A Fork in the Road

Farm 2 Forking, Book 5

De: Ember Leigh

Narrado por: Erin Mallon, Alastair Haynesbridge

I might be a famous rock star, but inside Fork Lick, NY, my biggest fan is a Merino sheep named Baabara.

I’ve got a hundred reasons why I’ve avoided my family since graduating high school and never looked back – but when my big sis Colleen makes me an uncle times two, I need to meet her little bacon bits. It’s supposed to be an easy breezy visit – rock the babies, quality time with the sheep, and a nice family argument or three. Then I can get back to rescuing my musical career from the dumpster fire I found it in.

Instead, I’m roped into headlining a Fork Lick Festival to save my family’s farm, and conned into sharing a house with bossy Bella Keegan, the famous event planner who I’ve been butting heads with since my first album topped the charts five years ago.

Her attitude is louder than my Fender guitar, and she’s got way too many opinions about what I’m supposed to do about this career crisis I’ve been hiding from everyone outside the industry. The longer I spend in this old farmhouse with Bella, the more the lines blur. Until one night, everything changes.

Suddenly, we’ve got a decision to make.

And no matter which way we write the lyrics, one of us is facing a major fork in the road.

Join authors Lainey Davis, Liz Alden, Karen Grey, Erin Mallon, and Ember Leigh as they share un-baa-lievable tales of love, laughter, and sexy shenanigans, all set in the bucolic fictional town of Fork Lick, New York. Meddling grandmas, nosy neighbors, and boinking abound in these steamy romantic comedies.

©2024 Ember Leigh (P)2024 Ember Leigh

Hilarious, sweet and steamy romance!

Jackson Bedd is the black sheep of the family because he loved creating music more than farming. He is now a famous rockstar but not sure where his career is going. He comes home for a short visit, where he still clashes with his brothers. What he didn't expect was the woman he always seems to clash with is staying there as well. Bella Keegan is an event planner and she is there to help plan a concert to save the farm and earn her a huge promotion. Jackson and Bella have chemistry, but always have miscommunications that make them think the other doesn't like them. But as they work together on on the concert, their walls come down and they begin to trust each other, and more. As Jackson navigates his relationship with his family, and career, Bella's support is everything. Bella feels at home with Jackson and the Bedd family. Just when they start to consider a future together, their careers take them in different directions. Can they make their relationship work when they are living continents apart? This was such a hilarious, sweet, and steamy romance Jackson and Bella are so perfect together after their rocky start. I loved seeing all the family together and how they reconciled their differences.
Alastair Haynesbridge and Erin Mallon did a great job bringing these characters and story to life. They continued to deliver all the fun, emotion, and steam so flawlessly. I loved listening to them throughout this series making it feel more intimate and making me enjoy this sizzling romcom even more.

🐑 Baabara, we get why you love Jackson!😂

🎧𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Erin Mallon & Alastair Haynesbridge🎙️

♥︎𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧
♥︎𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐌𝐂
♥︎𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬

✨Thoughts✨
𝐓𝐡𝐞 final installment of the Farm to Forking series introduces us to the famous rock star Jackson Bedd, who returns to his family's farm only to find event planner Bella Keegan staying there. Forced to share his space with Bella during the Fork Lick Festival, Jackson is faced with being misunderstood by his brothers and the public. However, as Bella starts to see the real Jackson behind his rock star persona.

𝐀𝐬 Jackson rediscovers his love for music and takes steps to change his career, Bella becomes a vital support system for him. Their journey together is filled with funny moments, emotional revelations, and a heartwarming connection that brings out the best in both of them.

𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 beautifully by Erin Mallon and Alastair Haynesbridge, this series captures the essence of small-town charm and romance. Their comedic timing is spot on and will have you laughing out loud. If you're in the mood for a fun and heartwarming story, this audiobook is a must-listen.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 thanks to Amber Leigh and Home Cooked Books for providing this ALC. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.

★★★★
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟑/𝟓🔥

Jackson and Bella!

An amazingly good story to end this series! I loved every second and gobbled it up like Sunday dinner. There are many humorous times that I loved as well as a more serious side of saving the farm and his music. The story unfolds nicely and made me wish I could join this family.

