Probably best I'd you read the series in order, but I enjoyed this quick read. Small town romance, a fine plot/characters but not memorable.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I started to read this book until I realized that this wasn't the first in the series and some things didn't make sense to me. I went back and read the prior ones before coming back to this one.

This book is written in a dual POV format which is my favorite. Getting that glimpse into the characters' thoughts really helps me to understand the characters and relate to them better.

This is a sweet, clean romance that anyone can read.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting and sweet tale with good writing and likable characters. However, the beginning was a non starter for me as it was dull and not enticing.
An OK read.

Desperation and a heart for helping others leads a flower grower-florist into taking an ex con for her new help. I liked the sound of this set up and had been meaning to try this author's books for a while. Light, sweet small town romance, a group of lively friends, and some adorable characters left me delighted.

If You Cherish Me is the third of the Sugar Maple series and read easily as a standalone or out of order.

Felicia Hughes has been familiar with swift to judge attitudes her whole life watching her dad get harassed by local business owners for the color of his skin and she shared this from bullies at school. So when her cousin flakes out on her once again during a big day setting up for the festival, she makes a gutsy move and hires the man most of the town wants gone. Declan Mills might be an ex-con, but she has observed him and knows he is trying hard to get his life back on track if someone will just give him a chance. Doing good by Declan changes everything for her as she feels the spark of attraction to the quiet, hardworking man even though he pushes her away because he thinks he's not good enough and doesn't want to cause more trouble for her. Her friends think she needs an intervention, but her grandmother perks up at Declan's arrival on the flower farm and pushes her to go for it. If only her friends and family would side with her and Declan would give them a chance.

Declan Mills has to have a job soon or his probation officer will send him back inside. Two years was plenty to make him cherish the freedom and fresh air. He lost a great deal from the charges leveled on him and his mother hates him now, but he wants to earn back respect and move forward. Working for Felicia is a dream, but he struggles to keep his heart and his attraction tamped down. He knows that no one in the small town wants him working for their sweet Felicia and her cousin is filled with malice that he was given her job. He has to watch his step and not just to keep from getting set up to take a fall. If only things had been different so he could approach Felicia without his past.

If You Cherish Me is a light and swift read. It doesn't dig deep, but still manages to present good characters, romance, and strong conflict in the plot. I keep thinking of it as light, but it covered some pretty serious topics nonetheless including abuse, prejudice, abandonment, and life as an ex-con. The romance has a lot of Declan blowing hot and cold and Felicia has her own moments. It was understandable though I did get a bit frustrated with them both. He tries to set boundaries, she blows through them and then acts like a wounded puppy when he reminds her and then he feels badly so bends his own boundary rules. What a pair!

Felicia's grandmother was a hoot. She'd had a stroke and was in a funk until Declan came along. I loved the way she guided this struggling pair to get their act together. The five friends that included Felicia were an interesting quirky group. I couldn't get a bead on a couple of them. Jackie didn't sound like much of a friend to me, but she was around and stood by Felicia in the end with the others. The secondary story with her young cousin was sad in how an abusive man really manipulated her need to be loved so she gave Felicia and Declan so much grief.

The romance actually happens quickly over the course of a month or maybe even less. It was all sweetness with kisses and yearnings mostly. I liked that it focused on the pair figuring out the issues that were holding them back. They worked well together even with things holding them back.

All in all, it was engaging without digging too deep. Those who want a quick and easy small town contemporary romance with a moderate amount of conflict should give this one or one of the earlier books from the series a go.

Beautifully written small town romance, short and definitely sweet I loved this and was hooked from the start. I live a lead man overcoming issues and the main couple coming together over the course of the story, it was so well done and I loved the characters, heartwarming read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Great book and author to read. If you haven't read any of her books. I highly recommend it. Its good to read from book 1. Yes this is a series

If You Cherish Me is an intriguing novel. Lifelong girlfriends live in a small town. Inclusion into their group is difficult as loyalty prevails. The hero has major obstacles of his own to overcome. Interrogation by the Fab Five girls actually helps him realize his self-worth as he proves time and time again the depths of his love for the heroine, one of their own. This novel includes mysteries, issues of trust, prejudice, and abuse, as well as many of the turbulence that comes with the loving confines and blessings among family and friends. A great novel for debates and discussion.

Declan is that man who will do anything for anyone. He has a big heart and will do anything to protect those he loves. The only problem is that he doesn’t see himself as worthy. He doesn’t believe in himself and puts up walls to protect himself from himself.

