3.5 stars

Lovely easy read. I loved the premise and setting. The fish out of water and from different worlds attraction always has great potential. I also have a soft spot for goats and cider.

The lack of communication between the two MC could be a bit grating but can’t complain when you land on HEA.

‘Greener Pastures’ has been one of my favourite summer romances so far; sweet and sexy in equal measure. Audrey has to look after her aunt’s farm after she has a stroke and although Audrey would do anything for her aunt she is a city girl without the first clue about hobby farming. Cue the cute neighbour, Rowan, who offers to lend a hand.
Of course there are a few bumps along the way especially when Audrey finds out Rowan has a business arrangement that doesn’t seem all that official. I loved the back and forth between these two women and the tension is so much fun to read. Rey is one of the best at creating a light hearted story with characters that quickly gets under your skin. I also love the balance throughout this novel where the two women grew independently as well as a couple, plus the payoff moments were so gorgeous too.
Beautiful setting, dynamic characters and baby goats; everything you could want in a summer read.

A sweet book in a great setting; with great characters, and wonderful chemistry between them! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this booK!

ADORABLE!!!!

Audrey is a CPA with a big deal company. When he gets a call that her Aunt Ernestine has suffered a stroke, she drops everything to be with her and help out on Ernestine’s hobby farm. It’s a bit more than a bit overwhelming, and shes in over her head… Rowan is a cider maker and is Ernestine’s neighbour. Both women love the land and have become close friends. The pair have an agreement with the older woman’s orchard. Since they both love the land and Ernestine is impressed with how much knowledge and love Rowan has for the trees, she has decided to let the cider maker buy it, but for now she tends to it and harvests the apples. When Audrey shows up, Rowan is happy to help out with and teach Audrey about the animals and the gardens. Things are great, for a while… When the accountant finds out about her plans for the orchard, she accuses Rowan of trying to take advantage of Ernestine. Eventually a truce is reached and romance is in the air. However, its not long before Audrey has to make some huge decisions that leave the budding relationship in jeopardy….

I LOVE Ms Rey’s books and this one is one of her best. I ADORED Audrey and Rowan. Both are sweet and complex. I loved watching Audrey learn about the farm and how she settled into the community with ease, even though she is a city girl. I loved how Rowan is so dedicated to her company and I really loved the animals, especially the surprise baby goats! There could have been a LOT more of them and I would have been in heaven but the antics that were shared were enough to make you say AWWWW!!! I liked watching Rowan and Audrey become friends then more. They are a beautiful couple with so much going for them. They worked so well together and had some really special moments. When the inevitable happened I nearly cried for the pair’s loss. I wanted Ernestine to be more involved and maybe come home and give the couple feigned trouble as I know she loved them both a great deal and was the kind of woman who would have teased them and caused silly trouble. Alas, it was not to be. Everything seemed to be easy to figure out for Audrey, but she wasn’t really ready to be a farmer and live the country life. Her home was in the city…and I cried for the loss of what could have been. Ms Rey isn’t one to let her readers suffer for long and soon enough things righted themselves, YAY! This is an EXCELLENT book with lots of drama and romance. It is one of her best works as far as Im concerned. And its one that I needed to experience more than once. I bought the audiobook so I could listen to it on my commute every day. I love this book and I can see myself reading it again and again!

I picked up Greener Pastures when I was trying to break a late-night doomscrolling habit, and found it to be solid bedtime reading, if a bit dull. It’s a wholesome fish out of water romance where women fall in love over farm chores. The romance is solid enough to be distracting, but moves so slowly that it’s easy to put the book down and get some sleep.

The most important thing you need to know about this book is that there are baby goats. And they are extremely cute.

This is a low-conflict book with only a few moments of intense angst. There’s a major misunderstanding early in the book where Audrey assumes that Rowan is taking advantage of Earnestine’s kindness to get into her will, and goes on a rampage, screaming at Rowan in front of her coworkers. It’s one of a handful of times that Audrey jumps to conclusions, or takes her feelings out on Rowan. The mix of calm storytelling with occasional drama means the book may be too stressful for readers looking for a zero-conflict tale, but lovers of drama may lose interest due to the overall low level of angst. Audrey and Rowan start sleeping together midway, and that popped most of the tension for me. I have to admit, I grew bored during the latter chapters of the book, when the only thing at stake is whether Audrey will give up her city job for small town life.

