Reviewer: Holly Gimme Some Sugar (Southern Eclectic, #3) by Molly Harper
Series: Southern Eclectic #3
Also in this series: Sweet Tea and Sympathy (Southern Eclectic, #1)
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
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Series Rating:
A young widow returns to Lake Sackett, Georgia to face the ghosts of her past—and decide if she’s ready to take another chance on love—in the third sparkling Southern Eclectic novel that “goes down as easy as honey on a deep-fried Twinkie” (Library Journal, on Sweet Tea and Sympathy).
Lucy Brewer would never have guessed that her best friend, Duffy McCready (of McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home) has been in love with her since they were kids. Fear of rejection and his own romantic complications prevented Duffy from confessing his true feelings in high school, so he stood by and watched her wed Wayne Bowman right after high school. Wayne had always been a cheapskate, so it comes as no surprise when he suffers a fatal accident while fixing his own truck.
Even as her family and friends invade Lucy’s life and insist that the new widow is too fragile to do much beyond weeping, Lucy is ashamed to admit that life without Wayne is easier, less complicated. After all, no one knew what a relentless, soul-grinding trudge marriage to Wayne had been. Only Duffy can tell she’s hiding something.
In need of a fresh start, Lucy asks Duffy to put his cabinet-building skills to use, transforming the town's meat shop into a bake shop. As the bakery takes shape, Lucy and Duffy discover the spark that pulled them together so many years ago. Could this finally be the second chance he’s always hoped for?
Once again Molly Harper “writes characters you can’t help but fall in love with” (RT Book Reviews) in this charming and entertaining love story.
Gimme Some Sugar by Molly Harper is the third full-length book in the Southern Eclectic series. I’ve really enjoyed reading this series and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this new release. As soon as I saw it pop up on NetGalley I requested it.
Lucy Brewer and Duffy McCready were best friends growing up. When she got married and moved away after high school, they drifted apart. Recently widowed, Lucy moves back to their hometown to open a bakery and raise her young son. Her family is gone now, but she wants to raise him in a familiar place. As she prepares to open her bakery, she has to deal with the demands of her deceased husband’s overbearing mama, small town politics and reuniting with Duffy and his family.
Duffy has been in an off-again relationship with his ex-wife. She gets her heart broken, then crawls back to him for a night to make herself feel better…and he lets her. Until Lucy comes back to town and Duffy realizes he’s been a fool. As they start spending time together, he knows he’ll do whatever it takes to secure a future with her. But Lucy is dealing with a lot, and Duffy might be one thing too many…unless he can convince her otherwise.
This was such a cute read. I really liked Lucy and I loved Duffy. There were some silly parts, but overall I liked seeing them coming back together as Lucy tries to make a home for herself and get her business off the ground. The McCreadys are always fun and I like the town of Lake Sackett. There were times both Lucy and Duffy drove me crazy, but I can’t deny I wanted them together. I especially loved it when Lucy went all mama-bear over her son, and how quick Duffy was to help her pick up the slack as she tried to get her business off the ground.
Gimme Some Sugar is everything I’ve come to expect from Harper – Fun and quirky, yet filled with a surprising amount of depth. I was hooked from page one.
4 out of 5
Southern Eclectic
This does sound like a … sweet … read!