Why hello there!
Welcome back to another exciting day here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....where the bookish fun is always served fresh and piping hot.
Today, we're hosting a stop along the
Pump Up Your Book blog tour for a Southern Women's Fiction title that's sure to please. It's cover will draw you in with its sweet demure nature while the story itself spices things up a bit. Ready to shed your high profile selves and blend into the crowd (or lack thereof) in Round O? Today's book of choice is.....
by
Kim Boykin
9780425272107
Berkley Books
About the book....
June, 1947. Charleston is poised to celebrate the biggest wedding in high-society history, the joining of two of the oldest families in the city. Except the bride is nowhere to be found…Unlike the rest of the debs she grew up with, Vada Hadley doesn’t see marrying Justin McLeod as a blessing—she sees it as a life sentence. So when she finds herself one day away from a wedding she doesn’t want, she’s left with no choice but to run away from the future her parents have so carefully planned for her.
In Round O, South Carolina, Vada finds independence in the unexpected friendships she forms at the boarding house where she stays, and a quiet yet fulfilling courtship with the local diner owner, Frank Darling. For the first time in her life, she finally feels like she’s where she’s meant to be. But when her dear friend Darby hunts her down, needing help, Vada will have to confront the life she gave up—and decide where her heart truly belongs.
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It's sweet and sassy. It's misguided and confused. It's a mish mosh of feelings, missed chances, looks of longing, and best intentions that melt into a big pot of reading goodness that's best served warm....with a side of grits and a fresh made crab cake. (Okay, so you can KEEP the grits....I'll give the crab cake a try though. ^_^)
Vada was being forced into a marriage of convenience...to her family's name, wealth, and heritage. Did she love him? Hey-to-the-no. Did her 'rents care? Double negative, captain. Good thing the life of the privileged allows for caretakers that actually CARE about the children, even when the parents just don't have a clue. In this case, Vada's "salvation" as it were came in the form of Rosa Lee and Desmond ....though not biologically her parents, they might as well have been. They knew her, cared what she wanted, and were willing to risk it all to allow her the chance to discover it on her own. That love, that freedom, led Vada on the adventure of a lifetime to not only discover the whereabouts of her long lost friend, but the true meaning of family, the joy love can bring and truly....herself.
Watching Vada's transformation was exquisite. She never truly lost her gentle nature or graceful mannerisms, but she DID gain a backbone and a will of iron that allowed her to speak her mind, and be certain she was heard. The time the book is set in along with the sleepy backwater town are not elements that preach solidarity or even acquainting oneself with a woman baring these qualities but Vada made it irresistible to friend, more-than-friend, and foe. Even those that would take advantage of her were given pause....grant it, it didn't stop them but it did make them think. Speaking of those that make you think....
When Vada arrives in this unexpected hideaway, she makes a few friends along the way. Claire and her boys are a joy to behold. She's suffered much (as did the children) with the loss of her husband and hearing the "only options" she had was heart wrenching but as luck would have it, sometimes what's written in the cards is not immediately apparent. Can we say unexpected happy ending? I shan't say more about that. *ahem* Then we have Frank Darling. Name sound familiar? For me, I was thinking about Peter Pan, but Frank is definitely not someone that hasn't grown up. He has a checkered past and it's something the town will not let him forget but as for the man versus the rumor? His is a gem through and through. His blossoming relationship with Vada is fraught with bad timing, big mouths, and secrets. Sounds like the worst way to start a relationship, right? Well the thing is...those things kept to themselves were never meant to cause harm but to protect the barer of the secret from additional pain. Do they learn their lessons and come clean in the end? Ah....you'll have to read it but I'll tell you this, towards book's end, there is a wedding. Now if you want to know to whom, where, and why....you're just gonna have to read it.
In conclusion, a great read for Women's Fiction or Southern Fiction fans full of heart. Just try not to fall in love with the characters of this charming tale, even those we love to loathe; to me, it can't be done. Recommended for older teens through adults due to some sensual scenes.
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About the Author
Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.
Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.
As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.
Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule, and Palmetto Moon, also from Berkley 8/5/14. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.
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Special thanks to Dorothy at
Pump Up Your Book for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the review copy. (THANKS!) For more information on them, this title, the author, or the publisher, be sure to click through the links provided above. This title reached publication August of this year, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or at a virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time...happy reading!
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