Brodie Carter, and his brothers Tripp and Knox, have lost their home due to a devastating tornado. The brothers have seven half sisters, and they have been invited to move in until they get back on their feet. They are all successful farmers, so rebuilding should be easily manageable.

The family has a neighbor, Audrey Ross, who lives in the next orchard. Both families have been at odds for decades, and now Audrey is bugging Brodie to sell his farm to her. While sparks are clearly evident between the pair, their elderly relatives are staunchly against the idea that they could actually form a relationship. This sweet story was a quick and enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Audrey and Brodie have become next door neighbors, but they do not like each other. Mostly. They have different views on farming, and they are on different sides of a feud. But the chemistry between them keeps pulling them together, and they start meeting in the orchard to talk. Watching their relationship develop is a lot of fun, and I loved spending time in this world again.

First in a new series!
Look out Brodie!! Lol what a fun read! I loved every minute of this book. This was great!! Im looking forward to reading the next book!
Wonderful characters! I loved the opening of this story. Written so well that I could actually "hear" the action going on!
Family dynamics even in the best of circumstances show that they stick together no matter what. Sometimes not totally true in real life but it's nice to read about fictional families such as this one.
Poor Brodie I felt I had to snicker at him at times but others well..... times he made me smh.
Audrey is a force to be reckoned with and she means business! I wanted to smack her at times for being selfish. I never did care for her and still don't.
Can they work things out or not? I'll leave the rest for y'all to figure out!!
I finished this in one evening it was such a cute novel.
I wasn't one bit disappointed.
5 stars from me for a fantastic read as always!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Book Review: Meet Me in the Orchard by Carolyn Brown
⭐️⭐️/5 stars

As someone who enjoys cozy, romantic reads that offer comfort, charm, and emotional growth, Meet Me in the Orchard had the potential to be a small-town love story with heart. Unfortunately, while the premise was promising, the execution left much to be desired.

The biggest drawback for me was the character development—or lack thereof. The leads felt more like sketches of archetypes than fully realized people. Their motivations were shallow, and their emotional progression felt contrived. The central "enemies to lovers" arc was unfortunately rushed, lacking the steady burn and meaningful conflict that would make their eventual connection feel earned. Instead, the transition from bickering strangers to romantic partners happened almost overnight, without enough groundwork to support the shift.

Likewise, the book leaned heavily on the use of song references to convey mood, often dropping titles without deeper context. Rather than enhancing the atmosphere or emotional depth, it gave the narrative a disjointed feeling, like the playlist was doing the heavy lifting where the prose could not.

One of the more frustrating aspects is how it became clear that the main purpose of the story wasn’t to flesh out these new characters or dig deeply into their romance, but instead to serve as a vessel to tie off storylines from other books in the author's connected universe. While fans of the broader series may find some satisfaction in those “wrap-up” moments, for a standalone reader or even a more casual fan, the story feels rushed and overstuffed, with unresolved potential left on the table.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this book through NetGalley and thank the publisher for the early copy. However, I cannot recommend Meet Me in the Orchard. This story deserved more time, more nuance, and above all else, characters that demanded our attention rather than basked in nostalgia.

—All opinions are my own.

"Meet Me in the Orchard" is the first book in a new series, which is based on a character from a previous series. I haven't read that other series, but I was sucked in just the same (and now want to read the other series!). This is a beautiful novel about the complexities of families and the quirks (and joys) of small towns. This was an easy 4-star read. *I received a complimentary e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review. I am a new reader of Carolyn Browns books and I’m so glad I found her. Brodie finds himself in Spanish Fort, Texas meeting his Father who never knew he existed. However, he has quite the task ahead of him…..getting to know his very large family. On top of that, his Great Aunt thinks she’s a matchmaker so look out Brodie. Then, the lady who owns the adjoining property is bound and determined to convince him to sell her his land. Oh it’s not over. So on top of all this drama, which makes your head spin, well a tornado decides to show its ugly head and literally destroy his home and everything he and his brothers owned is gone. So to say nothing is going right for him is an understatement. I really enjoyed the chemistry of the characters. My favorite thing about this story is how they portray the importance of family and how they were there for each other in so many ways. You will love this small town family oriented story with romance to boot.

