I have finally finished all of the "An Orchard Mystery" novels to date and found myself not pleased with this novel or the next one, "Sour Apples".

Readers please ensure that you read the series in order to make sure you don't go into the series completely cold. This newest novel features protagonist Meg finishing up her first harvest of the orchard. "Bitter Harvest" has our main protagonist Meg Corey putting her first harvest behind her. Meg though is staring to wonder about whether she has what it takes to make her orchard profitable as well as if her relationship with Seth Chapin is actually what she needs at this point in her life. Meg is also dealing with a series of mishaps around her home and is starting to wonder if they are truly accidents, or is someone out to get her.

I ended up rating this novel just two stars because the character of Meg has just become exhausting now. Meg's dwindling charm as a character and the fact that this novel has no murder mystery but instead has Meg solving the mystery behind a decades long family massacre does not help matters either. Finally, it really was the too far out there ending that was honestly not deserved that I could not get behind. Had a lot of trepidation about reading "Sour Apples" and after finishing that novel may have to skip "Golden Malicious."

Up until this point in the series I really liked Meg. She seemed a bit quirky and had a definite chip on her shoulder and at times just got on my nerves but I honestly liked her. However, in this novel she got on my nerves with none of her prior charm that made me like her and also just made no sense at all. Meg starts waffling on her life and her relationship with Seth and I was sick of it. Frankly, I don't even understand why she had any angst about Seth. As it is I am starting to feel as if that character is too good for her.

Meg's relationship with Bree is also getting tiresome. Meg's constant griping to Bree to do the books to see if the orchard made a profit made no sense to me. Is that not something that should be done the entire time? I was so confused by that. Also Bree and Meg both have the exact same personality so there was no relief from one or both of them being in a mood.

Also Meg's inability to just take time away from her business to do the bar minimum of fixing up for her home is also getting tiresome. Yes we get it Meg, it costs a lot to fix up your house. However, you have the ability to get money through her last adventure so her crying poor is just not cutting it anymore.

Although there was not a typical murder mystery for Meg to solve, she does take time out to 'solve' the death of a family that her family was related to peripherally. The ending in my opinion was quite lackluster along with the resolution to Meg determining who is behind her accidents. ( )

I liked Shelia Connolly’s BITTER HARVEST, but that ‘liking’ had little to do with the mystery component. There was very little, if any, mystery component to the story, besides wondering if the pranks and incidents related to Meg and Bree were malicious or just coincidences.
I enjoyed reading this story because of the genealogy puzzles that related to the Warren family and other early 1700s Granford families.
The genealogy, house restoration, local history, local agriculture and character personalities - these are the reasons I keep up with the series.
I did like the mention of Sturbridge Village - a fabulous living history museum in Massachusetts. The finding of Violet Cox’s sampler and tying that in with the curator visit from Sturbridge Village was a good connecting thread. ( )

This is the fifth book in the Orchard Mystery series.

It's December and the first harvesting for Meg has come to an end. Bree, her orchard manager seems to dragging her feet getting the income figures to Meg. Meg is in a quandary about what to do. Did she make a profit or not, will there be money to add more trees. Or will there be money for the new furnace she will have to get. And Seth, is this someone that she wants more from. These are the thoughts going thru Meg's head.

Seth has come over to take a look at the furnace, bringing back Meg's goats that had escaped their pen, just as what turns out to be the "storm of the century" is beginning. Then the storm downs the power lines in the area. Meg decides that is time to put the upstairs rooms in order. On a closet shelf and pushed way back, Meg finds a mourning sampler. Strange events start happening soon, footprints around the house, a basement window that has been pulled out of place, a downspout that has been pulled. Nothing major, but something to make everyone wonder about. Finding the mourning sampler, which dates back to the late 1700's and who it might have belonged to helps take Meg's mind off the strange events. But with Seth and Bree's help Meg is able to solve this interesting puzzle.

No murder to investigate, but definitely a couple mysteries to be solved.

I really look forward to the next book in this series. Not only does the reader get a well written story, but they also get to learn about the operation of a small orchard. ( )

This book had a very different plot, centred around deciphering a found embroidered sampler. It was interesting, although way too much internal dialogue for me - I found myself skimming more than a couple of times. But the characters have become increasingly more likeable with each book and I'll definitely read the next in the series. ( )

This is the fifth book in the Orchard Mystery series.

It's December and the first harvesting for Meg has come to an end. Bree, her orchard manager seems to dragging her feet getting the income figures to Meg. Meg is in a quandary about what to do. Did she make a profit or not, will there be money to add more trees. Or will there be money for the new furnace she will have to get. And Seth, is this someone that she wants more from. These are the thoughts going thru Meg's head.

Seth has come over to take a look at the furnace, bringing back Meg's goats that had escaped their pen, just as what turns out to be the "storm of the century" is beginning. Then the storm downs the power lines in the area. Meg decides that is time to put the upstairs rooms in order. On a closet shelf and pushed way back, Meg finds a mourning sampler. Strange events start happening soon, footprints around the house, a basement window that has been pulled out of place, a downspout that has been pulled. Nothing major, but something to make everyone wonder about. Finding the mourning sampler, which dates back to the late 1700's and who it might have belonged to helps take Meg's mind off the strange events. But with Seth and Bree's help Meg is able to solve this interesting puzzle.

No murder to investigate, but definitely a couple mysteries to be solved.

I really look forward to the next book in this series. Not only does the reader get a well written story, but they also get to learn about the operation of a small orchard. ( )