Candy Apple Kisses by Amy Clipston: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

This autumn, love is in the air.

Artist Emily Carmichael has always considered Splendid Lake her home, but she never imagined she would ever return. However, when she learns her childhood best friend, Jake Hughes, is struggling to save the beloved Hughes Family Orchard, she doesn't hesitate to pack her bags and head back to the North Carolina mountains--even if it means battling a corporate giant and resisting the temptation of too many candy apples.

For Jake, the orchard is more than just a business; it's a living legacy, a bond with his father and a promise to his family. As Jake and Emily work side-by-side to prepare for the orchard's centennial anniversary, long-held feelings, once hidden beneath years of friendship, begin to surface. For Jake, Emily's return illuminates what's been missing in his life, and for Emily, being with Jake stirs long-dormant emotions she's too scared to name. The air is crisp, the apples are sweet, and the sparks? They're flying higher than a bonfire.

But with Jake's ex-girlfriend's dramatic reappearance and the mounting pressure to keep the orchard from failing, their budding romance is put to the test. Can these two best friends turn a season of chaos into a lifetime of love, or will their romance fall flat before the first frost?

The Author

Amy Clipston has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her fiction writing "career" began in elementary school when she and a close friend wrote and shared silly stories. She has a degree in communications from Virginia Wesleyan College and is a member of the Authors Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series with Zondervan, which is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. An advocate for organ and blood donation, Amy donated a kidney in 2011 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through her donation, her husband received a second kidney transplant. Amy and her husband matched another couple and swapped kidneys with them. Amy's memoir, A Gift of Love, will be available in early 2014. She hopes her story inspires others to become organ and blood donors. Amy lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, mother, and four spoiled rotten cats. You can find her on the web at www.AmyClipston.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks.

Book Review

If you're looking for a book with all the cozy autumn smalltown vibes that feels just like stepping into a Hallmark movie, Candy Apple Kisses is it. It may be springtime, but this one definitely had me looking forward to fall with best friends Jake and Emily working together to try and keep his family's orchard afloat. These two drew me in right from the start. They had such a great, easy chemistry with their friendship and it made that transition into something more feel just perfect for them. It was believable and natural... though certainly not without its issues, especially with a persistent ex-girlfriend making her presence known! I loved the way these two supported one another throughout the story, and seeing Emily's confidence in her art grow throughout was really beautiful as well. Truly, I just couldn't get enough of these two. Their story truly had all the coziness I love in a fall romance and felt like coming home. If you love small town charm and friends to more, this is definitely one to check out. 

Candy Apply Kisses is a Christian romance with kisses only and no language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4eSCSjU