Jen Devon's Bend Toward the Sun is a gorgeous, emotional love story about taking unexpected paths, accepting loss, and finding strength in the transformative power of love.
Rowan McKinnon doesn’t believe in love. With a botany PhD, two best friends who embrace her social quirkiness, and some occasional no-strings sex, she has everything she needs. But she hides deep wounds from the past—from an emotionally negligent mother, and a fiancé who treated her like a pawn in a game. When an academic setback leads Rowan to take on the restoration of a winery's abandoned vineyard, she relishes the opportunity to restore the grapes to their former glory.
She does not expect to meet a man like Harrison Brady.
An obstetrician profoundly struggling after losing a patient, Harry no longer believes he is capable of keeping people safe. Reeling, Harry leaves Los Angeles to emotionally recover at his parents’ new vineyard in Pennsylvania.
He does not expect to meet a woman like Rowan McKinnon.
As their combative banter gives way to a simmering tension, sunlight begins to crack through the darkness smothering Harry’s soul. He’s compelled to explore the undeniable pull between them. And after a lifetime of protecting herself from feeling anything, for anyone, Rowan tries to keep things casual.
But even she can’t ignore their explosive connection.
Romance | Women's Fiction
Publication Date: 09 Aug 2022
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Advance Praise for Bend Toward the Sun:
"All my favorite tropes in a heart-warming, sensual, beautifully written package. Jen Devon has given us a steamy romance about humans’ ability to grow and heal, and about the power of love. I cannot wait to laugh, cry, lose myself in her future books." - Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
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"This is a book to be savored. Bend Toward the Sun is a lushly drawn portrait of two people with a magnetic, soul-deep connection, wrapped up in a gorgeous story of hope and healing. It’s the kind of romance that made me fall in love with the genre all over again―and I never wanted it to end. Consider me a Jen Devon fan for life." - Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author
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“Devon’s debut, Bend Toward the Sun, is a gorgeous love story full of lyrical writing and raw emotion. I fell in love with these two broken characters who begin to heal one another. Definitely an author to watch!” -Jennifer Probst, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, of Our Italian Summer
My Review:
5 Stars:
📖Book: Bend Toward the Sun
⭐️Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏼Author: Jen Devon
📚Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
🗏 Pages: 372
⚠️Warnings: Panic Attacks, Grief, Death, Abuse
🔖Readability: 4/ some italic font present
What to expect:
🪴Botanist takes a job while completing her dissertations
🌿Art-like description of plants
🪴Complex characters with tension
🩺Dealing with grief
🍇Slow burn
Rowan McKinnon sets out on a journey to take on an abandoned vineyard while re-writing her dissertation. She doesn't expect to meet Harrison Brady. Harry is an obstetrician who is dealing with grief after losing a patient; he has gone to the vineyard to recover. Through the healing process and their tension, Harry and Rowan explore the uniqueness of each other in this lushly satisfying debut by Jen Devon.
The angst of the characters, the slow burn, the description of the vineyard, the metaphors, the baggage, the banter, the family dynamic, everything in this book made me feel like I was at home in a not-over-the-top contemporary romance. I love how the characters opened up to each other, and the contract is written beautifully about them. Having the rollercoaster of emotions is what truly makes this a 5 star read. Colleen Hoover could never.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the advance reader copy.
PRINT LENGTH PAGES
AVERAGE REVIEW RATING
PAPERBACK COST
E-BOOK COST
AUTHOR
Jen wrote her first story when she was eight. Now she writes steamy, atmospheric romances about complicated, imperfect people finding their perfect match.
A former biology academic and lecturer, she currently works in the tech industry and dreams of writing full-time. She’s an avid gardener, photographer, and boardgamer, a thrift store enthusiast and unapologetic nerd. She’s a mom of six (three kids, three rescue mutts) and lives in central Ohio with her engineer husband.
PUBLISHER
St. Martin’s Press has a long and respected history of publishing a solid and varied list. We are dedicated to publishing emerging new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres, while maintaining a diverse and interesting range of books. Our strength is derived from a dedication to solid publishing of many books, while consistently producing the occasional blockbuster. The vast majority of our hardcovers are published in paperback through our internal paperback lines.
