Even though Cassie Linden’s home in New York City isn’t that far from her childhood house in Connecticut, she hasn’t been back to see her father in a while. Between her job as a lawyer and the disintegration of her marriage, Cassie’s been too preoccupied to realize that her dad’s been slipping mentally. As soon as she walks back into his house, though, “the nagging fear of dementia trailed her from room to room.” Since Cassie’s mother died of Alzheimer’s, even the slightest sign of forgetfulness sends her into a panic, so she’s quick to move back in temporarily, start organizing his house, and tend to his beloved bee hives. Enter professional beekeeper Glenn Marsden, whose impressive knowledge of the fuzzy insects and fit physique immediately stir Cassie’s admiration. It’s been eight years since Glenn’s wife walked out on him and their little girl, leaving the beekeeper to navigate life as a single father. Cassie is the first person in a long time to set his heart buzzing, but the timing couldn’t be worse; his ex has suddenly reappeared in town. Meanwhile, in addition to worries about her elderly father, Cassie has her own roadblocks to romance. Her son was suspended from college, and an unrelenting real estate developer is plotting to turn Cassie’s family home into a soulless housing tract. Avellar’s novel can start to feel like Cassie and Glenn are simply checking things off a laundry list of obstacles to their inevitable relationship (with very abrupt tonal shifts; some are deadly serious and others rather lighthearted). Still, while the storyline is a little diffuse, it’s hard not to fall for both Cassie and Glenn. Avellar excels at making her two leads both charming and relatable—thanks, in part, to her well-crafted dialogue that conveys both their bumbling beginnings and simmering passion. (The various family dynamics are also smartly observed.) Avellar’s subtle story of bees, illness, and suburban real estate may not continually sizzle, but her keen characterizations may just sweep readers off their feet anyway.
