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Urban Farm Fresh Romance #1
Secrets of Sunbeams
From a USA Today bestselling author!
Good fences make good neighbors... especially if your neighbor is a goat.
Eden Andrusek knows she should have fixed her fence last week. It's too bad her runaway goat makes a less-than-ideal first impression on her new neighbor, who turns out to be cute, brilliant… and a little uptight.
Solar architect Jacob Riehl is furious when he returns outside to find a goat eating his presentation. As someone who likes everything in its place, he has little sympathy for a farm animal in the city or its tattooed owner, but there's something about the lovely Eden that captures his attention.
What will it take to win over a man whose only pet was a goldfish? And how long can Jacob and Eden go without addressing the goat in the room?
Good fences make good neighbors... especially if your neighbor is a goat.
Eden Andrusek knows she should have fixed her fence last week. It's too bad her runaway goat makes a less-than-ideal first impression on her new neighbor, who turns out to be cute, brilliant… and a little uptight.
Solar architect Jacob Riehl is furious when he returns outside to find a goat eating his presentation. As someone who likes everything in its place, he has little sympathy for a farm animal in the city or its tattooed owner, but there's something about the lovely Eden that captures his attention.
What will it take to win over a man whose only pet was a goldfish? And how long can Jacob and Eden go without addressing the goat in the room?
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2016
186 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Comer
89 books233 followersValerie Comer is constantly amazed that living, talking, dreaming characters appear in her mind and flow from her fingertips and, from there, to her delighted readers. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, sharing rural life in western Canada with her husband, adult children, and adorable grandkids.
Valerie is a two-time USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner. She is known for writing engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith into her green clean romances.
CONTACTING VALERIE
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valerie@valeriecomer.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
April 20, 2021
Sweet romance and a goat!
This is the first book I've read by Valerie Comer, and it was a delight! The characters of Jacob and Eden were fun, and Pansy, Eden's goat, added both comic relief and drama! You'll have to read to find out how! I look forward to reading more books by Valerie!
This is the first book I've read by Valerie Comer, and it was a delight! The characters of Jacob and Eden were fun, and Pansy, Eden's goat, added both comic relief and drama! You'll have to read to find out how! I look forward to reading more books by Valerie!
January 30, 2022
DNF it was sweet and I might go back and finish it later, but I sort of got tired of the drama being over a goat.
June 16, 2018
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
I read across many genres as you might have noticed if you follow my reviews, and I often determine what to read next based on my mood. With a string of cloudy days getting me down, I reached for the aptly named Secrets of Sunbeams, a Christian romance by an author who offers lovely characters facing serious barriers to life and love. This is the first in the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series, though I reviewed the prequel already, so had some idea of what to expect.
It was fun to see old friends from the rural Farm Fresh series as well as those in Promise of Peppermint (the prequel), but this book stands alone, meaning it’s not dependent on reading the other series first. That’s actually an amusing statement when community and isolation are such a critical part of Eden and Jacob’s story, though not as critical as one playful goat named Pansy.
This story is a delightful, uplifting romance between two young Christians who are already strong in their faith in God, but not so much in themselves. Eden and Jacob come from different backgrounds in more ways than just their economic status.
Eden is suffering the tragic loss of her parents and both sisters from a car accident five years earlier. She’s living in her childhood home, a shrine to the family she lost, and her one bit of innovation that is truly her own is a small urban farm with chickens and (you guessed it) a goat. She believes in community for all her grief keeps her separate, and in restoring the connection with more natural ways.
Jacob, in contrast, comes from a loving, close family with a unique enough last name for me to realize he is the brother of two of the leads in the Farm Fresh series. He’s been raised to wealth and has expectations of a similar life despite his current circumstances of sharing a small house in the older part of Spokane. Jacob is a solar architect with an active interest in using his skills to help others through missionary work. All that works in his favor, but he’s got an unconscious snobbery that threatens everything he wants out of life, especially a connection to the tight community he lives in, something as alien to him as Eden’s urban farming. He has nothing against farming, mind you, but expects it to occur out in the fields, not threatening his own backyard.
They’re strong, driven characters with a very tangible faith who have both blind spots and assumptions. At first, I found Eden’s assumption that Jacob had to fall in with her life for them to work a little presumptuous, but that was before I recognized the depth of her connection to both the community and her little farm. Then Jacob’s character came into question because how could he love but not recognize why she did what she did? But never fear. A little side trip where he gets to see the truth of his snobbery starts putting him on the right path through lovely analogies between life, faith, and acceptance.