Meet Me in the Orchard is the first book in Carolyn Brown’s Paradise series. This first book revolves around Brodie, who was introduced to the Paradise’s Carter family when he first appeared in the final pages of Coming Home to Paradise. Brodie is the son Joe Clay knew nothing about. In fact, Brodie did not now who his biological father was until his mother’s final days when she explained this to him as well as the origin stories for his younger adopted twin brothers Tripp and Knox. Now all three brothers by heart, not blood, have relocated to Spanish Fort, Texas.

Brodie used his inheritance to purchase an organic farm not far from the Paradise. Not too long afterward the farm was hit by a tornado, destroying the farmhouse but leaving his outbuildings, fields, and orchards untouched. While the Carter family, which includes his dad, stepmother, seven sisters, seven brothers-in-law, and several nieces and nephews, rally around Brodie, Tripp, and Knox, the neighboring Tuckers aren’t exactly kind. In fact, the elderly Aunt Hettie is downright hateful at times. Her great niece, Audrey, tends to like him better despite her continued efforts to buy his farm thus reuniting the original family homestead and bringing peace to Aunt Hettie.

However, Aunt Hettie’s distaste for anyone associated with the Paradise, an upscale bordello over a hundred years ago, is off the charts and her particular dislike of Aunt Bernie, once a bar owner across the Red River and now retired and living in her trailer at the Paradise, is even more extreme. But is that all there really is to Aunt Hettie’s miserable ways?

As Brodie and his brothers find their way in their new community and Audrey finds her way navigating crotchety Aunt Hettie’s demands, the reader is brought in to a new and delightful spinoff series. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

Meet Me in the Orchard brings the reader back to Spanish Fort, Texas and Paradise. By Carolyn Brown it seems Bernie’s new project finds Brodie in her sites. The story begins with the excitement and destruction caused by a tornado. A startling start to the story that just makes you keep reading. From there help comes from Mary Jane at Paradise but now it is Audrey the tornado that keeps the actions going.

A small-town story of what it means to be family and how lucky some are to have it. A small-town romance that is clearly enemies to love, which is difficult to believe when you first start reading. However, if anyone can change a character’s mind it is Carolyn Brown. A fun-to-read book from the moment everyone is safe from the tornado to the conclusion.

The writing style in this book was not my favourite, a lot of the content felt over explained.

However I did enjoy the story and found myself laughing out loud a few times, usually at Hattie. ("They're here now to test the Jesus in me" was hilarious)

Despite feeling drawn out at times I enjoyed the relationship and the cosy small town setting.

I love her books but this one I couldn't get into the story. It's just two old women feuding over matchmaking the fastest. The story seems confusing at times two neighbors feuding over land. Ms Reta desires land together between two ancestral brothers. I received a complimentary copy of this book and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I thank Netgalley and Casassabra.

<blockquote><b><u>My Thoughts</u></b></blockquote>
My Thoughts
Love and hate are two sides of the same coin.

The question for Audrey Ross and Brodie Carter is which one is appropriate for them.

It takes a lot of time spent with the two at odds with each other before they quit fighting their chemistry and instead learn to enjoy long conversations about anything and everything.

I love returning to Spanish Fort Texas and the Paradise books have become such a great collection of stories that I am happy there are more coming.

Audrey and Brodie are leading the way but his brother Tripp Callahan gets a chance to find out if Aunt Bernie has her sights set on him for her next attempt at match making.

Luckily, we only have to wait until October 5th to get another dose of this authors brand of romance with a cast of characters that just keep growing larger!

I really liked the way this particular couple slowed things down and made sure that they were able to get past their differences without letting them get in the way any longer than they already had.
<blockquote><i>[EArc from Netgalley]</i></blockquote>
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish this book despite making it to 69%. I really liked the initial concept and had high expectations going in, but I struggled a lot with the pacing and structure. The chapters were very long and often felt unnecessarily drawn out, which made it difficult to stay engaged even as a fast reader.

I liked the dynamic between the main characters in theory, but there was very little chemistry between them in execution. The story also focused more on the side plot involving their aunts rather than fully developing the central relationship, which was disappointing.