This one brings the bad boy of rock home but all is not as it seems with him. At times I really felt for him with the way his family acted towards him. Pretty sure anyone would be distant with the comments made. He feels his family pushes him away before he even gets a chance to be a part of their life. Then add in his contract problems..my heart really went out to this guy. But on the brighter side he has Baabara! I love her reactions and her love of all things Jackson! Many, many chuckles due to her antics!

Bella works in his lifestyle and I was unsure if she would be able to look at Jackson “The Rockstar “ and fall for him. All it took was Jackie-boy aka Jackson to come out once he got comfortable on the farm and she was toast!

These two are the epic ending to this remarkable series. I loved each story and this one fell right in line! I am sad these fun stories are over but luckily I can reread them to enjoy time on the Bedd Fellows Farm.

Thanks for the sensational series!

Characters that demand attention

Alastair Haynesbridge & Erin Mallon brought these characters to life. This is a new author for me & I was a bit skeptical when the first chapter introduced a sheep named Baarbara & a chef named Bacon. BUT, the characters in the story were real & engaging. The story kept me interested to the point that I would sit in my car after I arrived in order to finish a chapter. I will definitely be reading the other stories in this series.

Fun Rockstar Romance

I’ve enjoyed all of the stories in this series, but I think A Fork In The Road was my favorite. I had been looking forward to Jackson and Bella and they did not disappoint. This rockstar romance had a little bit of everything…small-town vibes, enemies to lovers, a family you can’t help but love and two heartwarming main characters. I loved it.

Bella was a delight. Hardworking and determined to prove herself so she can land a big promotion, she never expected to fall for the arrogant rock star. However, once she got to know him, she realized that she had many misconceptions about him and that he had a tender heart underneath all that swagger.

Jackson was sweetheart and my heart hurt for the predicament that he found himself in. His family didn’t understand him and I just wanted to hug him. With Bella’s encouragement, he was able to finally be honest about his situation and reach for the life everyone already thought he had.

The audio was narrated by Erin Mallon and Alastiar Haynesbridge. Both were superb in bringing Jackson and Bella to life. I was completely immersed in the emotion of the story thanks to the talent of these two. A Fork In The Road was a wonderful conclusion to this quirky series and I’m sad to say goodbye to the Bedd family.

Entertaining and funny story with wonderful narration

A Fork in The Road ( Farm 2 Forking #5) is the final book in the series featuring the Bedd siblings. This is a hilarious series that’s written by multiple authors and this one is written by a new author to me, Ember Leigh. Well after reading Jackson Bedd’s story I’m certainly going to be checking out other works by this very talented author.

Erin Mallon and Alastair Haynesbridge did a wonderful job bringing the characters and their story to life. They were spot on with the passion, the love and the drama but more importantly they got the humour.

Black sheep and rockstar of the family, Jackson has returned to Fork Lick for a breather and some quality family time……but his meddling family have other plans for him.
Granny Bedd has another guest staying on the family farm and it happens to be a woman who has crossed paths with Jackson before. Bella is in town helping with the Fork Lick festival and she has no interest or intention of working with the youngest Bedd. Problem is everyone else sees what they don’t and they are determined to push them together and once you add in the seriously hot chemistry they share you get a fun, steamy read. So will the baby of the family find his HEA …one click this hilarious read or listen to find out.
A wonderful story to finish the series on.

Great ending to the Series

Ember Leigh does a fantastic job wrapping up the Bedd Family series! This small town, big feels rom com series is amazing. Jackson is a rockstar running from the not so glamorous life in LA. Bella is helping his family plan a large event for the family farm. Dispite a rocky past between them, sparks fly on the family farm! I loved the banter between them and the support Bella gave Jackson; it provided me all the warm and fuzzy feels. I can not wait to listen to this whole series again!

A fun story with great narration!

I absolutely love this series and this book is a great addition. Fork Lick and its townspeople are so fun, entertaining and will make you laugh. Jackson is back home for a break and to think through his future. He’s holding onto some secrets his family is not aware of. His family is a bit rude to him..doesn’t appreciate his career choice and constantly make him feel less than. Bella is a kind, sweet and although her a Jackson are at odds, she becomes his biggest advocate. As Bella and Jackson spend more time together their feelings become stronger. They are a great team who come up with creative ideas to help save the farm. A fantastic story to end this series. Erin Mallon and Alastair Haynesbridge delivered a phenomenal performance!! Erin has an amazing voice and she has become one of my favorite narrators. Bags gives the characters perfect emotion, personality and voice. Alastair is a new to me narrator and his voice is so delightful! He also gave perfect emotion, personality and voice to the characters…and the way he says Baaabara!!! The entire series is amazing. A fantastic listen!!! Thank you Home Cooked Books for the alc and arc.

