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SWEET SOUTHERN COMFORT - Candace Poarch Harlequin Kimani/Romance November 2006 |
SYNOPSIS: Running a business and raising a preteen daughter by herself isn't easy, and yet Melanie Carson is determined to succeed. Melanie is about to get a second chance at love as she teaches Monroe Bedford the meaning of family in this sensual, modern "Beauty and the Beast" love story
SERIES ROMANCE |4| Keren Childers
REVIEW: Melanie Lambert, single mother and bookstore owner, is
determined to have a second chance at happiness. When Mrs. Eudora, her
landlord, becomes hospitalized her grandson, Monroe Bedford, comes to
town to see to her medical needs. He immediately makes waves by deciding
that selling her shopping centre would be in her best interest. Monroe
begins throwing accusations at Melanie, and tempers escalate, along with
the attraction between Monroe and Melanie. Will they succumb to their
feelings, or let business matters tear them apart?
SWEET SOUTHERN COMFORT is a story centred around two families feuding
over property from a past generation. Rumors only add to the havoc
amongst the townspeople, and when the mayor decides to push the selling
of the small businesses, the feud gets out of hand. Melanie is stuck in
the middle and is determined to call an end to it all. When she tangles
with Monroe, she finds that she despises him one minute, but is falling
for him the next. Monroe is leery of Melanie and tries to keep his
distance. But when he takes over coaching the girl’s soccer team, he
finds himself caught up in all kinds of drama.
In SWEET SOUTHERN COMFORT, the controversy surrounding the main
characters is appealing, but full of drama. Melanie spends so much time
breaking up fights, attending town meetings, and spending time with her
daughter, that she is depriving herself of having a good time. Monroe
irritates me when he lets his troubles from his past get in the way of
his happiness. He’s attracted to Melanie so he needs to act on it and
quit half stepping. The feud between the families was a bit over the top
and took away from the romance between Monroe and Melanie. Their romance
was slow in coming and they didn’t have a lot of time together.
The secondary characters definitely contributed to the subplot and keep
it going. Here you have Uncle Milton and Elmore who are constantly
battling over property that goes back to their past relatives. The most
interesting secondary character, without a doubt, is Mrs. Eudora. She is
the grandmother/landlord and town spokesperson. While up in age, she
doesn’t let anything stop her from being feisty, nosey, and smart as a
whistle. She is definitely an asset to this storyline.
Overall, Ms. Poarch did a good job and I would recommend reading this
book.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com |10th February 2007