I found Greener Pastures to be an ephemeral and restful read, despite its minor annoyances. Readers who like girl-next-door-love stories, butch/femme pairings, and city girls who learn to love the countryside might like this. It’s built for bedtime reading; sweet enough to give you happy dreams, and quiet enough to let you fall asleep easily

I really enjoyed this story detailing the interactions between Audrey and Rowan and the story of how as neighbours, sharing neighbourly tasks, they each overcame different obstacles and learned to trust. The resulting relationship which evolved had the bumps and hiccups most relationships experience, but with Aunt Ernestine's integral input, the result is a lovely organic story.

Aurora Ray has a deft touch to scooping up the trail of breadcrumbs she drops throughout and resolving conflicts to a pleasing outcome. If you are looking for a comfortable, satisfying feel good, lesfic read, look no further.


4.5*

Sweet, cosy romance

Audrey meets Rowan when she comes to help on her Aunt’s farm while she is being cared for following a stroke. At first, Audrey is suspicious of the arrangements she learns Rowan has with her aunt, but when she learns more about Rowan, gets to know her better, and starts to understand Rowan’s plans involving her aunt’s land and Rowan’s cider business, feelings for Rowan force Audrey to rethink what she wants from her life.

I loved this, it was sweet and romantic but with a touch of tension and a little comedy drama. The tension between Audrey and Rowan was great, not instant but born during their getting to know one another and as a result built in uncertainty to the story that I wasn’t expecting. It was great how Aurora pulled you into a light-hearted meeting and connection between them, then very realistically threw and spanner in the works to unsettled you right alongside Audrey. It was so easy to connect with her because her suspicions and sudden wariness of Rowan came on naturally and in a most understandable way.

There was a lovely sentiment behind the story though, one of friendship and kindness, working together to achieve dreams and goals collaboratively, and importantly held a message of trusting one another and being adaptable. Kindness played a big part in this story, as well as being empathetic and understanding. Rowan embodied all of this. She was a good person, with dreams and hopes, and luckily for her a kind woman in Audrey’s aunt who took a chance and wanted to help her so they would both benefit.

I was hooked on this from the very first moment and enjoyed it so much I couldn’t put it down. It had everything I want from a romance and everything I have come to know and love in Aurora Rey stories. Definitely recommend this amazing story and for romance readers, it’s another must read!

Greener Pastures is a nice romance.
Audrey changes her life so she can take care of her aunt's farm after her aunt has a stroke. Rowan, the other main character, is a cider maker who lives nearby.

I do not know if it is because she is out of her element, but Audrey sometimes gets annoying and the angst comes more from that and the fact that they could communicate better.
I also think that Dylan, Rowan's friend, and business partner deserves an entire book.

A big city, professional woman comes to the countryside to tend her aunts farm - what is not to love when clueless city-girl meets a butch farmer. And even better when she gets quite mad with said farmer and sparks fly? Add to that adorable baby goats, the beguiling rhythm of living outside the big rush of a big career and the city and you get a sweet, slow-burn romance. At the end it slows maybe a bit too much, but yet again it might be balanced by great sex and more beguiling life on the slow and rewarding side. Another ode of Aurora Rey to the delights of country-living.

Really enjoyed this book, feeling in need of a holiday, reading about a woman moving to the country to take care of her aunt's 'hobby' farm was lovely and soothing. There is also a butch/femme romance in the midst of the book, which is low angst, but fairly believable angst too, with big city cynicism meeting country friendliness. I found the main characters likeable and well rounded, I like the way that new possibilities were explored and the other friendships that were also shown. Thoroughly recommended for low stress reading especially if you like animals.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really cute romance with a bit of drama that flows well. city girl meets country and causes a few laugh out loud moments as the characters evolve and grow individually and together...

Greener Pastures is a sweet low angst romance. CPA Audrey takes a leave of absence from her fast paced career in the big city when her Aunt Ernestine suffers a stroke and is no longer able to look after her hobby farm. Arborist and owner of a growing cider business, Rowan has been helping out Audrey’s Aunt on the farm. Rowan has also been buying her neighbour Ernestine’s apples and they have a gentlewoman’s agreement that Rowan will eventually take ownership of this orchard as a thank you for her help over the years.

I would call this a fish out of water romance but Audrey is up for the challenge of farm work along with her Aunt’s menagerie of animals/pets. She may need a few pointers but this friendly neighbour Rowan is more than willing to assist and teach the chartered accountant in exchange for a meal or two from Audrey. They hit it off and share their mutual love for Ernestine along with some romantic vibes neither can ignore. The expected miscommunication comes early with Audrey flipping out assuming Rowan is taking advantage of her Aunt. Part guilt, part concern, it’s not long before Rowan and Audrey are once again sharing meals and pondering their futures.

This is a feel good romance with a small amount of angst and a bit of soul searching. It’s a light and quick read, a nice escapist romance. Food, new career possibilities and baby goats.

A copy of this book was received with thanks from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for review.

