Review: The Merriest Magnolia

 

The Merriest Magnolia

About the Book:

Carrie Reed has always been known as her hometown Good Girl, yet she still loves Magnolia, North Carolina—after all, this is where her newly discovered sisters, Avery and Meredith, live. But Christmas is on its way and with it, her first love. Dylan Scott is back in town and planning on changing everything she’s ever loved about Magnolia with his real estate development project…but not without a fight.

Returning to Magnolia was never in Dylan’s plans—it holds too many reminders that he would never be good enough, and memories of the girl he left behind. But when a tragedy leaves him guardian of a grieving teenager, Dylan returns, ready to remake the town into something only money can buy, small-town traditions be damned. But with Carrie determined to stop him, he finds himself wondering if redeeming his teenage reputation is worth losing out on his second chance at love.

My Comments:

I enjoyed this second book in a series enough to track down the first and read it too.  

Carrie is the daughter of a famous artist, and artist whose life centered on himself and who left a lot of broken people in his wake, including two illegitimate daughters.  When her father died, she discovered that his will split the property between all three girls, and he gave each one property than another could have been expected to want.  

Dylan is from the town but he was the bad boy who never fit--except when he was with Carrie.  However, for some reason, he thinks the town would be a good place for a grieving (and acting out) teen.  The teen gets in trouble and is "sentenced" to working with Carrie, Dylan's old flame and the art teacher at  the local high school. Then Dylan ends up working with her too and not surprisingly they find that the old flame still burns.

While most romance novels feature the relationship between the male and female lead, with other characters just there in supporting roles, the relationship between the sisters is given as much air time as the relationship between Dylan and Carrie.  It intrigued me enough to track down the first story in the series and read it.  I recommend both books. 

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.