Savoring the Seasons

a well-rounded plot with great writing. I enjoyed this story. It was very good.

Unfortunately i didn't realise this book was part of a series when I requested it. I had never read the others and wish i had 1st. Nice mix of characters. Good strong storyline. Very satisfying read.

Julia Bentley spent her fortieth birthday doing what she always does, baking treats for the customers in her Cotswold bakery and taking care of her elderly father. She doesn’t realize how stagnant her life has become until a younger man, Tristan Hannigan, moves to the village and shows interest in her. As Julia becomes closer to Tristan, he begins to season her mundane days and to challenge how she views the world.
The relationship is threatened when Julia’s doubts and insecurities overwhelm her, and the secret she’s afraid to reveal creates a wedge between them. Will Julia choose the easy route, slipping back into her daily routine and living without love? Or will she find the courage to follow her heart and accept the love she deserves?
I read this book in one sitting. It was an easy read that I enjoyed. It had joy and angst as is expected in these sorts of books and it left me feeling good. 4.5*

This book was funny sad and mostly eye opening when two people meet and the attraction was there in a second. But sometimes insecurities over take ones feeling but after something drastic happens you tend to think what's most important.

Readers of contemporary inspirational genre fiction already know that many authors deal with the tougher aspects of life. Savoring the Seasons, a rather chaste romance set in a cozy English village, may have a low heat index (kisses and comforting hugs between 40-year-old heroine Julia and 29-year-old hero, Tristan) but the story builds upon two tough subjects: family elder care and negative perceptions of ‘older’ (for some people, that’s any woman over 39) unmarried women. Julia doesn’t stereotype herself, but she’s fully aware that others gossip and judge. Julia and her elderly father have a loving, reassuring relationship, but author Borum doesn’t sugarcoat the situation. Julia is fatigued, has to think about how much social and financial capital she has, and must emotionally prepare herself for the possibility of a future lived alone.

The heat index is low in this novel; Julia and Tristan exchange only kisses and comforting, supportive hugs. However, there’s nothing naive about this book. Borum is unsparing about the emotional and physical challenges that her heroine experiences as a 40-year-old woman finding love, and allows the heroine to speak honestly about such realities to her much younger suitor. I didn’t realize until I finished the ARC that this book is a later installment of a series set in the same, seemingly quaint English village. The frankness, steady pacing, and realism of Borum’s writing made me feel as though Savoring the Seasons was perhaps the first in a series. The hero, Tristan, could have had a bit more personal depth; it’s one of a few things that prevent this from reading like a standalone novel. That said, it didn’t lessen my appreciation for this book.

As a librarian, I’d recommend this book to readers that enjoy romance but don’t always need a 5-star heat level. I would also recommend it to readers in similar life situations: juggling family care, tacit age discrimination, and a lack of self-care and social life.

This is a really sweet read.It is the fourth book in the series and they just keep getting better,a fantastic read with great characters you will just love this series.

This is the first book in this series that I have read.
If anything some of the characters feel to sweet to be real.
But overall this was a really nice romance with a real feel good factor.