Apples Should Be Red by Penny Watson

Apples Should Be Red
by Penny Watson
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

My Review:
This story starts by introducing us to the characters through a conversation their grown children have. I was a little confused to start with, not really knowing who was supposed to be hero and heroine of the story. The whole first (short) chapter is the interaction of the married children. I caught on eventually and the rest of the story flowed clearly for me.

The language was a bit more crass than I was expecting. Which was funny considering the little bit of sex scenes we get are tame and almost fade-to-black. The characters were crotchety and bitter. I felt like the men in the story were purposely drawn a bit more uncouth than normal romance heroes. They swore and talked dirty in a way that was a little off-putting to me.

The writing was well-done and engaging. I felt like I connected with Tom and Beverly's emotional vulnerability and they felt like real people. I was glad the author was able to show us how loved they were, but for the first half of the story I didn't really like either of them. I thought Tom tended to treat Beverly poorly, while criticizing her dead husband for his neglect. Beverly seemed to have no self-confidence, even as she projected a very capable image.

Both characters got more likable as the book progressed. I enjoyed my time reading this book, and I might even read it again because I'd like to see if I missed any details on my first read. It was a nice, easy romance. Not quite sweet considering the crassness and crotchetiness, but interesting and heart-felt.