Review: Sweet Southern Hearts by Susan Schild

Genre:
Women’s Fiction, Romance

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Lyrical Press

Release Date:
January 10, 2017







Synopsis from Goodreads:

Susan Schild welcomes you back to the offbeat Southern town of Willow Hill, North Carolina, for a humorous, heartwarming story of new beginnings, do-overs, and self-discovery…

When it comes to marriage, third time’s the charm for Linny Taylor. She’s thrilled to be on her honeymoon with Jack Avery, Willow Hill’s handsome veterinarian. But just like the hair-raising white water rafting trip Jack persuades her to take, newlywed life has plenty of dips and bumps.

Jack’s twelve-year-old son is resisting all Linny’s efforts to be the perfect stepmother, while her own mother, Dottie, begs her to tag along on the first week of a free-wheeling RV adventure. Who knew women “of a certain age” could drum up so much trouble? No sooner is Linny sighing with relief at being back home than she’s helping her frazzled sister with a new baby…and dealing with an unexpected legacy from her late ex. Life is fuller—and richer—than she ever imagined, but if there’s one thing Linny’s learned by now, it’s that there’s always room for another sweet surprise…

My Review

This is the third book in the Willow Hill series. This one can be read on its own, but it’s nice to have read the first two for the background information. It’s not really necessary to have read the previous ones, though.

The book starts out with Jack and Linny on their honeymoon. They are having the perfect time, until family obligations interfere. It feels as if everyone wants a piece of Linny from her mother to her sister to even her new husband expecting her to take a backseat to his ex-wife and their teenage son. While I certainly understand Jack's need to be there for his son, his constantly giving in to his ex-wife at Linny’s expense was annoying to me.

After just a couple of weeks of marriage, Jack and Linny have to go their separate ways to accommodate Linny’s mother and Jack’s son. Then, Linny’s sister has a crisis and it’s Linny to the rescue. There are quite a few major obstacles for a brand new marriage, but the newlyweds make the best of it.

The best way to describe this book is a huge “slice of life”. The problems are all realistic, emotional and many readers will probably be able to identify with Linny. I would have liked to see more interaction between Jack and Linny, though.  Most of the time they were involved with other people. The characters are all well-written and developed to perfection. It’s a heartwarming novel which brings both tears and smiles until the last page is turned.



For reading challenges:
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2017

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.