The Beekeeper's Ball

The Beekeeper's Ball is the second book in Susan Wiggs' new Bella Vista Chronicles, following The Apple Orchard. It's not necessary to read them in order, but there is a lot of back story and family info, so it would be a nice idea to try to follow them chronologically. The romance of Mac and Isabel was as expected in a Susan Wiggs book, but for me it was the love of the central California landscape and fine cuisine that will stay with me. I enjoyed learning about the art and science of making honey, as well as the plethora of ways it can be used in food preparation. It helped the tempo of the book to have the sections that went back to WWII, telling the story of Isabel's grandparents working in the Danish resistance. This is important  to the story because Mac meets Isabel while writing a book about her grandfather, Magnus' life and Isabel has many unanswered questions about her family. It would be tedious to read it as a story told by Magnus, but having a third person format told in the present test made it more interesting, at least to me.