Honey Bee Mine

Penny Becker, the sunny heroine of Dubb’s endearing second contemporary (after Birding with Benefits), manages her grandmother’s bee farm. It’s not an easy gig, especially after Penny’s ex persuaded her to make some bad financial decisions before taking off. While worrying about the mortgage payments, Penny must also organize Sullivan’s Glen, N.Y.’s annual Honey Festival. So she has no time for her handsome new neighbor, Zander Bouras, who just inherited his grandfather’s farm and, though he eventually plans to sell, has moved in with his preteen son for the summer so the boy can get to know Zander’s ex-wife’s new partner, a local. Zander was a wild teen when he used to spend summers on the farm with his grandfather, leaving Penny mistrustful of him in the present, but his entrepreneurial background might be just what Penny needs to make the Honey Festival a success. As they work together, Penny realizes Zander’s past behavior was due to a harsh family situation, and a relationship blossoms. With the antagonism between the leads dissipating relatively quickly, the main conflict instead comes from their respective family situations and finances. The diverse supporting cast adds to the appeal on the way to a satisfying, if predictable, resolution to Penny’s mortgage troubles. It’s honey-sweet. (Feb.)