As always, Valerie Comer offers a story with real people facing real problems and identifying their way out through a deeper understanding of their relationship with God and each other. It was exactly what I needed, bringing sunlight to my mood through far more than just the title.
I read across many genres as you might have noticed if you follow my reviews, and I often determine what to read next based on my mood. With a string of cloudy days getting me down, I reached for the aptly named Secrets of Sunbeams, a Christian romance by an author who offers lovely characters facing serious barriers to life and love. This is the first in the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series, though I reviewed the prequel already, so had some idea of what to expect.
It was fun to see old friends from the rural Farm Fresh series as well as those in Promise of Peppermint (the prequel), but this book stands alone, meaning it’s not dependent on reading the other series first. That’s actually an amusing statement when community and isolation are such a critical part of Eden and Jacob’s story, though not as critical as one playful goat named Pansy.
This story is a delightful, uplifting romance between two young Christians who are already strong in their faith in God, but not so much in themselves. Eden and Jacob come from different backgrounds in more ways than just their economic status.
Eden is suffering the tragic loss of her parents and both sisters from a car accident five years earlier. She’s living in her childhood home, a shrine to the family she lost, and her one bit of innovation that is truly her own is a small urban farm with chickens and (you guessed it) a goat. She believes in community for all her grief keeps her separate, and in restoring the connection with more natural ways.
Jacob, in contrast, comes from a loving, close family with a unique enough last name for me to realize he is the brother of two of the leads in the Farm Fresh series. He’s been raised to wealth and has expectations of a similar life despite his current circumstances of sharing a small house in the older part of Spokane. Jacob is a solar architect with an active interest in using his skills to help others through missionary work. All that works in his favor, but he’s got an unconscious snobbery that threatens everything he wants out of life, especially a connection to the tight community he lives in, something as alien to him as Eden’s urban farming. He has nothing against farming, mind you, but expects it to occur out in the fields, not threatening his own backyard.
They’re strong, driven characters with a very tangible faith who have both blind spots and assumptions. At first, I found Eden’s assumption that Jacob had to fall in with her life for them to work a little presumptuous, but that was before I recognized the depth of her connection to both the community and her little farm. Then Jacob’s character came into question because how could he love but not recognize why she did what she did? But never fear. A little side trip where he gets to see the truth of his snobbery starts putting him on the right path through lovely analogies between life, faith, and acceptance.
As always, Valerie Comer offers a story with real people facing real problems and identifying their way out through a deeper understanding of their relationship with God and each other. It was exactly what I needed, bringing sunlight to my mood through far more than just the title.
June 7, 2022
A sweet small town romance. Mix in a little food, good friendship a troublesome goat and you have Secrets of Sunbeams.
I loved the faith content in this book, each character had their own problems to work through but the Lord was with them and helped them through it.
Jacob moves in next door to Eden to start working on a solar system project. What starts out with a pesky goat interfering with his hard work, turns into a sweet meet-cute. Working through heartache and unsure feelings, Eden and Jacob need to rely on the Lord that He has plans for them and His plans are always good.
I loved the faith content in this book, each character had their own problems to work through but the Lord was with them and helped them through it.
Jacob moves in next door to Eden to start working on a solar system project. What starts out with a pesky goat interfering with his hard work, turns into a sweet meet-cute. Working through heartache and unsure feelings, Eden and Jacob need to rely on the Lord that He has plans for them and His plans are always good.
June 30, 2018
A while ago I finished the farm fresh romance series. I absolutely loved it, and the recipie at the end of each book finished them off wonderfully.
I was excited to start this series but a little worried it wouldn't live up to expectations.
I needn't have worried...
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest in this urban farm fresh series .
I loved all the cross overs between the books and characters.
My only complain is the lack of recipie in the end. I would have loved one of Edens goat cheese recipes any of Adrianas many delicious feasts or haileys cinnamon rolls,
even better would be a recipe book from both series!
I was excited to start this series but a little worried it wouldn't live up to expectations.
I needn't have worried...
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest in this urban farm fresh series .
I loved all the cross overs between the books and characters.
My only complain is the lack of recipie in the end. I would have loved one of Edens goat cheese recipes any of Adrianas many delicious feasts or haileys cinnamon rolls,
even better would be a recipe book from both series!
August 27, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed reading SECRETS OF SUNBEAMS, the first book in Ms. Comer's Urban Farm Fresh Romance collection. An unlikelier pair would never meet. Eden is an animal control officer with a goat that refused to stay corralled--kind of like her life. Plans? Forget it. Jacob was a "stick-in-the-mud", plot everything out, make plans and follow said plans kind of guy. I loved both of them, though probably identified more with Jacob as I'm probably more organized than not.
