My Thoughts on He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox

 

About:

Beekeeper Beckett Walsh was living her dream, until her father's death sent her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family apiary--one who is looking to sell the property--and she cannot fathom why her father would put her in the position to lose everything they built together.

When Callie Peterson is named in the trust of a man she's never heard of, she's not sure what to do. Her fledgling business has just taken wing and her mother has reentered her life asking for help, making Callie's financial situation rather . . . precarious. She's sure she has no right to someone else's farm, but the money from the sale could solve her problems and give her the stability she's always craved.

With an entangled past behind them and an uncertain future ahead, Beckett and Callie must discover why they've been thrown together before all is lost.

My Thoughts:

First, this title really caught my attention. I wondered who it was and what should he have told the bees. Well according to a superstition, beekeepers need to tell the bees when their lives get turned upside down, or the bees may die. Interesting, and this story was quite interesting as well.

We are introduced to two women who both seem to be carrying the world on their shoulders. Many family secrets abound, and when Beck's father dies, their worlds collide, and they need to find a way through this new truth.

Beckett Walsh is a beekeeper who has been an assistant to her father all her life. He suddenly dies and leaves her alone. Alone, she doesn't mind too much, but she lives with an almost debilitating fear that has imprisoned her. After her father's death she needs to deal with things she never even bargained for.

Callie Peterson has never really had a stable life. Her alcoholic mother moved her around constantly and she never really put down any roots. Now she is on the cusp of her girlhood dream to become independent of anyone and open her new business. Until unfortunately everything seems to fall through. She is dealing with financial problems and red tape while trying to open her business. And her mother steps back into her life with all her problems again.

Callie and Beckett are in for a surprise. And that surprise can either heal them or tear them apart more. This is a story of addiction, tragedy, mental illness, family, and the important role of motherhood and how it affects children, good or bad. There is also a couple of men who are ready to help, and a very precocious girl who is very convincing as an alien.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Amanda Cox is the Christy Award-winning author of The Edge of Belonging, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, and He Should Have Told the Bees. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.