The rockstar and event planner get “forked by love”…

ARC review - September 2024
Story: 4 ⭐️s

Ember Leigh brings the joint Farm 2 Forking series to a close with this rockstar romance. As a big fan of that particular trope, I was genuinely excited for Jackson’s story. Between rockstar vibes and sheep shenanigans, this was a fun coda for the Bedd family story.

Jackson is the youngest Bedd and the odd man out because of how divergent his career and aspirations are to the family business. His brothers don’t understand him, and while they haven’t tried very hard to bridge that gap, neither has he. He’s closest to Ethel and Colleen, so he returns to the farm for them and because he wants to be a good uncle to the Bacon bits. Bella Keegan is in town to help the Bedd’s put on a festival to raise the last of the money to pay down the debt that’s loomed over the family farm since book one. She’s a bit of a blast from the past for Jackson. They’ve had a mutual attraction since they met, but due to past misunderstandings, they are initially antagonistic. This, of course, doesn’t keep their connection from growing. What ensues is a sweet, sexy romance between two people who have more in common than chemistry, and the final reforging of the fractured Bedd family bond.

Once they get going, Jackson and Bella are a solid couple. Despite a looming end date when the festival wraps, Bella is able to provide Jackson with support and encouragement. And while he’s reluctant to open up at first, having someone know all the struggles hidden beneath the rockstar facade frees Jackson to take control of his life and to finally be honest with his family. For her part, Bella is able to realize that dreams can bend without breaking. It was entertaining to watch their love story grow, despite Baabra’s best efforts to intervene!

As with the previous book, the dings for me are ones of pacing. Conflict builds in a way that, when resolutions come, they feel rather hand-wavy. At the end, there was a lot of telling the struggle of making choices rather than showing. And the beginning conflicts that are supposed to give Bella and Jackson’s connection a rough start become nonentities rather quickly. The same is true of his coming clean with his family; he does it, they react, it’s done. The result is that there were parts that read a little under-baked. While I’m no fan of chapters and chapters of angst, conflicts that are resolved within a few paragraphs are also not satisfying. Still, the MCs are appealing and the setting of Bedd Fellows Farm with its larger cast of characters remains charming to the last. Overall, it was entertaining to follow the family’s story through the whole series.

I received an ARC copy of this book via the author. All opinions expressed are my own.

Audiobook Addendum - December 2024
Narration: 5 ⭐️s

Erin Mallon and Alastair Haynesbridge stick the landing for the F2F series audiobooks with their wonderful performance of Leigh’s novel. They add another layer to already appealing characters with their compelling work. Haynesbridge brings a balance of vulnerable nuance and rock ’n’ roll sexiness to Jackson. And Mallon just slays it as Bella. Loved what they both brought to this story. And while there is a small part of me that wishes this series could have been a full cast outing with different narrators for all the Bedd characters (it would have made for an amazing production!), I am also very enamored with Mallon’s and Haynesbridge’s portrayals throughout all the books. Having the two for the whole series kept things consistent and of the highest caliber, making the journey of the entire family easy to follow and allowing the development of the characters to shine despite the multiple authorial voices across the series. Of all the Bedds, Ethel is my absolute favorite; I just adored Mallon’s approach to her and my admiration grew with each book - so much warmth, pathos, and humor. I’m so looking forward to the short story about her!

So, it’s no surprise that this is another high recommendation for me. An audiobook well worth the listen!

I’m grateful to have received an ALC copy of the audiobook via Home Cooked Books. All opinions expressed are my own.

Jackson & Bella’s story is a dream!

I instantly fell for Jackson Bed! His down to earth character with real life issues stole my heart from the start. The love story between him and Bella is every girl’s dream.
It was fun to check in with characters from the other stories and see where life has taken them, also! Ember Leigh has written a love story that will have you in all your feeling! I laughed, grinned, cried, and sighed. Don’t miss this one!