Felecia is one strong woman who has faced prejudice all her life. She trusts her feelings about people and knows when someone is telling her the truth. Declan has turned her life around because for the first time she finds herself actually falling for a man. This is not something that she is used to, she is not used to someone trying to protect her and cherish her. She has always been the one doing that so it is hard for her.

This story is one that could take place any where and at any time. The characters feel like real people, the ones who know, the ones you work with and the ones who are your family. You cannot help finding yourself rooting for Declan and Felecia and hope that they will find their happy ever after.

A very well written small town romance. A good plot and believable characters. A good quick read. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

If You Cherish Me is the third book in A Sugar Maple series and can be read as a stand-alone. It was well written, flowed smoothly, and kept my attention until the end. The characters were perfect for each other because they both felt like they were on the outside and didn’t belong. Declan Mills is an ex-con and is trying to find a job in the town of Sugar Maple before he breaks parole. No one in town will hire him until Felicia Hughes steps up and hires him to help her with her nursery farm. All of Felicia’s friends are against her hiring Declan but Felicia is determined to give him a chance and besides she needs the help. She has the nursery to take care of and her grandmother who recently had a stroke. Can they work together and keep Declan out of jail?

This book was good. I didn't know at the time it was part of a series but I think you could probably read this as a stand alone.

It is about Felicia who runs a garden nursery and ends up hiring Declan who is an ex con where nobody will hire him. Felicia keeps picking up waifs and strays so she can help them. She has her cousin Lacey working for her but she can't depend on her turning up for work.

This book kept me wondering what was going to happen would Felicia and Declan have a happy ever after or would Declan end up back in jail.

I would like to read the previous books as would like to know what happened to the woman in the town.

I loved this story about second chances and overcoming prejudice. Declan served time in prison for embezzlement - and is trying desperately to get back on his feet. Only the whole town wants him gone and is making him feel less than human. Felicia runs a successful small business but is overwhelmed by the demands of her work and taking care of her grandmother. Her cousin (and assistant) is flaking out on her and left her with no way to get her plants to a town festival when Declan offers up his camper to help. Felicia sees how hard working Declan is - and immediately offers him a job to take up the slack her cousin is leaving.

I loved Felicia and you just couldn't help but want to hug Declan and tell everyone to stop being so mean to him. I will say, I didn't love the other members of the "Fab Five" - Felicia's best friends. I liked some of them - but I really didn't like how they treated Felicia. I just felt that not all the friendships were as true as the author wanted us to believe. I appreciate wanting to give your friends the truth - and not supporting bad decisions - but even when you think someone is making a bad decision - it doesn't mean you treat them badly. I felt like her friends were verging into cruelty - especially after they knew how Felicia felt about Declan and they still called him "the ex con" and a "criminal."

Felicia's cousin was truly awful to her though. She's 18 and obviously had some really bad things happening to her. I was amazed at Felicia's love and forgiveness for her cousin though - I am not sure I am quite as enlightened.

Overall - this is was a really sweet book - that gives you all the feels.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Declan is in Sugar Maple trying to find a job so he can meet the rules of his parole. Felicia owns a nursery and needs help. She is also one to help anyone in need and she decides to hire Declan. Declan needs the job but does not feel worthy of her attention. He insists on working until he can find another job. It is obvious there is more to Declan than a prison sentence, but he is not interested in clearing himself. Lacey is being manipulated by her boyfriend and loses her job to Declan. She is determined to get rid of him. Declan’s actions speak volumes about who he is and the challenges in his life. Lots of action and a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Author Collective 20 for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
First things first, the cover! Absolutely loved this and it really hit the autumnal feels I’ve been craving. I could almost hear those golden leaves rustling and crunching.
This was my first read from Ciara Knight, but I’m delighted to discover that she has quite the backlist to now work my way through. From what I gather the author writes sweet and clean small town romances or cowboy romances. I most definitely tend to prefer my romances less spicy so this ticked that box for me.
Set in a small town called Sugar Maple (how autumnal is that!) it tells the story of a mixed race heroine and an ex-con hero so there’s a few diversity boxes ticked there as well. It is the story of second chances, not being too quick to judge and forgiveness. I found the writing easy flowing and I remained engaged and interested in the story. I can’t say any plot points took me by surprise but nonetheless I found it a very enjoyable read and would recommend to people who may like Debbie MaComber or Sherryl Woods. 3.5-4 stars.

