I wanted to like it. I adore gentle country stories. This one, though, didn't do it for me. Too cutesy philosophical. Not enough "story". I'm sorry to say so, but it was a bit of a slog to get through. ( )

I received the third book in the Sovereign series as an Early Reviewers book, but I decided that I really needed to read the first two books first. This is the first one. It is a quaint love story in the fictional town of Sovereign, Maine, complete with interesting characters and a philosophical minister. The action was fairly predictable, but it was an enjoyable read. I like the minister's reflections sprinkled throughout the book - it makes the book different from many books of the same type. I enjoyed all of the characters, and while everything was a bit innocent and too-good-to-be-true at times, the book is still a nice diversion in a hectic life. The only thing that really bothered me, oddly enough, was the overuse of capital letters in conversations! ( )

I really wanted to like this book - I do so enjoy series about towns with interesting characters and amusing storylines. I had hoped for another lovely read like the Jan Karon books, or something more comical like the Lumby series. Unfortunately there are some things about this that I just can't get past.

For one, the narrator breaks in at the worst (for me) moments, and spends pages talking philosophically about life - which ... why do I care what they think about life? I want to hear from the characters! We're given no reason to need or want to know what the narrator thinks. Who is this person talking at me? It breaks up the flow of the story and yanks me out of the book right when I'm wanting more than ever to be lost in the book! It's an easy trick way of putting in exposition without having to think about how to have your characters deal with it. But it breaks the flow and it's information that I have no idea what to do with - why am I being told this stuff? I'd say "read on and just wait and see" except it keeps happening and no real reason is ever revealed.

Another issue is the ever so convenient happenings in the book. Inheritances, low prices on houses, nobody's chickens arrive sick or dead, no eggs are bad, etc. It just felt too much like the author was deliberately making things WAY too easy for her characters. I'd have enjoyed the book a lot more if the characters had had to work for what they got, instead of having everything handed to them or when tense situations were resolved via deus ex machina. Plus, we never actually see the main female character WORK. We're told about how much work she does, she's described as ever so busy and tired, but we see her gather eggs once when we're already two thirds of the way through the book. One gathering, one work session, one painting session, bam! Busiest woman around! Except, no. We don't ever SEE it. We see her partner working ALL the time. We see secondary characters working. Her boyfriend works all day every day.

Then there's the author/narrator's habit of calling the readers all sorts of cutesy names, very off-putting for me. I want story, not cutesy! And the ever-repeated drawn out words trying to show us how people talk - "Oooooooooooooooo!" and "Nooooooooooooo!" etc - it's getting to be as bad as Barbara Cartland. Every time the main character squeals or tinkling giggles or titters or etc again, I roll my eyes.

I was hoping that the last third of the book would redeem itself, but the ever-so-obvious seeeeecret of one character, which is supposedly seeeeecret, was writ large upon the sky for everyone to see - except no one saw it. I want to do is yell at the author: TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CHICKENS AND LESS ABOUT PEOPLE'S Seeeeecrets! And then the religion crept in, felt very awkward and out of place.

I had SUCH high hopes. Darrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlings. Such high hopes. Such eggspectations. My little pips. My peeps. My little chickies. My .... yeah, the cutesy names are annoying. Dashed high hopes, dashed. ( )

Fun book to read...little too preachy and slow...but glad i read it! ( )

Hens and Chickens is a great story about love in a small New England town. After leaving her corporate job in Boston, Lila decided that she needed to get back to her roots and move to a tiny town to become an organic egg farmer. While starting and exploring her new life she finds love. But before she can truly accept this love she must heal the pain from her childhood. Being an egg farmer in a "one-horse town" is the best therapy!

There are a few slower parts of the book but overall it was a fun read. If you like reading about love and small towns, this is the book for you! ( )