I cannot put to words how much I enjoyed this book. It's got all the sweet romance you can get on the countryside with the bonus of being at a cidery so often it makes you taste the cider on your tongue while Rowan explains how it is being made.

So this is a typical businesswoman goes to the countryside and falls for the hot neighbour with some added cute scenes in the mix like what happened in the chicken coop or with the goats (trying to remain spoiler free here because it's more fun to read it for yourself).

Rowan and Audrey are a joy to read despite them not always voicing their thoughts and feelings. It never gets to the point where it is so frustrating you want to shout at them. Just the occasional eye roll.

To be honest I had a lot of feelings reading this book and it's made me come to the conclusion that I want to be like Ernestine some day. No, honestly this is such a great and smooth read, I finished it in one sitting as I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you need a book that is warm, sweet and just makes you feel all good inside, Aurora Rey is the author you should seek out to fill your satisfaction for a really good read. I've read many books by this author and I've not been disappointed yet. In Green Pastures, you'll meet the two main characters of the story, Audrey Adams and rowan marshall. The chemistry is there between the couple, but Audrey does slightly get on your nerves halfway through. All in all Greener Pastures is a good Sunday afternoon read, it's not my favourite by this author, but it is still a good read if you're wanting something ‘light’ to read on a Sunday afternoon.

I've given greener pasture a 3.7 / 5

Audrey has a great job in Manhattan in a large CPA firm. When her Aunt Ernestine had a stroke, Audrey comes to help with her Aunt’s hobby farm in a small town near Rochester NY. Her neighbor Rowan, a cute butch, sees her trapped on top of a chicken coup by a small flock of chickens. Rowan steps up to teach Audrey how to care for the farm animals and Ernestine’s small vegetable patch and flower garden. Rowan is a cider maker. When Audrey learns that Rowan is using her Aunt’s apple orchard, she becomes suspicious of her. It takes the birth a twin goats to bring them back together again. Their chemistry is amazing but what is a city girl going to do with a farm? I must admit, this is the 1st time Aurora Rey made me cry in a book. I enjoyed this book very much.

One thing that you can always count on is that Aurora Rey will give you a satisfying read. Greener Pastures is the latest of Aurora Rey's sexy and sweet stories.

I will not give a in-depth synopsis, as you can find that easily elsewhere. Rowan and Audrey are a wonderful butch/femme couple who don't exactly see eye-to-eye when they meet, but gradually come to an understanding and decide to explore their mutual attraction. They agree to keep it casual, because Audrey will be returning to her life once her aunt's estate is settled. But the best-laid plans go awry.

I recommend reading Greener Pastures.

This story has been potentially promising but in the way it has developed, it has lost quite a bit of what it promised. My biggest complaint is about Audrey, the woman who arrives in the village where Rowan has her cider-making business.

Because since Audrey arrives, she is in a negative mood and is quite intransigent without knowing anything about what Rowan has lived and dealt with Audrey's aunt, who has now suffered a stroke and is convalescing and with little mobility.

And Rowan does nothing but go out of her way to please Audrey, without her deserving it at all. Completely meaningless power play, because Audrey is a living contradiction, who wants and does not want, but if it were only contradiction that affected her, then the thing would not have been so unpleasant. But poor Rowan does nothing to be treated like that. And when Audrey reconsiders, badly and late, Rowan is too manageable and that has not seemed good to me either. Why does she have to accommodate what the other wants? Too docile.

So between a meek one and a mean one and a slightly sugary ending, a story that could have been excellent has remained only passable.

This was a good romance story. I enjoyed the pace. the main characters are quite loveable. There's a lot of heat and low angst you'll. without a doubt enjoy this book. I cannot forget to mention the animals especially the goats they were adorable. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rowan Marshall was living her dream, along with her best friend Dylan they own a small Cidery developing their own flavors. Business is going well but both feel it’s time to expand. Right now they grow and buy the apples for their cider but it just so happens their neighbor Ernestine had a whole orchard she wasn’t using so she allowed Rowan to harvest apples for a small price. Great setup for both.
Ernestine has a stroke leaving her niece to look after the few animals on the farm but to say Audrey Adams knew what she was doing, She doesn’t. She has a career in the city as a CPA but there is no one else able to help.
Rowan and Audrey meet and at first they don’t like each other but as time goes on they become close. All in all not a great story but still a very likable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Very cute feel good romance. I loved the relationship between Rowan and Audrey. There were some really good funny parts to their romance and some sad parts as well. The animals in this story kind of took over a few chapters, but they just seemed to add more depth to the story. The supporting characters were well written and seemed to move the story along and not bog it down. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what comes next from this author.