Title: Love's Bitter Harvest
Author(s): Jas T. Ward
Published by Hot Tree Publishing on August 8, 2020
Pages: 224
Genre(s): Second Chance Romance
Format: ARC, eBook
Purchase: Amazon|B&N|Kobo
Rating:
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Welcome to McCall Farm, where two hearts harvested love and then life made its fruits bitter.
High school sweethearts Matt and Katy McCall fell in love behind the bleachers with a kiss. Life is easy and happy until Katy is offered a job across the country and Matt refuses to give up his family’s generational farm. They painfully part—one due to stubbornness and the other ambition. Years go by and the rift widens until tragedy brings Katy back home to the farm—and the man who still held her heart.
But home is not the same and neither is the man she left behind. Matt is on the brink of losing the precious farm. He’s angry at life, and the tragedy has left him feeling like half a man. The last person Matt wants to see is the woman who left him for a career he believed mattered to her more than he did—and gutted his heart on the way out.
Enjoy Loves Bitter Harvest the Ward way with this 2020 edition. Rebranded, edited, and published with Hot Tree Publishing.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
The synopsis for Love’s Bitter Harvest hinted at a second chance romance and being a fan of this trope, I jumped at the chance to read this title. I expected the story to have some amount of angst, but what I was not prepared for was the myriad of emotions it would evoke.
Love’s Bitter Harvest tells the story of Matt and Katy high school sweethearts. They were the couple everyone either admired or envied. All this would change when Katy’s decision to walk away from the man she loved and pursue her dreams ripped their relationship to shreds. Four years later tragedy struck, and it forced Katy to return home and face the husband whom she had abandoned. She knew he wouldn’t welcome her with open arms, but what she never expected was the emotionally and physically broken man she came home to. Matt was a shell of his former self and was hell bent on self-destruction.
I enjoyed this story a lot, and one reason for this is the featuring of flawed characters who faced real-life issues. Despite not being able to relate to most of the stuff they were going through, having never experienced them for myself, I understood the reasoning behind the decisions made. Though most of the painful experiences could be avoided if they had communicated their feelings and did not allow stubbornness to dictate their decisions. My heart broke for them both, although sometimes I just wanted to shake them as none of them were blameless in the breakdown of their marriage.
I loved how the story moved between the past and the present. This helped the reader to understand how Matt and Katy’s love for each other developed, the depth of their feelings and how bitterness found its way into their relationship.
The story wrapped up superbly. It had the reader tearing up and smiling at the same time.
Love’s Bitter Harvest is a story that will break your heart and then slowly restore it to its former self. You will be angered by the actions of the characters, there will be some tearful moments but in the end the story will warm your heart and leave you smiling. It is a well-written story about second chances, hope, restoration, healing, forgiveness and love. It reminded me the reader that love had the power to overcome if we allow ourselves to embrace it, like Katy and Matt discovered. I recommend this book without reservations for fans of second chance romance.
Love’s Bitter Harvest by Jas T. Ward is a well-written story about second chances, hope, restoration, healing, forgiveness and love. #smalltown #romance @hottreepubs @JasTWard Click To Tweet
About Jas T. Ward
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This is my kind of read thanks Nadene
I think I would be an emotional wreck if I read this! Which is a good thing.
I do usually enjoy a good second chance romance like this one.
Entered the giveaway – greedy to win
I like to read books like this now and then to remind me to work harder at keeping my own relationship strong and healthy. 🙂 But yes, they sure do break your heart as a couple struggles hard like that and grrr on the lack of communication. 🙂
The book sounds really good. Great giveaway too.
Oh this sounds perfect for Fall Nadene. Adding to my wishlist!
I honestly love the experience of a romance breaking my heart and putting it back together and not many authors can accomplish that feat!! Glad you had such a good time with it.
Great review Nadene!
Sounds like my kind of book.
Can I just say Wow!? Great review!
Sounds wonderful. Great review!
Wait, so they have this perfect life, she gets a job offer, and they split? Huh…
Great review 🙂
Yeah, but it was a little bit more complicated.