The Beekeeper's Secret

Sweet Honey by the Sea #1

by Kayla Lowe

Benjamin Barns never expected to trade in skyscrapers and city noise for the gentle hum of bees and the scent of salt-kissed air, but Honeysuckle Cove had a way of latching onto a man’s heart. He just wanted to be left alone, tending his hives and enjoying his hard-earned retirement. No drama. No entanglements. And certainly no love.

Enter Aloria Rose—florist, free spirit, and the kind of woman who could probably talk a sunflower into blooming in the dead of winter. With her infectious laughter and unshakable optimism, she turns Benjamin’s carefully structured world upside down.

He’s grumpy. She’s sunshine. He prefers bees to people. She insists he needs a little more color in his life (and maybe a few petunias). And, against all odds, something unexpected begins to bloom between them.

But when Benjamin’s past comes knocking—threatening the peace he’s built—he has a choice to retreat into the quiet safety of his beekeeping, or risk everything for a love sweeter than honey.

The Sweet Honey by the Sea series is a heartwarming romance about second chances, small-town charm, and the surprising ways love finds us—even when we’re not looking.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary

427 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2024

About the author

Award-winning author Kayla Lowe writes women's fiction that explores complex themes with sensitivity and depth. Kayla’s books delve into the intricacies of relationships, self-discovery, and resilience. From cozy love stories interspersed with a bit of faith to heartwarming tales of friendship and suspenseful novels of empowerment and heartbreak, her books illustrate the struggles specific to women.

When she’s not churning out her next novel, you can find her with her feet in the sand and a book in her hand or curled up on the couch with her dogs.

Go to www.authorkaylalowe.com for a free book!

Reviews

[Megan Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate leaving negative reviews or stars lower than 3 because someone put their heart and soul into writing books.

But this book was not good. The writing was clean and I think the author is talented. This was just a poor showcase of it.

Incredibly rushed story.
The interactions with the main people were ridiculous. Conversations about almost nothing but that made them fall in love in 2 seconds?
Repetitive scenarios that were absolutely avoidable with communication and understanding that would have been in a normal situation but wasn’t present in a you are a committed soulmate to me 2 seconds after meeting you situation that was presented in the book.

The author wanted depth in the characters and this town but didn’t take the time to create it. It could have been a really beautiful story and a small town that you want to be real with more time taken, more chapters, and more substance given.

[Sonya Wasden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a charming and sweet story that takes place int he small town of Honeysuckle Cove.

Benjamin Barns is a former high powered businessman who left the pressure of that job to become a beekeeper. He meets Aloria Rose who is a florist in Honeysuckle Cove. They develop a sweet friendship that begins to turn towards romance. But, when Ben's ex shows up, she plants seeds of doubt as to whether or not Ben has truly moved on.

Have no fear, though, there is a happy ending. This is a clean, wholesome, sweet story about romance, redemption and finding your true love.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was a heartwarming beach read. I am so happy there will be more books in this series. I didn't want this one to end. I loved the storyline and was hooked from the start. The characters were interesting, engaging and I loved the chemistry and interaction between Benjamin and Aloria. With sweet romance, some drama and great characters combined, make this book a delightful and inspirational treasure. I cannot wait for the next book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PAMpublish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written novel with an in depth character development involving the ups and downs of forming a relationship leading to love. Two souls seeking a new start open businesses in a small town, inevitably finding one another. But as with every relationship, it involved a bumpy road with the past overlapping. Enjoyed the descriptive melodic style allowing the reader to be part of the emotional experience. Despite the simpler but different plot, those who favor the psychological aspect of relationships should enjoy this sweet and clean contemporary read.

[Jennifer Chappell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is clean, which I appreciate, but too neat of an ending and too cliche. The characters were all one-dimensional and expected. The book was short but so repetitive. Very small interactions were never communicated about and huge assumptions made to cause forced to drama. The dialogue between the lead characters was just an echo. It felt like they went from talking about nothing to somehow having very strong and deep feelings. It just didn't resonate with me at all.

[Birgit · Rating 1 out of 5]

A stringing together of weird metaphors, characters so unrealistic you cannot even say they were exaggerated, overly dramatic (I think histrionic is the word) and overly sweet (think toothache).
Sorry, not my taste at all. I am really glad this was one of those free deals on amazon, I would really have been annoyed if I had paid for it.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I’m not a “did not finish” type of person I read this one through, and it was pretty meh compared to the last one I read in this genre. I had a hard time getting into it, and there were an unreal amount of bee and flower puns that got old real fast. Cute and read better…

Onto Emma’s unselected journals at last yay 😁

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

The incessant flow of metaphors drove me mad, the shallow dialogue, the immature behavior of the main characters - virtually everything about this story annoyed me. The saving grace was that it was a simple, quick read, and gave a few book club members warm fuzzies. The overall verdict, however, was that it wasn't one the majority of us liked.

[mrs Christine Furminger · Rating 2 out of 5]

predictable and drawn out

It was obvious from the start that this book would have the ending it did. It took a long time and lots of words to get there, there was no drama or interesting story lines to focus on.

[Alex Taylor G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story line. There was not a lot of character development. It didn’t have any kind of crazy plot. Easy read.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a sweet, fun story. Overly repetitive with "bright green eyes" with a majority of the mention of Aloria, the main female character. But a light read that is enjoyable.

[Jessica Marak · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 63%. It just feels like nothing. I tried to push through because it started cute and easy but went downhill quick with the insecurities.

[Stephanie Abelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

This was a very cute love story. There was some drama too. I liked the whole bee keeper part. Liked the different aspect.

[Savani · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out as a cute and fluffy read but add in the plot and villain with insecurities and it went downhill quickly.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a cute and sweet read! It has beautiful wording and a little drama. If you are looking for a weekend read that is light hearted, this is a good choice. I would have given 5 stars but it had me wanting to know more on the situation that happened after Benjamin found out the shocking news. It seemed to just pan over and skip over the situation. Still a lovely read in my opinion!