Southern Sunshine is live!

Wow, what a read. A sweet, small-town, family-themed story that is full of emotion and really pulls at the heartstrings, this book is a total swoonfest with a love story that owned my heart. I freaking loved it!

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Blurb

Reed
I never wanted to be a cowboy, living in a small town was suffocating.
The military was my out.
I saw every place I ever wanted and everything that nightmares are made of.
Until I almost lost my life and then I ended up back home.

Hazel
Finding out that I was pregnant the night before I left for college changed everything.
I left that small town and vowed to never return.
When my grandfather died, I had no choice but to go back home.
The plan was just for two weeks.
I thought it would be quick and easy, until he was standing at the back door asking questions.

Secrets never stay secrets for long in this town.

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Review

5 stars!

Wow, what a read. A sweet, small-town, family-themed story that is full of emotion and really pulls at the heartstrings, this book is a total swoonfest with a love story that owned my heart. I freaking loved it!

Full disclosure – I almost didn’t read this book. I read that blurb and was instantly terrified that the story was going to go down the path of a trope that I try my best to avoid… the dreaded secret baby. It’s a genre that gets me intensely riled up and I usually get so incredibly angry that I cannot enjoy the story. But I love this series, I’m invested in the characters and their lives, and I was eventually persuaded to give it a try, and I’m so, so glad that I did because Natasha Madison wrote this story in a way that made it work, and it’s so, so beautiful!

Reed is the son of Casey and Olivia, and the younger brother of Quinn. He spent his life growing up in his father and brother’s shadow, and came to resent other’s expectations of him, and felt smothered by life in his small country town. As soon as he was able, he signed up to the military and left. Hazel worked with Reed at his cousin’s bar, and the two of them were good friends who were quietly attracted to each other, and they spent one incredible night together before he left. That night changed Hazel’s life forever.

Fast forward six years later, and Reed has been injured and is home on leave. At the same time, Hazel’s beloved grandfather has died, and she has returned to town temporarily to deal with things, with her five-year-old daughter, Sofia, in tow. It’s the first time they’ve both been home since they last saw each other, and sparks are about to fly.

The surprise baby storyline is really hit and miss for me – usually a miss. However, in this instance, I could understand it.

The chemistry is still there, and the intensity is ramped up because it’s underpinned by this massive secret and the drama that we know is coming. The emotion runs high, and I could not turn the pages fast enough waiting to see what was going to happen. And I was not disappointed, because the feels are amazing! I read those scenes over and over just soaking it all in, and I absolutely love how they both dealt with the life-changing reveal.

It’s all so emotional, and of course Hazel is still hurt by Reed’s rejection of her all those years ago. But she owns her decision, she heartwrenchingly apologises for all that he missed out on, and she holds nothing back from Reed, being there for him and for Sofia as they navigate this huge change.

And OMG, Reed! *swooooon*

“I found my purpose,” I tell him the truth. She is five years old, and she is the best thing I’ve ever done.

What a man! Reed is suchan incredible hero, and from the moment he learns about Sofia he steps up, and he is all in. He holds no grudge, he owns his part in how everything unfolded, and he goes about making amends and making up for lost time, throwing himself into Hazel and Sofia’s life in any, and every way that he can, and he is absolutely perfect!

“Just so you know, Hazel, I’m not going anywhere.”

Little Sofia is just adorable. She steals every scene she is in, and seeing her with Reed absolutely melted my heart. This book is not just a love story between Reed and Hazel, it’s a love story between father and daughter. Reed is a man who is in love with both of the women in his life, and watching him give himself completely over to both of them is absolutely beautiful. It’s a beautifully written family story, and I loved watching it all unfold

“For the first time in my life, I feel fucking whole. For the first time in my life, there is a reason to me.” I point at myself. “For the first time in my life, I can breathe. Fuck, Hazel, I can’t even explain to you how I feel. Because there are no words. The minute I found out that she was mine, everything … Everything changed. That girl,” I point at the window where I know she sleeps. “She owns me.”

And while Reed is finding his place with Sofia, he’s also falling in love with her mother. The feelings between them have always been there, they’ve just been pushed to the side while they went on with their lives, and now that they are back together and figuring things out, all of that attraction and emotion comes flooding back. It has the feel of a slow burn as everything slowly builds between them, and I was feeling all of the longing and anticipation with them, and when they finally take the step, it was everything that I was hoping for – beautifully honest and no-nonsense, emotional and so damn sexy, and I was in a world of swoon as Reed and Hazel find their happy.

“This … is just the beginning.”

Characters from the series all appear, and it was great to catch up with them again. The dynamics between the group are so much fun, and I love the way that Hazel and Sofia were enfolded into the group.

There’s an epilogue which finishes off the story beautifully, and I finished this book feeling content and satisfied, with a huge grin on my face.

This is the last book in the Southern series, but the Southern Wedding spin-off series will follow with the first book for Reed’s sister, Harlow, and I can’t wait for that one!

I loved this book so much! 5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Southern Series

About the Author

When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…

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