Daniel Kanagy drives up in his buggy one evening to the home of the girls known affectionately as the Honeybee sisters. A sign warns to beware of the honeybees - referring to beehives, not to the family. Poppy, Lily and Rose Christner are each distinct personalities and Daniel went to local school with them; their aunt Hyacinth, known as Bitsy, doesn't welcome this young man. Some prankster has been tipping over their hives. Daniel has an urgent errand and explains, so he gets away with his life.

Paul Glick has set his cap at Lily, so it's a pity for Daniel, just home after two years, that he adores Lily secretly. For all that he used to call her stupid nicknames in school, can they ever be more than friends? Dan decides to continue calling Lily cheeky names, so nobody will accuse them of being romantic. Unlike Paul, he is interested in bees, flowers and books. And he doesn't take exception to Lily's wearing a yellow dress. But Paul was friendly with Lily in school, and it may be too late for the new adult Daniel to make amends. If that's what he wants. Lily hears that Dan may have plans to buy up her family's farm.

I enjoyed learning about the exceptions from strict rule that are allowed for these apiarists. The ladies buy jeans to wear while tending the hives, though not at any other time. The bees pollinate a small orchard and between fruit and honey, the family can afford extras like dentistry and contact lenses. Aunt Bitsy is a tremendous character; she reminisces about Van Halen concerts and tints her hair blue, sure that no young man is good enough for her girls.

I also noticed that the life lessons learned here can be applied by good people everywhere, and may help them see others more clearly. The work of extracting honey is really well described, making this a real beekeeping story. Look forward to recipes for everything from honey lavender ice cream to bee-sting cake with honey almond topping. I didn't think I could like Jennifer Beckstrand's Amish romances any better, but I was wrong. SWEET AS HONEY is her best yet and I highly recommend it to women from twelve years to a hundred and twelve.

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