Keepsake by Sarina Bowen [Review]

Keepsake (True North #3) by Sarina Bowen
Format: ebook
Source: purchased

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: May 15, 2019

True North
1. Bittersweet
2. Steadfast
3. Keepsake - Paperback | Kindle
4. Bountiful
5. Speakeasy
6. Fireworks
7. Heartland
8. Waylaid

Related Series:
(find all the books in the series on the 1st book review)
The Busy Bean
1. Sweetheart

Sarina Bowen
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

There's a first time for everything.

Lark Wainwright used to be fearless. Her life was a series of adventures, each one more exhilarating than the last. But her recent overseas adventure was one too many. Now she’s home and in one piece. Mostly. But her nights are filled with terror.

When her best friend offers her a stay at the orchard in exchange for help at the farmers’ markets, Lark jumps at the chance to spend fall in Vermont. But her nightmares don’t stop. Desperate to keep her fragile state a secret, she relies on the most soft-spoken resident of the Shipley Farm to soothe her when her dreams prove too much.

Zachariah is a survivor, too. It’s been four years since he was tossed aside by the polygamist cult where he grew up. He’s found a peaceful existence on the Shipley’s farm, picking apples and fixing machinery. But getting thrown away by your own people at nineteen leaves a mark on a guy. He doesn’t always know what to make of a world where movie quotes are the primary means of communication. Before hitchhiking to Vermont, he’d never watched TV or spoken on the phone.

Actually, there are a lot of things he’s never done.

Zach and Lark slowly grow to trust one another. One night they become even closer than they’d planned. But Lark may still be too broken to trust anyone. When she pushes Zach away, he will have to prove to himself that he's good for much more than farm labor.

Thoughts on Keepsake: Oh, my goodness. Zach was EVERYTHING. And Lark, putting on her brave face so that everyone around her wouldn't worry, was so sweetly perfect for him. My *heart eyes* are strong with these two.

So. Zach. Big, strong, mostly silent, and trying his hardest to prove his worth to the Shipley's after spending his formative years being told he wasn't good enough. He broke my heart a little. In the best type of way, really. He was sweet and unassuming and WONDERFUL.

As for Lark, the trauma she experienced left its mark on her, but she's tired by being needy and thinks the best way to make things better is to fake it until you make it. Which isn't the best plan in the world, but she pulls it off for a while. Mostly because she had Zach to lean on.

But when things go south, they implode in a bag way. Which only makes the HEA sweeter, in my opinion.

I'm loving this series something fierce and have the next book on tap. Let's do it.