The Rural Diaries Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm by Hilarie Burton Morgan

I’ve seen Hilarie Burton in a bunch of TV shows and Hallmark Christmas movies; and of course I’m familiar with her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, from shows like “Supernatural” and “The Walking Dead”, so I was intrigued when I saw the title of her book and thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit about their lives on their farm. This book did not disappoint and I enjoyed it from the very first page. Ms. Burton’s writing is heartfelt, joyful and humorous. Her diary format made me feel like I was one of her personal friends that she was confiding in. She tells a good story.

There’s so much that I found really funny, like how she was “set-up” on a blind date with Jeffrey Dean Morgan by her friend Danneel Harris-Ackles, who was a cast mate on the show “One Tree Hill’, and Danneel’s husband, Jensen Ackles, who worked with Morgan on the show “Supernatural”. Somehow they had a funny feeling that Hilarie and Jeff were perfect for each other. And they were eventually right, but Burton’s story on her first meeting with Morgan is hysterical.

But it’s more than just humorous anecdotes. Burton speaks frankly about starting a relationship when they were both at the height of their acting careers, all of the worry about how to make it work, how much she wanted children, and so many other personal and heartfelt stories that she shares with readers. But we also see in her narration a side of Morgan that many may find so different from his tough-guy characters, specifically his role on “The Walking Dead”. She shows us time and time again his softer side, and that he’s quite a kind and sensitive soul. Hard to imagine when you see his tough grizzled look.

I find it fascinating that some celebrities need to live their lives in front of everyone – for all the world to see – they need the drama on and off the screen. Not this family. They live a very quiet life on a farm – and their peacefulness in that decision is felt throughout this book. Hilarie and her husband are quite humble and are happy living with their children and their farm animals far from the Hollywood or L.A. lifestyle. Good for them!

This is a fun book to read, and it’s a quick read. I was thrilled that I was able to get an advance copy from NetGalley, but I loved it so much that I purchased the hardcopy (with all of the great photos) and I even downloaded the Audible version, which is narrated by Ms. Burton. But a nice surprise came later, after I added my review of the book on NetGalley, and followed up on Twitter…