Carolina Belle

by Rose Senehi

Scarred by betrayal, Belle McKenzie mellows from bitterly unforgiving, to a woman willing to swallow her pride to win back the man she never stopped loving. Cut from the same tenacious cloth as her grandfather, Pap, who owns the biggest apple orchard in North Carolina, she risks her life rescuing four hundred antique apple trees her neighbor has spent a lifetime collecting from old farms all over the South. From them, Belle, a botanist, is hell bent on creating a "billion dollar" apple she'll call the Carolina Belle. Matt has worked for Pap since he was old enough to hold up his end of an apple box. Pap thinks of him as the son he never had, but Belle as the man whom she loved and who betrayed her. Now divorced, Matt pursues Belle, the love his father forced him to turn his back on. Will the missteps of their past keep them from trusting each other, or will their suppressed love bloom enough to overcome unfounded suspicions. Rich in emotion and driven by suspense, this tale reveals the bold, resourceful character needed for a clan to survive for five generations in the precarious business of apple growing in the North Carolina Mountains. Woven throughout this story is the fascinating history of the American apple that started when countless settlers planted seeds all over the country and kicked off one of the biggest evolutionary experiments this nation has ever seen. Read this novel and you'll never look at an apple the same way again.

Genres: Fiction, Romance

290 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

About the author

Contemporary fiction writer, Rose Senehi, is noted for weaving historical data into her romantic thrillers. FALLING OFF A CLIFF is a story of two women a generation apart and from two different worlds who are driven by passion to heal no matter what dangers they have to face. In the 1920s, Lula Mae clings to a doctor woman as they gallop horseback all over the steep, harsh Blue Ridge Mountains. In the 60s, Nurse Holly travels the same mountain paths to reach the ill and search for the mother she's never known. CATCHING FIRE, awarded the 2019 Historical Book Award by the NC Society of Historians, Inc., tells of the heroism displayed by hundreds of firefighters to extinguish the horrific Party Rock Fire that raged through the mountains surrounding Lake Lure, NC. Woven throughout this tale of two firefighters in love, yet, torn apart by swirling suspicions and mistrust, is the story of a family struggling with its past in the frightening present. CAROLINA BELLE, A Love Story, is her eighth novel and takes place in an apple orchard in Hendersonville, NC. Read this novel, and you'll never look at an apple the same way again. Among her seven "stand-alone" novels that take place in the Southern Blue Ridge are "Dancing on Rocks," winner of the 2014 Indi-Reader Discovery Award for Popular Fiction, "Render Unto the Valley," awarded the 2012 IPPY Gold Medal for Fiction--Southeast., "In the Shadows of Chimney Rock", a finalist for the SIBA 2009 Book of the Year Award, and "The Wind in the Woods", a finalist for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Award. All of her novels are part family saga, part mystery, and part love story.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful blend of family/romance and history. The author has done excellent research into her history as presented in this story. The story kept my attention from start to finish. It was so addictive. This is a book I would read again. Loved all the family dynamics. The family interactions were all so true to life. After reading this story, I will be eating more apples! I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.

[Linda Steighner · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "Carolina Belle" by Rose Senehi, Belle McKenzie is a young woman obsessed with creating a new apple, the Carolina Belle. She was raised on her grandfather's apple orchard, and really loves all things apple. The book provides a lot of apple growing information and apple history, but at the heart of this book, it is a story of love, love for family, romantic love, and the love of friends. This was a cute easy light read with a HEA, perfect when you want/need a feel good book.

[Myrna Gottlieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a free copy of "Carolina Belle" from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book. And I enjoyed, for the most part, the well-researched information on apples and the apple orchards in North Carolina. I learned a lot about the different varieties of apples and that new apples, mainly honeycrisp, have overtaken classics like Macintosh in popularity. I also learned about the hard work and problems that growers face- an early frost can wipe out an orchard overnight-picture perfect eating apples can be damaged to a point where they must be destroyed or can only be sold for juice. Dare I say that perhaps there was an overload of information on grafting and planting apple trees? And this made the book slow-moving in too may sections.

I especially enjoyed the characters and the problems they faced- the love affair gone wrong, family secrets revealed, and the villainous lawyer, who stole from his clients, even his own brother. A bit more action and less detail about apples would have elevated this book to four stars.

