Review: Run For Your Honey

Run For Your Honey (Blum's Bees #3)

Staci Hart

Published July 21, 2022

Twelve years ago, my first and only love left town and never came back.

How dare he show up now, looking like that.

And he’s running against me for mayor.

It’s unfair, him standing there, too tall and handsome for his own good. It’s audacious that his clothes accentuate every lean, strong curve of his body. It’s universal BS that his smile makes my heart flipflop, and it’s patently un-freaking-believable that my body would betray me when he turns that gorgeous smile on me.

I’ll do whatever it takes to win, and he knows it.

But when he kisses me, all bets are off.

If I win, he leaves.

If he wins, I lose.

And either way, he breaks my heart. - from Goodreads

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy's high school sweetheart Duke left Texas for college and never came back - until now.  After twelve years, he's back and running against her in a mayoral race in their small town.  Their chemistry hasn't waned over the years, despite Poppy's heartache, but nothing good can come from them hooking up - right?  Only one of them can be mayor, and Duke doesn't plan on staying if he loses.

After reading Poppy's sisters' stories, I was excited to read the final book in the installment.  Each love story is totally unique, although there are some threads that flow through the series.  The small-town setting is just as important in this story, as now Poppy is trying to bring major changes to their struggling town by running for mayor.  I really admire the way the Blum sisters go for what they believe in.

The romance tropes are strong - and so so good - in this story.  Poppy and Duke are adversaries from the start when neither will back down in the race for mayor, so it's fun to see them finally hit a breaking point and turn from enemies to lovers (in secret, of course).  There's also the added element of their romantic history together and how their high school romance ended in such an unsatisfactory way.  Poppy thought Duke was cheating on her, but Duke really felt he couldn't come home because he knew he wouldn't leave Poppy again (and he needed to leave town to fulfill his dreams).  Poppy's protests that she hated Duke felt half-hearted, because you could just tell that there were still feelings there.  I was rooting for them from the start, even though they said it was just a fling this time around, and was wondering how Staci would give these two characters their happily ever after, because the odds seemed against them.  I wish we could have gotten a little more background on their previous relationship, though, maybe through a flashback or two.

As always, Staci's writing is beautiful and really elevates both humorous and serious scenes.  It's lush and swoony, so full of heart and hope that you can't help falling in love with these characters and this Texas town.

4 stars