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Thursday, May 30, 2019

Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank

Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062861214
Hardcover, $27.99, 407 pages

After a few detours in her recent books, Dorothea Benton Frank returns to Sullivans Island off the coast of Charleston in her newest book, Queen Bee.

Thirty-year-old Holly Jensen lives with her critical and demanding mother, whom she and her sister Leslie have dubbed Queen Bee, or QB for short (and behind her back). Holly volunteers at the local library while she anxiously awaits for a teaching position to open up at the local elementary school.

Holly is a beekeeper, with a huge hive of bees in the backyard. She uses the honey from the hives as gifts for family and friends. She also has a (not-so) secret crush on Archie, the recent widower who lives next door with his two young sons, Tyler and Hunter. The boys love Holly, and she loves them, often keeping them after school, helping them with homework, and baking them cookies.

The wheels start to come off the bus when sister Leslie shows up with a tale of marital woe. At the same time, Archie quickly marries Sharon, a local dentist and evil stepmother who gives Cinderella's stepmother a real run for her money.

Queen Bee has Frank's trademark humor, with a few scenarios that are downright giddy. We have female impersonators, a trip to Las Vegas, Cher's long-lost "sister" Char, and bees who appear to listen to the woes of Holly and take revenge on her enemy. (I just saw Cher in concert, so I really got a kick out the Char storyline.)

In addition to the humor, there is romance and and pathos. As the mother of two sons (now grown), I really felt for Tyler and Hunter as they mourned the loss of their mother and tried to understand their evil stepmother.

There is also a lot of character growth in this novel, with the Jensen women taking stock of their lives and finding new paths forward.

If you're looking for a good summer read, pour yourself a large iced tea, grab a copy of Queen Bee, head out to the most comfortable chair on your porch, and prepare to lose yourself in sunny Sullivans Island for a few hours.

Dorothea Benton Frank's website is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Dorothea Benton Frank's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Instagram Features

Tuesday, May 28th: Instagram: @wherethereadergrows
Wednesday, May 29th: Instagram: @thats_what_she_read
Thursday, May 30th: Instagram: @writersdream
Friday, May 31st: Instagram: @readingwithmere
Saturday, June 1st: Instagram: @simplykelina
Sunday, June 2nd: Instagram: @read.write.coffee
Monday, June 3rd: Instagram: @beauty_andthebook_

Review Stops

Tuesday, May 28th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, May 29th: Reading Reality
Thursday, May 30th: bookchickdi
Friday, May 31st: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
Wednesday, June 5th: Instagram: @iowaamberreads
Thursday, June 6th: Always With a Book
Friday, June 7th: Into the Hall of Books
Friday, June 7th: Kritters Ramblings
Monday, June 10th: Laura’s Reviews
Monday, June 10th: Jennifer ~ Tar Heel Reader
Monday, June 10th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, June 11th: Lesa’s Book Critiques
Thursday, June 13th: Stranded in Chaos
Friday, June 14th: Jathan & Heather
Monday, June 17th: Girl Who Reads
Tuesday, June 18th: Books and Bindings
Thursday, June 20th: Literary Quicksand



2 comments:

  1. I swear, one of these summers I'm going to vacation there with the latest from Dorothea Benton Frank. It's basically a bucket list trip at this point. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for being on the tour- Sara @ TLC Book Tours

    ReplyDelete
  2. What's summer without Dottie???

    ReplyDelete