[Hazelj jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! This is the first book i have read by this author and I hope to read others in the future .
This book is filled with suspense and love and mystery .and it is wonderful to read about the different apple strains and the perserverence of Belle to hopefully find that one special apple she seeks.
This story is interwoven with the lives of five generations ,but the main characters Belle and Matt go through a journey of betrayal ,pain and heartache before they find their way back together .This story is filled with intringe .mystery and love. All the things we love in a great book..I recommend this book with 5 stars but i would rate it higher if there were more to give ..This Author makes a reader see the heart of her characters .Wonderful writing!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in NC so this book really hit home. I loved the author's attention to the history of apples and how the varieties came into existence. The story was also engaging and took a few surprising twists and turns so that I couldn't put the book down. An easy read but also such an interesting and engaging story. I can honestly say that I loved this book even though it did get a little syrupy at times, but it worked.

[Barbara Leuthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read not only a romance ,the most fascinating part was all the history of apples
I wanted to keep learning more.Belle and the fight for Jake to see his wishes upheld showed how much she cared.Her and Matt made a great story.I do recommend this book highly as i am sure most people will find it fascinating.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Carolina Belle in the Goodreads giveaway. I thought I couldn't learn anything more about apples since my family own an apple orchard but I was wrong. I not only enjoyed learning more about the history (very brief) of apples but got very involved in the families in this novel. Enjoyable read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a delightful read for me moving to the area of “the apple country”. I learned a lot about the apple farming families and the differences of the apple type. The best part was my bookclub had the author join us for lunch AND took us back to her Chimney Rock home to show us her lovely garden. It was an amazing day of education. Like an apple a day! Lovely!

[Robin Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, being from Henderson County and apple country. I wasn't aware of this author so will look forward to reading more of her books. I like the romance, recognizing the various locations, the family secrets, and trying to figure out if any of these people were real people I might know of in disguise. (I didn't place anyone, BTW)

[Nikki Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as localized as Dancing on Rocks or some of her other books, but this was a pretty good read. The feud between Pap and Jake makes the story interesting, but holds off from giving it too cliche of a feel once the full story is explained.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I think it is a well written story. I like the information about the history of apple farming. I will add more when I finish the book.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful book.loved the book & will read more of her books.

[Robert Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Senehi Never Disappoints

As with all her novels, I loved and loved every minute of the book. Looking forward to her next novel.

[Jo Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story about Carolina apples and apple farming. Weaves a love and mystery story. Takes place in apple valleys close to Hendersonville and Mt Pisgah, NC.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but a good twist and turn. Interesting facts of how apples are grown and new species created.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in “Apple Valley” I really enjoyed this!

[Becky Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line… just took a little to get into. A lot of information about apples. But, I’m from NC, so it was relatable!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The back cover was correct - I will never look at an apple the same way again. It was an educational book, easy reading, and a happy ending. There is too much strife in the world and I like when a book don’t leave me hanging or upset.

[Joanne Valcourt]

I loved it

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belle McKenzie has grown up in the apple business. She is determined to find the next big apple that she will name the Carolina Belle. She has made it her life's mission even though it's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. To further complicate matters, she works with her ex boyfriend and she can't seem to get over his betrayal or the choice she made years ago.

First of all, I found all of the apple information fascinating. Who knew that work on an orchard isn't just simply picking apples? And to think that the world almost missed out on the Honeycrisp apple if it hadn't been for the University of Minnesota.

Relationships with family is the heart of the story and what a person is willing to do to help someone they love. Love though sometimes gets in the way and can allow a person to make poor choices. Belle's interactions with Pap, Jake, and her sister were my favorite while Matt and how he chose to react to certain situations bugged me at times.

I received a free copy of this book and that is my honest review.

[Linda Gwiazdowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed the story of belle, liked the history of the apple,i read this book in one day,fast read and keeps you interested

[Kathy Dickman]

A good read...liked the touch of history woven through out the story.

[WANDA HARRISON]

I SIMPLY ADORED THIS BOOK. IT REMINDED ME OF MY UPBRINGING IN THE GOOD OLD SOUTH. I FOUND TEARS IN MY EYES ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS. IT ALSO WAS INFORMATIVE, BECAUSE I DIDN'T REALIZE WE PRODUCED THAT MANY APPLES DOWN HOME. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS WONDERFUL BOOK TO ANYONE.
CHARLES R. HARRISON