REVIEW: The Orchard at the Edge of Town by Shirlee McCoy

The Orchard at the Edge of Town by Shirlee McCoy: After leaving her ex at the alter, Apricot immediately flees to her aunt’s house in Apple Valley where she’s greeted by her aunt’s neighbor and a shotgun. Deputy Sheriff Simon Baylor arrives on the scene to smooth things over and things take off from there.

I enjoyed this story. The characters are very well written. There’s Apricot, the child of two hippies who ran a commune. Despite everything she went through, she was determined to make the best of things. When people were rude with her, she decides to kill them with kindness. People didn’t know what to make of her, especially since she kept offering them tea to solve their problems.

Simon is a single dad, doing the best he can to raise his twin daughters. His sister-in-law, Daisy, helps him out, but as the book progresses their relationship becomes more strained as he starts to become involved with Apricot. He harbors guilt over his wife’s death and is determined not to make the same mistakes again, only he can’t help but be drawn in by Apricot’s cheery disposition.

I loved the twins, eight year olds Evangeline and Aurora. They were hysterical, especially Evangeline, who tells it as she sees it.

“I would never call you a liar, Aunt Daisy,” Evie responded, her sweet little face and sweet little smile warning Simon that trouble was brewing.
“Evie,” he warned.
Too late.
Her mouth was already open and the words were already spilling out. “I’m calling you mistaken. Besides, it seems to me that if you’re so sure someone let the kittens outside, you were probably the one to do it!” She pointed her finger straight at Daisy.
At which point, World War III erupted.

This is the third book in the series, but honestly, I didn’t even realize that until I looked it up to write the review. It easily works well as a stand alone. I enjoyed it so much I’m going to go back and start at the beginning of the series.
 

Book Info:

July 28, 2015 | Zebra | Apple Valley #3

Apricot Sunshine Devereux-Miller needs to stay lost. Her eccentric aunt’s home in Apple Valley is the perfect place to forget her cheating ex-fiance and get her no-longer-perfect life back under control. Plus, it couldn’t hurt to fix up the house and turn its neglected orchard into a thriving business. And if Apricot can keep deputy sheriff Simon Baylor’s two lively young daughters out of mischief, maybe she can ignore that he’s downright irresistible—and everything she never dreamed she’d find …

Simon isn’t looking to have his heart broken again. He already has his hands full raising his girls. And lately he’s thinking way too much about Apricot’s take-charge energy and unwitting knack for stirring up trouble. He can’t see a single way they could ever be right for each other. Unless they can take a crazy chance on trusting their hearts—and risking the courage to finally find their way home.