I love Ms. Comer's book and writing about farmer's markets, goats milk, living off food grown locally, etc views that are presented in her books along with a really strong faith message. I know when I open the cover of a Valerie Comer book pretty much what to expect. Humor, romance, and environmentally friendly living, mixed with a healthy dose of faith. If you haven't ever read a book by this author, then SECRETS OF SUNBEAMS would be a good one to pick up. Or, if you have kindle unlimited, she has a few books that are free that way.
I highly recommend SECRETS OF SUNBEAMS or any of Ms. Comer's books. Ms. Comer is in my top favorite romance writers list.
I love Ms. Comer's book and writing about farmer's markets, goats milk, living off food grown locally, etc views that are presented in her books along with a really strong faith message. I know when I open the cover of a Valerie Comer book pretty much what to expect. Humor, romance, and environmentally friendly living, mixed with a healthy dose of faith. If you haven't ever read a book by this author, then SECRETS OF SUNBEAMS would be a good one to pick up. Or, if you have kindle unlimited, she has a few books that are free that way.
I highly recommend SECRETS OF SUNBEAMS or any of Ms. Comer's books. Ms. Comer is in my top favorite romance writers list.
June 5, 2020
Good light read. I found it felt kind of all over the place. They meet, seems like they can’t stand each other then all of a sudden are in love.
Not much background on Jacob here and we get Eden’s story a ways in...
Then...the goat. He hates it then they both go around and around on it’s importance and then BOOM everything is good.
I don’t know, it’s a cute story, but there were some jumps and holes. Didn’t love it but enjoyed it overall.
Not much background on Jacob here and we get Eden’s story a ways in...
Then...the goat. He hates it then they both go around and around on it’s importance and then BOOM everything is good.
I don’t know, it’s a cute story, but there were some jumps and holes. Didn’t love it but enjoyed it overall.
October 10, 2023
📚THE STORY📚
After losing her entire family in an accident, Eden is working on building a new life for herself - one that revolves around her passion for animals. She works in local animal control and looks after a small backyard farm. Her goat, Pansy, forms a nexus around which her life and community gather.
Jacob grew up in Portland, a wealthy city boy now living in Bridgeview, a more down-to-earth neighborhood where he works as a solar architect. He's really not sure what to make of his next door neighbor, whose visible tattoo, rundown house and mischievous goat don't really fit into his tidy world.
But Eden is cute. And churchgoing. And the spark between them is difficult to ignore.
💕THE ROMANCE💕
This romance has elements of the enemies-to-loves trope. Eden and Jacob don't get along at first, and their personalities and priorities cause friction. This friction forms the primary conflict for the romance, with the climax being the characters deciding to 'get over' it because of their faith and their feelings for each other.
They do have some things in common - ecological values, Christian faith, a neighborhood - but the "why can't they be together" is not external or circumstantial. There are real, genuine conflicts in their desires, lifestyles, and future plans. Jacob doesn't like or understand Eden's commitment to her backyard farm, and he's judgmental about her tattoo.
They decide to date based on initial sparks of attraction. Because both of them belong to a church culture that says one oughtn't date until marriage is a serious part of the plans, once they're together, they focus on staying together rather than figuring out whether it's really going to work.
Jacob spends a lot of time in denial, trying to ignore the things he doesn't like about Eden's life. Eden can tell that he's feeling conflicted and doesn't necessarily share her interests or priorities. Ultimately, influenced by the well known 1 Corinthians 13 verse, Jacob decides to simply change or let go of certain preferences to make room for Eden in his life.
✝️FAITH ELEMENTS✝️
Both characters start out as faithful Christians who attend the same church, a "Bible church" in the vein of contemporary evangelicalism. Both main characters, as well as side characters, prioritize and pursue marriage. Worship music is very present throughout, including some lyrics.
Both characters pray, and sometimes "hear" an inner voice of God nudging them toward certain realizations.
"Mission trips" to Africa are part of the story. Jacob goes to Africa to bring solar energy to impoverished communities, but also works with some missionaries who are focused on Bible translation and evangelism.
📝MY THOUGHTS📝
I loved the neighborhood community and the details around urban farming and locally sourced food! Eden's friends and neighbors are super fun, and the subplot about her house renovation is great. The plot and setting are rich with detail, from an overbearing neighborhood matriarch to community center meetings and farmer's markets.
