Review: The Beekeeper

 

Title: The Beekeeper

Author: S.M. Shade

Release Date: September 20, 2024

After two years of hiding, I'm finally free and all I want is some peace and maybe a little garden to tend. The adorable cabin in the forest is just what I'm looking for, private and secluded. Other than the long dead inhabitants of the old graveyard nearby, I only have one neighbor.

Arlow Shaw is antisocial if not outright reclusive, quiet, and guarded when it comes to discussing himself. A nature lover, he spends most of his time in the forest or tending to his bee hives.

His calming effect on me is perplexing but exactly what I need. Through long nights spent talking over a bonfire, I grow close to the enigmatic man, but as we start to cross the line from friends to lovers, the trouble begins.

What starts as a few footprints in the woods and some broken windows quickly escalates to violent threats.

Our secrets are forced into the light but the question remains. Has my past come back to torment me or is there more to this man than I know?

The Beekeeper is a standalone romantic suspense with some mystery and a dark twist.

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So, I absolutely love all the books I have read by SM Shade so far, and this cover is sooo pretty. I was dying to read this book. 

It follows Calliope - when she moves to a new small town, in a cabin on a dead end road next door to a antisocial recluse, and an old graveyard. 

All Calli wanted was a new start, but what she didn't expect was the calming effect her quiet new nature-loving neighbor had on her. But as they navigate their new friendship that could turn into something more, that's when the trouble begins. 

What starts out as a few broken windows quickly escalates, forcing their secrets and past into the light. 

I couldn't wait to dive into this book, thinking the suspenseful novel would be a perfect fall read to get lost into. 

Calliope was on the run from her last, hoping for a fresh start. She was trying to put her past behind her and was hoping for a new beginning at life. What she didn't expect was her neighbor Arlow. 

Arlow was a calm, quiet nature-lover. He kept to himself, & tended his been hives. He never gave the cabin next door to him a second thought until Calliope moved in. Something about her shined, and it resparked his artistic side. 

They quickly became friends - but Calli wanted more. Something Arlow wasnt willing to give. 

But when trouble started brewing for the two of them, they would be forced to share their secrets they kept hidden with each other. - would they be able to accept one another when they learned the truth? 

I enjoyed the book. I liked Calli and Arlow, both had their own struggles they dealt with, making them more real and relatable. The book wasn't as suspenseful as I would have wanted, but overall it was a good contemporary read with a little suspense scattered throughout. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• contemporary romance 

• protective hero 

• neighbors to lovers 

• 30+ age characters 

Trigger Warnings: 

→ stalking 

→ mention of child abuse 

→ mention of drug use/abuse 

→ mention of car accident 

→ death of a parent 

→ murder 

About the Author: 

S.M. Shade writes spicy romantic comedies and steamy contemporary romances with relatable characters. Whether it's a good laugh or a good cry, she likes to grab you by your emotions and make you feel. An unashamed Croc enthusiast and poetry nerd, she can usually be found listening to Indie Rock and watching birds.

 

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