The Apple Orchard (The Bella Vista Chronicles, 1) Mass Market Paperback – February 24, 2015

After I read The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs and realized it was the third book in the Bella Vista Chronicles I knew I'd be going back to read the previous two books of the series. The Apple Orchard is the first in the series and it was just aa good as the Lost and Found Bookshop! I love a good story about a strong female character who is struggling with life and her past and all that brings, then learns and grows through the help of others, be it family, friends or both, to become a hero of her own story. It's a story that captured me from the beginning and didn't let go till I closed the book for the final time.Tess Delaney has a super cool job. She searches for lost treasures and returns them to their rightful owners. She's very good at what she does and loves how she spends her days. After a tough childhood where her mother was often traveling and seldom home with Tess, their relationship is tenuous at best. Thank goodness for her Grandma who raised Tess within her antique and treasures shop in Dublin, Ireland. Tess has nothing but wonderful memories of her loving grandmother who owned an antiques shop, "Things Forgotten" where treasures from the past were everywhere. Tess found comfort in the store and in her grandmothers arms. Her grandmother was her only real family and her mother was just a once in a while visitor in her life. Tess was heartbroken when her grandmother died and really never recovered, but did dream of one day opening up her own version of "Things Forgotten."One day a stranger, the very handsome Dominic Rossi. appears at Tess's doorstep with an unbelievable request and story. He's the banker handling the estate of her grandfather, who she has no idea exists, who has had an accident and now lies in a coma. Her grandfather also left her half of his estate, a beautiful apple orchard and estate in a small town in Sonoma County, CA called Archangel. She's flabbergasted at all this new information and decides to go to Archangel to figure out what's going on. Upon arrival she meets her half sister Isabel. They are complete opposites. Isabel is the perfect homebody. She rids herself of stress by baking and cooking for family and friends, she's devoted to the orchard and estate and loves the simple country life. It's all she knows and has lived here her entire life. Tess loves the city life and travel, never staying in one place too long, she loves the hustle and bustle of her daily life and holds her stress in until it starts causing health problems and she can no longer ignore it. Doctor's orders are to relax and change her lifestyle habits. Could Archangel be just what the doctor ordered?As the story unfolds Isabel and Tess discover the estate is not in good financial shape, in fact they're about to lose it to foreclosure and they must do something quick to stop the foreclosure from going through. The thought of losing the estate and her home is almost too much for Isabel to take, so she cooks and bakes. Tess handles it in a different way and begins researching ways to get out of the red and while researching the estate's past discovers a treasure her grandfather had possession of many years ago, but has since lost. But where is the treasure now and how does she get it back? This could be what saves the orchard and estate. It becomes complicated and the search gets intense, will they discover the treasure that may save them in time? Or will Isabel have to leave the only home she's ever known?There is so much more that goes on within this story that I didn't mention here, it's a wonderful story filled with family love, redemption and hope, but it's also a romance with all the twists and turns relationships bring. Although I can't leave out the drama of the search, with the estate on the line I felt a sense of urgency that the women were facing. I was truly on the edge of my seat the final 100 pages of the book! This book was a real joy to read and I can't wait to read book two of the series! Susan Wiggs has now become a favorite of mine, which means I've got some catching up to do. I love when I find a new author for my TBR list. It opens up a whole new book world to me and that's always a great thing! Happy Reading!

A book that you are so entranced that you won't want to put down but have to see what happens next.

Theresa (Tess) Delaney doesn't eat right. She smokes too much. She's too thin. She works too much. She's got stress.Tess travels the world finding forgotten and sometimes stolen treasures so that those treasures can be reunited with their rightful owners as she did with the necklace she found for Annelise Winther that was stolen from their family by Nazi's in Denmark. Tess was certain that Annelise would want to auction off this valuable necklace and is shocked when Annelise refuses to sell and tells her, "...if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories..."On the day that Tess is to meet with her boss about a possible promotion she instead meets Dominic Rossi, a banker from the Sonoma Valley of California, who comes to tell her that her life is about to change.Growing up in Dublin, Ireland with her Grandmother and her always busy and traveling Mother, Shannon, Tess never knew her father and for that matter, never even knew his last name.Dominic Rossi stuns Tess with the news that not only does she have a family living only a couple of hours away, but her Grandfather, her Father's Father, Magnus Johansen, is willing to her one half of his Estate, The Bella Vista Orchard. The other half he is willing to Tess' half-sister, Isabel Johansen. A sister. Tess has a sister. And do I ever want to learn more about Isabel!Bella Vista~~beautiful view~~first Tess falls in love with the beautiful landscape and then she falls in love with the people. Isabel, who grew up living with her Grandparents, welcomes Tess with her amazing cooking prowess and love of taking care of the extended orchard family. The sisters are going to need to rely on one another as they discover that their family inheritance is in jeopardy.With a certain gentleness Susan Wiggs takes the reader back to an occupied Denmark where families are broken apart when parents are stolen away by the Nazi's leaving desperate children to find their own way. This history that she gives to the reader is so important to the telling of this story.What a beautiful beginning to what promises to be a wonderful new series. I am anxiously awaiting the book two of this Bella Vista Series to find out what happens next in the lives of Tess, Isabel, Dominic and even Annelise. ✰✰✰✰✰

Loved the story, from cover to cover; had the kindle version. Purchased the printed book as a gift; extremely disappointed. The printed book is very small, print is small. Absolutely would never purchase a book like this to give as a gift.

What a delightful book! And I couldn’t predict the outcome at the beginning! Really appreciate the history and its generational pull. In these tough times it’s nice to read a well done book and one that makes me feel good-even if there are too many trite cliches.

I like all Susan Wiggs books I have read. They always include history which I love. She brings a lot of excitement and family to her books. I highly recommend any of her books. They take you away to another time.

I felt it was a little slow in the beginning but picked up. I like this Author. I've read her other books and if I give it time, this book would be another good one. She didn't let me down.

I could not love.this. book more if I tried. Every single word is perfection. Great twisty turny story. Wonderful characters. I rooted for them all. I must get more of Susan wiggs books. Can't wait to read them. Highly recommended!

A beautifully written book, so descriptive it takes little imagination to visualise everything and everyone. The characters become very real, and the countryside explodes with beauty, warmth and incredible aromas!

I was attracted to read this book as I am the owner of a working Apple orchard. The opening chapter did not disappoint with a fabulous description of an orchard. Although that was just about it as far as it went with any similarities to my orchard I still enjoyed this wonderful story. The flashbacks to Denmark during the 2nd world war showed a part of history I had never given a thought to. I loved the romance that developed and the sense of belonging to a family. Susan Wiggs is a wonderful story teller and there was no predictability about how it would end. I think I will try one of her other books to see if is as good.

Just loved this story and so well researched and written, Tess and Isabel met through a twist of fate and all was perfect with Magnus and of course Dominic.And now to start the 2nd book

Very enjoyable story with no heat. Just issues that we seemed to jump to different places, times, others being there without any lead to it. I kept going back to re-read as thought missed things as scenes jumped. No, I hadn't missed something just scenes definitely jumped. Also egg issue dragged out showing tess up as not the crack investigator she was made out as. Note, opening of book dreadfully slow, almost put me off going further. Over all story was interesting.

This is one of the nicest books I've read in a long time. It is well written, very descriptive and definitely gives you the feel good factor. The recipes introduced at the beginning of each section are tempting and I will in fact try them, no doubt with Isabel in my thoughts. Even now I have finished the book I just can't stop thinking about the characters and wish I could continue to be in their lives.