Title: Steadfast
Author: Sarina Bowen
Series: True North #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

From the moment he appears in Bittersweet, Jude’s backstory is intriguing. You get the bare bones in the first True North book, but everything is so much more tragic when you find out the intimate details. And then there’s Sophie, her story is just as tragic and honestly hurt my heart even more. Combined, their tales are kind of horrible. Yet, this was still an incredibly sweet and heart-warming romance.

There was something incredibly settling about this romance. It was very grounding and beautiful, even as Sophie and Judd find ways to fix up the mistakes of the past. I like how you slowly find out more and more information about Judd crime as the book progresses. And you slowly realise that not everything adds up. Which adds this incredible layer of “I can’t put this down” to an already wonderful story.

Bowen went kind of dark in this story, dealing with addiction, corruption, and abuse. But the unwavering nature of Sophie’s love manages to provide a lightness to the tale that would otherwise not be there. I loved how Bowen was able to balance the emotions so beautifully in this. Plus, Sophie is just so damn loyal that I fell more and more in love with her with every page turned.

Steadfast was such a beautiful tale. I freaking adored Sophie and Jude. The, there was the whole conspiracy that sat behind their reconnection. It was horrifying and made everything feel more tragic because there was so much time wasted. But ultimately it was beautiful, sweet and just too damn adorable. Definitely making True North one of my newest favourite series.

Image source: Amazon

Title: Bittersweet
Author: Sarina Bowen
Series: True North #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

The title of this novella is surprisingly well suited. There are many moments of bittersweet moments throughout, and moments of “almost” that had you leaning forward in your seat. But mostly, you have Griff (bitter) and Audrey (sweet). Rather than being a story with a great Meet Cute, this was one where the lead couple have a past. Those first getting to know you moments where still there, but with a lot more sexualising tension than other tales.

Vermont is such a stunning backdrop to this romance. It felt like the turning of the seasons and long drives down winding roads. I love when the setting to a story feels like a whole extra character, it just gives you a whole other dimension to love. Plus, how could two people not fall in love in such a glorious, small-town setting?

Living in rural Australia, the whole farm-to-table idea is fairly familiar. We have a lot of local restaurants and producers who emphasise the locality of their products. It’s not something that I’ve seen much in the stories I read though. I got pretty swept away by the food mentioned throughout this to be honest. I’m an absolute sucker for tales which involve yummy, yummy food peppered throughout. Contrasting this feeling of homeliness and comfort and locality, was the evil corporate bastards. I mean, they did good in that they are the vessel for reconnection between Audrey and Griff, but still… evil corporate bastards.

This whole story was absolutely beautiful, and as with all romances, there is that strong moment of “oh no” when everything unravels. Luckily, Griff isn’t too epically moronic when things go wrong. I mean, I was expecting the angst to be stretched out, and was incredibly grateful when it wasn’t. Sometimes it’s nice to have a good, simple read with a wonderful, happy ending.

Image source: Goodreads