Eden's grief from losing her family, including the self criticism and shame she feels about the circumstances, are handled with a delicate touch. The book includes themes of grief and healing, but the overall tone stays light.
The romance itself didn't do much for me - I wasn't sure I was really rooting for these two to be together! They were so different, and Jacob's judgment and resentment at times felt less like an obstacle to be overcome in the face of inevitable love and more like a genuine reason they just might not be perfect for each other. But the conclusion is sweet and they seem happy enough together!
Pansy is the real MVP of this story, though. I'd totally read a spinoff all about her adventures with Licorice the cat and neighborhood kids Sam and Violet.
After losing her entire family in an accident, Eden is working on building a new life for herself - one that revolves around her passion for animals. She works in local animal control and looks after a small backyard farm. Her goat, Pansy, forms a nexus around which her life and community gather.
Jacob grew up in Portland, a wealthy city boy now living in Bridgeview, a more down-to-earth neighborhood where he works as a solar architect. He's really not sure what to make of his next door neighbor, whose visible tattoo, rundown house and mischievous goat don't really fit into his tidy world.
But Eden is cute. And churchgoing. And the spark between them is difficult to ignore.
💕THE ROMANCE💕
This romance has elements of the enemies-to-loves trope. Eden and Jacob don't get along at first, and their personalities and priorities cause friction. This friction forms the primary conflict for the romance, with the climax being the characters deciding to 'get over' it because of their faith and their feelings for each other.
They do have some things in common - ecological values, Christian faith, a neighborhood - but the "why can't they be together" is not external or circumstantial. There are real, genuine conflicts in their desires, lifestyles, and future plans. Jacob doesn't like or understand Eden's commitment to her backyard farm, and he's judgmental about her tattoo.
They decide to date based on initial sparks of attraction. Because both of them belong to a church culture that says one oughtn't date until marriage is a serious part of the plans, once they're together, they focus on staying together rather than figuring out whether it's really going to work.
Jacob spends a lot of time in denial, trying to ignore the things he doesn't like about Eden's life. Eden can tell that he's feeling conflicted and doesn't necessarily share her interests or priorities. Ultimately, influenced by the well known 1 Corinthians 13 verse, Jacob decides to simply change or let go of certain preferences to make room for Eden in his life.
✝️FAITH ELEMENTS✝️
Both characters start out as faithful Christians who attend the same church, a "Bible church" in the vein of contemporary evangelicalism. Both main characters, as well as side characters, prioritize and pursue marriage. Worship music is very present throughout, including some lyrics.
Both characters pray, and sometimes "hear" an inner voice of God nudging them toward certain realizations.
"Mission trips" to Africa are part of the story. Jacob goes to Africa to bring solar energy to impoverished communities, but also works with some missionaries who are focused on Bible translation and evangelism.
📝MY THOUGHTS📝
I loved the neighborhood community and the details around urban farming and locally sourced food! Eden's friends and neighbors are super fun, and the subplot about her house renovation is great. The plot and setting are rich with detail, from an overbearing neighborhood matriarch to community center meetings and farmer's markets.
Eden's grief from losing her family, including the self criticism and shame she feels about the circumstances, are handled with a delicate touch. The book includes themes of grief and healing, but the overall tone stays light.
The romance itself didn't do much for me - I wasn't sure I was really rooting for these two to be together! They were so different, and Jacob's judgment and resentment at times felt less like an obstacle to be overcome in the face of inevitable love and more like a genuine reason they just might not be perfect for each other. But the conclusion is sweet and they seem happy enough together!
Pansy is the real MVP of this story, though. I'd totally read a spinoff all about her adventures with Licorice the cat and neighborhood kids Sam and Violet.
April 22, 2019
Pansy forces an introduction between her owner, Eden, and the new neighbor, Jacob, when she gets through the fence and helps herself to some papers for his upcoming project. Jacob is not impressed with the goat at all, though he’s intrigued by Eden. Lovely story to start off this new series with many people introduced from the community and we get to see Jacob’s sisters again as well. Looking forward to what is in store for this new community.
July 18, 2017
Another fun Christian romance by Valerie Comer. I love the way she brings you into the community where the story is set--there are recurring side characters such as pastors and neighbors that almost make it feel like a sitcom. She is great at tying together realistic characters, their faith walk, and a quest to eat locally. I look forward to continuing through this series.
November 10, 2018
This begins a new series, to me, by Valerie Comer. I love that the setting is in my town. And I love how she has transformed it to a thriving community. Coming to grips with a goat in the backyard can be disconcerting, it was fun to watch the city boy hero wrestle through to court his lady love. (Promise-this is not a spoiler!)