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JEN DEVON
Jen Devon's Bend Toward the Sun is a gorgeous, emotional love story about taking unexpected paths, accepting loss, and finding strength in the transformative power of love.
Rowan McKinnon doesn’t believe in love. With a botany PhD, two best friends who embrace her social quirkiness, and some occasional no-strings sex, she has everything she needs. But she hides deep wounds from the past—from an emotionally negligent mother, and a fiancé who treated her like a pawn in a game. When an academic setback leads Rowan to take on the restoration of a winery's abandoned vineyard, she relishes the opportunity to restore the grapes to their former glory.
She does not expect to meet a man like Harrison Brady.
An obstetrician profoundly struggling after losing a patient, Harry no longer believes he is capable of keeping people safe. Reeling, Harry leaves Los Angeles to emotionally recover at his parents’ new vineyard in Pennsylvania.
He does not expect to meet a woman like Rowan McKinnon.
As their combative banter gives way to a simmering tension, sunlight begins to crack through the darkness smothering Harry’s soul. He’s compelled to explore the undeniable pull between them. And after a lifetime of protecting herself from feeling anything, for anyone, Rowan tries to keep things casual.
But even she can’t ignore their explosive connection.
Romance | Women's Fiction
Publication Date: 09 Aug 2022
-
Advance Praise for Bend Toward the Sun:
"All my favorite tropes in a heart-warming, sensual, beautifully written package. Jen Devon has given us a steamy romance about humans’ ability to grow and heal, and about the power of love. I cannot wait to laugh, cry, lose myself in her future books." - Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis
-
"This is a book to be savored. Bend Toward the Sun is a lushly drawn portrait of two people with a magnetic, soul-deep connection, wrapped up in a gorgeous story of hope and healing. It’s the kind of romance that made me fall in love with the genre all over again―and I never wanted it to end. Consider me a Jen Devon fan for life." - Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author
-
“Devon’s debut, Bend Toward the Sun, is a gorgeous love story full of lyrical writing and raw emotion. I fell in love with these two broken characters who begin to heal one another. Definitely an author to watch!” -Jennifer Probst, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, of Our Italian Summer
My Review:
5 Stars:
📖Book: Bend Toward the Sun
⭐️Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏼Author: Jen Devon
📚Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
🗏 Pages: 372
⚠️Warnings: Panic Attacks, Grief, Death, Abuse
🔖Readability: 4/ some italic font present
What to expect:
🪴Botanist takes a job while completing her dissertations
🌿Art-like description of plants
🪴Complex characters with tension
🩺Dealing with grief
🍇Slow burn
Rowan McKinnon sets out on a journey to take on an abandoned vineyard while re-writing her dissertation. She doesn't expect to meet Harrison Brady. Harry is an obstetrician who is dealing with grief after losing a patient; he has gone to the vineyard to recover. Through the healing process and their tension, Harry and Rowan explore the uniqueness of each other in this lushly satisfying debut by Jen Devon.
The angst of the characters, the slow burn, the description of the vineyard, the metaphors, the baggage, the banter, the family dynamic, everything in this book made me feel like I was at home in a not-over-the-top contemporary romance. I love how the characters opened up to each other, and the contract is written beautifully about them. Having the rollercoaster of emotions is what truly makes this a 5 star read. Colleen Hoover could never.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the advance reader copy.
PRINT LENGTH PAGES
AVERAGE REVIEW RATING
PAPERBACK COST
E-BOOK COST
AUTHOR
Jen wrote her first story when she was eight. Now she writes steamy, atmospheric romances about complicated, imperfect people finding their perfect match.
A former biology academic and lecturer, she currently works in the tech industry and dreams of writing full-time. She’s an avid gardener, photographer, and boardgamer, a thrift store enthusiast and unapologetic nerd. She’s a mom of six (three kids, three rescue mutts) and lives in central Ohio with her engineer husband.
PUBLISHER
St. Martin’s Press has a long and respected history of publishing a solid and varied list. We are dedicated to publishing emerging new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres, while maintaining a diverse and interesting range of books. Our strength is derived from a dedication to solid publishing of many books, while consistently producing the occasional blockbuster. The vast majority of our hardcovers are published in paperback through our internal paperback lines.
Let's Get Started!
Subscribed to my notebook!
