s absence. She picks up poker as a way for them to spend more time together—and reignite their marital flame.
Although the game doesn’t give her the quality time with Chris that she’d hoped, MJ finds she has a knack for it. Increasingly unhappy at home, she turns to the felt top of the poker table for comfort. Intoxicated with newfound freedom, MJ begins spending more time at the gambling tables and less with her family, finally carving out for herself a place outside her role of wife and mother.
After a string of great wins, MJ finds herself in Vegas, attracting the attention of a certain magnetic poker star. But when she’s forced to choose between her family and her new exciting lifestyle, the stakes may be higher than she thought and MJ will have to play her hand carefully…or risk losing it all.

Comment: In 2016 I've read my first book by the author and for me it was a good one, considering I gave it a good grade and I liked the story. 

I had expectations that this other book which I got some time ago, would follow the same steps but I have to agree with most readers who have read it also on GR, this one wasn't as surprising or sweet (unlike its title).

This book presents us MJ, a fifty year old woman, mother of two, with a stable but boring marriage and she does feel things are changing. She and her husband don't seem to connect anymore, they live together, they interact but the spark seems to be gone and MJ wants to do something about it, like going to a casino to play poker since that's what her husband does to relax. However, things don't go as MJ planned and she starts thinking maybe there's no way to make things better. 

The more she plays, the more out of sync with her family she gets and when the chance to play in a tournament arises, MJ registers herself. But will the price be too high for her family life?

While in the other book, the coconut cake seemed to be a huge and necessary part of the plot for some reason, I confess the title's lemon pie was included as practically only an extra and I do miss a more significant impact of food content here. I guess I thought it would be more important than what it was.

The plot is one seen very often in contemporaries: The marriage isn't the same anymore, people are bored, people accommodate to what is routine and what made them fall in love is no longer present so MJ has an escape method, something she initially wanted to share with her husband but the first attempt was a disaster. I guess I can say what made this book more special was how these feelings on inadequacy and restlessness wee portrayed. I bet most people out there, after a while feel the same and they might think there's no way out of the cycle.

Of course, the purpose here wasn't exactly that, the author wanted to show people can be themselves while having other interests but the main focus was more on how MJ would process the fact her family was being put aside for her time spent with new activities. There is some drama, as one could expect, and the way to solve things while not totally predictable, was the path more obvious.

I suppose the aim here is for the reader to learn that communication is essential to a good marriage and that no matter how boring things are, there's always the knowledge that person is there to support you. While I understand people don't always react as they should to every day issues, MJ's decision to play poker seem a bit weird, especially because that was what her husband did and I can't seem to appreciate her let her other responsibilities go over gambling.

I feel a bit disappointed that this book wasn't as charming as the other book I've read. There are no cute scenes nor interesting details about the main characters to make me eager to know what happens to them. I think both MJ and her husband Chris are too stagnant as characters to make the reading about them more stimulating. I would say the characterization wasn't balanced, especially if one thinks about some realistic details.

Something also annoying to me was how MJ kept having flashbacks about this an that. I get it why authors include those but it's extremely annoying to stop the flow of what you're reading to go back in time to something that, no matter what, won't change what happens "now".

All things considered, this book has several not so good elements which made me less interested in reading about these characters. The story itself and most details aren't bad, but together they don't form a captivating story all the time.

I still hope the other book by the author I have is better. 

Grade: 5/10

Amy E. Reichert - The Coincidence of the Coconut Cake

In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French

restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.
Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.
The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?
Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.

Comment: I got this book after I saw a friend at GR had it in her TBR and by the blurb it seemed intriguing. This month I've decided to buddy read it with a friend and I really couldn't put it down, so I already finished and she's still reading. Nevertheless, this is a cute contemporary romance and I feel very glad I was ale to read and enjoy it.

In this book we have Lou's story and it starts with her making a coconut cake for her fiancé (although she's not really feeling the connection with him anymore) but when she surprises him, she's the one who gets the bigger surprise when she finds an intern from his lawyer offices there, half naked.

She obviously gets emotional and shocked but she works as a chef and that night she decides to cook because it's her job and she still can't understand what happened.

Precisely that night, Al Walters, a British man who has a pseudonym as a renowned cruel food and restaurant critic, eats there and doesn't get a good service and then writes a terrible review that sunks Lou's restaurant.

At the same time, Lou and Al meet by chance and somehow they start going out out of friendship but then their relationship evolves...but what will happen when both find out they're dating the person they  thought would never get in their way?

I was very motivated to read this story, it's quite entertaining and told in a very simple way, without too many exaggerated details or not enough description, I think it's was mostly told in the right way. I think some passages had an overdue of explanations or settings that were supposed to give us an idea of everything but sometimes it wasn't that captivating.

But I think the author did well with the pace and simplicity of the story because I wanted to keep reading and always found reasons to do it.

In fact, this is the first book by this author I try and it was a positive one to me. I think the research is there, she gives the idea she knows what she's speaking about and all the different things addressed with a certain importance seem believable (the chef work, how to write to a newspaper, the knowledge of food and clothes, for instance).

Even details related to the secondary characters seemed to have an important role, even if small and that helped the reader to form a more precise idea about everyone.

Lou is the main character and she is the one that goes through the most changes. Still, the path wasn't all good and despite a new relationship and solid friendships, I felt for her because she had her dream and because of one mistake, things went wrong. Even though things weren't her fault, she still felt bad - which is understandable - but then she revealed her strength and tried her best to find solutions. I appreciate that a lot, she is a very  conscious and motivated person and very likable.

Al has a secret and obviously that influences the way he behaves, the things he shares with Lou... I can't say I didn't like him, from an outsider POV it can look like his actions were cowardice but I know it's not easy to assume mistakes done or things that you should have done better. Still, after he finds out, it seemed too much time went until he acted on it.

In a way, this is one of the most obvious less good things, the amount of time and situations that happened which prevented them to find out who the other one was for such a long time. It seems difficult to accept so many coincidences would stop them from knowing what was in front of them. Personally it felt like a comedy of errors, but it seems the author's intention was to give us a serious series of coincidence events. I can understand that some readers could consider this too bland overall, but I had more fun than regrets reading, so it's a positive experience for me.

I liked the tone of this novel, the way the author showed important things but didn't linger on unnecessary scenes and how small things like Lou's dreams and possible future actions will allow her to be the person she always wanted to be. And we even have a HEA and a recipe at the end of the book.

To me this is positive, despite some minor less than good details.

Grade: 8/10