Young Reverend Nathan Andrews has been preaching at the Grace Baptist Church for nearly two months when he happens upon young Grace Perkins one hot afternoon while making the rounds of his absentee parishioners. A college man right out of the seminary, he is unprepared for the Appalachian people with their feuding and outdated ideas; but it is Grace, with her uninhibited sensuality that really tests Nathan’s patience. Nathan’s ridiculous notion of remaining chaste until he marries is put to the test as he and Grace are drawn to each other, regardless of class or education. What begins as a passionate, clandestine affair soon becomes an obsession; one which asks the question: Can an educated man of the cloth find love and happiness with a Hill-woman?

A wickedly erotic love story that puts a fresh spin on “opposites attracting”, Blackberry Pie is a thoroughly enjoyable bawdy tale that is sure to please the most jaded reader. Grace and Nathan are well matched in passion and intensity, nearly setting the pages afire with one encounter after another. Poor Nathan never knew what hit him when he laid eyes on this innocent young woman, and Grace absorbs Nathan’s love and affection whenever they are together. Class difference and social “rules” are realistically portrayed; setting the scene for the struggles the pair will need to overcome in order to be together. Emotional at times, funny at others, Blackberry Pie is always charming and deserves a place of prominence on any reader’s shelves. Author Bonnie Dee has a gift for drawing the reader right into the lives of her characters and keeping them involved to the end.

Reviewed by: Scarlet