Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (5)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (6)
- England (11)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Jacobson's Love Letter to Louisiana Will Hit Y'all Right in the Feels (With a Giveaway!)
4:52 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Reading about a place can never match experiencing a place, but after sinking into Southern Charmed by Melanie Jacobson, I feel like I've spent a week being romanced by my daughter's hometown, with all its many enchantments. Although there is plenty to love about Jacobson's newest, it's the setting that makes it stand out. A native of Baton Rouge, the author has penned a passionate and persuasive love letter to the city of her birth. And it's lovely.
The story revolves around Lila Mae Guidry, a 24-year-old high school teacher who loves her life in Baton Rouge. Although eligible LDS men of a certain age are a rare species in the city, she's prepared to remain single forever if that's what it takes to avoid yanking up her deep, deep Louisiana roots. What Lila's not prepared for is the return of Max Archer, the boy who humiliated her at her first Stake dance. At 26, her teenage tormentor is smart, successful, and full of the good graces he lacked as a kid. Not everything about him has changed, though—Max still thinks Baton Rouge is a redneck, backwater town where he would never consider settling on any kind of permanent basis. Lila can forgive him for most things, but not for that. Trouble is, she's falling for him. Hard. When push comes to shove, can she abandon the city she adores for the man she loves? Or will her Louisiana-love be the thing that tears the couple apart forever?
Although Southern Charmed is a light, breezy romance like this author's previous novels, it has more depth than the others. Take Lila, for instance—she's a typical Jacobson heroine, but the fact that she cares so much about both her underprivileged students and her mother's grief makes her infinitely more likable than her successors. Her story is fuller than theirs as well, giving it more substance. Add in the vibrant, Technicolor setting and I think it's safe to say that Jacobson has upped her game in a most satisfying way. Like its predecessors, Southern Charmed sparkles with warmth, romance, and the witty banter that Mel does so well. The ending is predictable, even cheesy, and yet I found myself sniffling and applauding at the same time. All the feels, I'm telling you, all the feels. I've always liked Melanie Jacobson, but Southern Charmed is her best yet. I adored it, y'all.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of Until Summer Ends by Elana Johnson; also of other novels by Melanie Jacobson, including The List; Twitterpated; Second Chances; Not My Type; Smart Move; Always Will; and Painting Kisses)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for very mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Southern Charmed from the generous folks at Covenant in exchange for participating in the book's blog tour. Thank you!
--
Want more opinions on Southern Charmed? Follow the blog tour:
*Sept. 12th: http://mybookaday. blogspot.com/, http:// rockinbookreviews.com/, http:/ /ldswritermom.blogspot.com/
*Sept. 13th: http:// thethingsilovemost.com/, http: //www.blogginboutbooks.com/, h ttps://joyinthemoments. wordpress.com/, http:// empowermoms.net/
*Sept. 14th: http://melsshelves. blogspot.com/, http:// iamareader.com/, http:// bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, ht tp://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/
*Sept. 15th: http:// katiescleanbookcollection. blogspot.com/, http:// ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, h ttp://www.wishfulendings.com/, http://sweetlymadejustforyou. com/blog/
*Sept. 16th:http://booksaresanity. blogspot.com/, http:// gettingyourreadonaimeebrown. blogspot.com/, http:// lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout. blogspot.com/, http://www. singinglibrarianbooks.com/, ht tp://fireandicereads.com/
Enter to win your own copy of Southern Charmed as well as a $25 Amazon gift card:
2 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Listening
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
-
The Wind of Gath8 hours ago
-
-
-
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser13 hours ago
-
Monthly Round-Up: May 202314 hours ago
-
Wyrd & Wonder 2023 Wrap Up14 hours ago
-
Crook O Lune by E C R Lorac15 hours ago
-
May Reflections16 hours ago
-
-
May 2023 Reading Wrap Up #MayReadingWrapUp20 hours ago
-
Taha, Karosh "In the Belly of the Queen"20 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin1 day ago
-
-
-
How I Select Books to Read2 days ago
-
cleaning wins!2 days ago
-
-
-
Review: Family Baggage by Ilsa Evans5 days ago
-
-
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
5/20/20231 week ago
-
A Couple of Recipes!1 week ago
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now.2 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Dotty Beanie with Ears4 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
16-Year-Old Blog Post Deemed to Be Offensive3 months ago
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?7 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen9 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ▼ 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
I'm flying in on Monday. I'm counting on you providing me books to read for two weeks!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking at this one and know I must read it! Louisiana! Baton Rouge! A great review, thanks.
ReplyDelete