While the premise had promise and there were moments I did enjoy, it just did not work for me overall. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to like this book. And I had a hard time getting into it, a hard time sticking with it and gave up a third of the way through. I feel like I needed a bit more backstory. Maybe it was part of a series I’m not aware of?

I have read a number of Carolyn Brown books, but I have not read the Sisters in Paradise series, so after reading the first book in The Paradise series, I'm going to have to go back and do that!

Brodie Carter is still somewhat new to Spanish Fort, Texas and to those he now calls family after finding his biological father, Joe Clay. He purchased a farm that adjoins another farm owned by Audrey Ross. The two farms couldn't be more different given Brodie is an organic farmer and Audrey is not. Not to mention Audrey's Aunt Hettie and Brodie's Great Aunt Bernie have been butting heads for years. Throw in the fact that Bernie is always trying to matchmake and she's determined to find a wife for Brodie, it creates all kinds of chaos.

With Brodie and Audrey trying to figure out if what they are feeling is real or just part of the bickering they seem to always be engaged in, plus Hettie and Bernie always trying to one up one another, this book is full of just about everything. Oh and did I mention there's a tornado too?!

I really loved how this book showcased how family is there for you no matter what. I felt like the relationship between Brodie and Audrey was realistic in the fact that they didn't rush it. They really tried to figure out what was happening between them before moving too fast. This was a very entertaining read and I'd recommend it to anyone!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I just adored this book. Just because a family divided doesn't mean that future generations can't mend it. Such a wonderful story of friends and families working it out. So many laughs and a couple shockers too. Can't wait to see what comes next

Brodie Carter arrives at the Paradise in search of his father, Joe Clay, who never knew he had a son. Brodie and his twin brothers have recently moved to Spanish Fort, Texas. Brodie has purchased an organic orchard, and his neighbor, Audrey Ross, is eager to buy it. Audrey owns the farm next door and wants to reunite the land that was split years ago by her grandfather and great-uncle. Aunt Bernie, meanwhile, is busy playing matchmaker for Brodie, though he’s not interested in her suggestions. After a tornado destroys their house, Brodie and the twins move into the Paradise. A heartwarming story about family and friends—another hit from Carolyn Brown.

Carolyn Brown really knows how to write about Paradise. I think I have read them all, but this was one of my favorites. Brodie lived through a tornado but it took his house. One of the first things he says is "there is a flying pig", He ends up adopting her and names her Pansy. I loved their interaction and how much he cares for her. His father lives in Paradise with a lot of the women in other stories. His neighbor is Audrey and she wants to buy his land and make it one large farm. It used to be one, but the original brothers that owned it, had a disagreement and split it up. Brodie and Audrey's relationship grew slow but they had chemistry in spades. Their were two older ladies that seemed to hate each other and were spiteful any time they came in contact.
The story was very Engaging and it was easy to get wrapped up in what was going on.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I've missed the earlier books in this series and thus no doubt missed nuance and backstory but that didn't stop me from enjoying this opposites attract read about Brodie and Audrey, both farmers. A tornado turns things upside-down for both of them but this is also a "its takes a village " romance (and gosh there are a lot of characters) so you know things are going to be ok. And there's a matchmaking meddler who is a hoot. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's light and fun. Brown's fans will be pleased.

Characters didn’t resonate with this reader. Brodie and Audrey apparently interacted with each other prior to this book?

For a first time reader of this series, felt bit lost.

Here’s the thing. Have picked up a book before ( and out of sequence) with no issues. Here it was a bit of a problem.

Liken it to showing up at an event where everyone knows each other AND their backstory. Left hovering embarrassingly in the background hoping someone will take pity on you, break away from the crowd and invite you into the conversation.

But it has a gorgeous cover.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca | Sourcebooks, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No no no no no no no.
I didn't want it to stop.
Oh my days what a beautiful, loving, happy, amazing and at the beginning annoying book
Aunt Hattie, what can I say she is a sassy old woman who would probably get the shot gun if Brodie hurts Audrey even though in the end shd pretends she's mad at her.
I couldn't put this book down I read it in 3 days it was that good.
I'm so glad we get to visit the paradise again but not just with the sisters I'm really hoping there's more with the brothers.