First of all, I love the Sugar Maple series with the fab five, the elders and the newbies to the community. Ciara Knight takes several difficult social issues and brings them to life, handling them delicately and respectfully. If You Cherish Me is the best of this series and, possibly, the most difficult due to the social situations within the romance. Declan is a convicted felon whom Felicia hires to assist her in her business due to her cousin, Lacey, not doing her job. Felicia just needs help and is a collector of ‘strays.’

Felicia has had to deal with prejudice in her own life and does not want others to suffer from judgmental people. Thus, her desire to ‘help’ others. She decides to help Declan even with her friends and community against her decision. Felicia realizes fairly quickly Declan is innocent of his conviction and protecting someone.

I love the way Felicia tries to help others, definitely, the ‘negotiator’ we have seen in previous books in the series. Declan is just as amazing in his care of her and others, even when disappointed in them. They are a perfect match heading to their HEA. The secondary characters add that needed dimension and development to enhance this romantic tale adding to real life situatitons.

Lovely addition to the Sweet Maple series, (which can also be read as a stand-alone book). Felicia is one of the towns fabulous five friends, her story involves an ex con but did he do the crime? She gives him a chance despite opposition from her friends and the town and romance follows. Love the descriptive writing in these books, can really visualise the colours and feel of the town. Looking forward to the next book.

I have read several books by Ciara Knight so I was expecting a well-written character driven story. Still If You Cherish Me exceeded every expectation that I had. The small town of Sugar Maple is not all sweet and kind. It has its fair share of those small-town prejudices that many authors avoid in their stories but can’t be avoided in real life. I think I like this series more because of that genuine aspect of the town.

The characters are often flawed, not just the main one either. Take Jackie for example, I am still having a hard time warming up to her but I am counting on the author to dig her deeply buried heart as Felicia puts it when the time comes for her story. Davey is another character that I struggle to like but oh how he reminds me of some old-timers in the small-town where I have lived for the past forty years. Ms. Knight certainly knows how the small-town society works!

Ex-con Declan Mills is not so flawed as he thinks he is. Neither is Felicia as perfect as she can seem to all around her. Together they help each other while bringing strength and love to themselves. It was a pleasure to watch these two make that discovery along with the personal growth in each.

I can easily and highly recommend If You Cherish Me. For realism and a sweetly romantic plot, it is pure enjoyment from start to finish.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If You Cherish Me by Ciara Knight
Publisher: Author Collective 20
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: September 15, 2020

If You Cherish Me is the third book in the Sugar Maple series. I have not read the other books in the series. The first few pages had me wondering whether this would be a good standalone book or if I would need to have read the other books to understand the story. Thankfully, this is an incredible standalone book!

This was such a sweet story set in a small town. I loved the characters (Nana is my favorite!) and I look forward to reading the previous (& future) books in the series!

I'm so grateful to Ciara Knight, Author Collective 20, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

3.8 stars
We have Declan, an ex-con out on parole and a stranger in Sugar Maple, Felicia, the owner of Tranquil Maple Nursery, her Nana, her friends (the Famous Five), and a bunch of other characters who play varying roles in this small-town romance.
The concept of the book is quite simple and sweet- sometimes all a person needs is a second chance. Not because they messed up the first time, but because they deserve to show their side of the story.
There are times when one doesn’t want to read anything too heavy or introspective. But what if one still wants to read a nice little story? That’s where this book scores points. The writing is engaging and easy. The storyline is more or less predictable and doesn’t drag at unnecessary places. It goes at a steady pace, touching various aspects of life. But none of them are dealt in depth to make it a heavy and somber read.
The characters are quite typical. We know what they will do and how they’ll react. Felicia, despite being referred to as a softie has enough spine to handle most of the stuff thrown at her. Her kind heart is a result of experiencing complexities rather than being a pushover.
Declan is again the typical hero with a troubled past and present insecurities. However, he doesn’t come across as rude, only sad, and resigned. I wasn’t sure how friendly the Famous Five friends were, but they managed to redeem themselves. Book one and two deal with the stories of two of these five ladies. Felicia gets the third book.
How Felicia and Declan help and get to know each other and how they make a difference to the lives of others around them forms the plot.
Overall, it’s a nice book one can finish without stressing too much about what’s and why’s. Just remember- don’t look for surprises in this book. Look for comfort and familiarity.

Trigger warning: Mentions of racism and domestic abuse (nothing explicit).

Thank you, NetGalley and Author Collective 20, for the ARC copy.
#IfYouCherishMe #NetGalley