December 3, 2021
This storyline certainly contains a stronger Christian focus than others I have read. Being raised in an traditional church, I found the character thoughts and quotes to be uncomfortable; one can view them as being from the extremely old strict views or the modern evangelical edge. Either way, I read the book & enjoyed characters. Won’t be continuing with the series.
December 15, 2017
I so enjoy Mrs. Comer's books! I went through the Farm Fresh series & now am working through the Urban Farm Fresh series. Mrs. Comer does a great job of being very real in the books & you find yourself laughing out loud at times & wanting to cry at others. Love them!
Read
August 11, 2019An unlikely pairing...
Another refreshing read by Comer. Delightful detailing of Spokane and the surrounding area. Jacob & Eden seem like an impossible couple with many differences to overcome. Beautifully written to steal the readers heart.
Another refreshing read by Comer. Delightful detailing of Spokane and the surrounding area. Jacob & Eden seem like an impossible couple with many differences to overcome. Beautifully written to steal the readers heart.
January 24, 2020
Read this book!
This book has it all! Humor, a bit of drama, emotion and a very cute goat not to mention one of the best first kisses I've read in a long time! If you haven't read it yet, put it on your list. You won't regret it!
This book has it all! Humor, a bit of drama, emotion and a very cute goat not to mention one of the best first kisses I've read in a long time! If you haven't read it yet, put it on your list. You won't regret it!
January 27, 2020
Sweet Christian Read
This was a sweet Christian read with a fun setting, interesting characters, and interesting bit urban farming (aka goats and chickens). I would rate this sweet and clean, PG.
This was a sweet Christian read with a fun setting, interesting characters, and interesting bit urban farming (aka goats and chickens). I would rate this sweet and clean, PG.
April 18, 2021
Country vs city
A city girl with her urban farm and a city boy who doesn’t like the animals. It’s a great book for self reflection on putting others in front of self and selfless love. I enjoyed it.
A city girl with her urban farm and a city boy who doesn’t like the animals. It’s a great book for self reflection on putting others in front of self and selfless love. I enjoyed it.
April 1, 2022
I did not realize this was a Christian romance when I started it and thus was unprepared for all the church and God love. I love the close community of their neighborhood and the main character was someone I enjoyed reading about but, it just got a bit annoying with all the Bible love.
May 1, 2024
This was not my genre! I tried but I could not relate to a goat loving female that fell in love due to a guys environmental consciousness. I can't actually believe I'm writing this. I'm no quitter, but I just should have!
May 23, 2024
Secrets of Sombeams
I liked the book for the most part, but the heroine got on my nerves! I know she had been through a rough time, but it seemed she needed to grow up a little more! Although the guy maybe was a little forward too soon.
I liked the book for the most part, but the heroine got on my nerves! I know she had been through a rough time, but it seemed she needed to grow up a little more! Although the guy maybe was a little forward too soon.
June 28, 2017
Cute and an extremely light read. Par for the course in this genre.
February 16, 2018
I needed a light, fun read, and this story fit the bill. My favorite character is Pansy.
March 26, 2018
Great read!
I’ve read several of these books in the series and have enjoyed all of them. Looking forward to more of the same!
I’ve read several of these books in the series and have enjoyed all of them. Looking forward to more of the same!
April 12, 2020
So cute!
Such a cute, sweet, and clean romance! I loved it! I loved the setting and characters. And the Christianity was good and not too preachy.
Such a cute, sweet, and clean romance! I loved it! I loved the setting and characters. And the Christianity was good and not too preachy.
April 13, 2020
Fun Christian romance. Can a goat come between a happy ever after?
January 18, 2022
great
A nice curl-up-with-a-book story to pass the time. And an interesting little goat added to the mix. Worth the read.
A nice curl-up-with-a-book story to pass the time. And an interesting little goat added to the mix. Worth the read.
February 17, 2022
Awesome
It was another great read from page to page with something exciting going on! I found it difficult to put down but always with a great ending👍❤️
It was another great read from page to page with something exciting going on! I found it difficult to put down but always with a great ending👍❤️
March 9, 2022
Another sweet story from Comer. I especially like the reminder that we can be the light of God to others and that we can change to love others the way they need.
March 10, 2022
sweet and simple
This was such a sweet read. I’m excited to read the next one. Lovely relationships filled with Jesus! And good humor too!
This was such a sweet read. I’m excited to read the next one. Lovely relationships filled with Jesus! And good humor too!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews