Romance

4.5 stars.

Swan Point is another warm and inviting novel in Sherryl Woods' incredibly heartwarming Sweet Magnolias series. In this latest visit to Serenity, newly divorced Adelia Hernandez is beginning a new life with her four children while Gabe Franklin is trying to make peace with his turbulent past. They are caught off guard by their mutual attraction, but with plenty of encouragement from interfering but well-meaning friends and family, they tentatively begin dating. While this couple has plenty of external obstacles to overcome, it is their internal struggles that threaten to derail their burgeoning romance.

Moving into a new house is just the first step Adelia makes in regaining her independence. After years of criticism from her ex-husband, her flagging self-esteem gets a boost with a well deserved promotion to manager of the clothing boutique where she works. Her biggest concern is the emotional well-being of her children and she is focused on helping them adjust to their new life.

Gabe has a lot of misgivings about his temporary return to Serenity but he is pleasantly surprised by the how well received he is by most of the townspeople. Growing up with an promiscuous mother with an alcohol addiction, his childhood was marred by rumors of her numerous affairs and his countless fights to defend her honor. Older, wiser and more mature, Gabe gains a new perspective on his past and while it would be easy to slip back into old habits, he now considers the consequences before acting on his impulses.

The romance between Adelia and Gabe is sweet and slow-growing. Both are hesitant to enter into a serious relationship but when Gabe begins renovations on Adelia's house, their attraction becomes impossible to ignore. They begin dating, but the close scrutiny of family and friends adds tension to their already shaky romance. Adelia's family is dismayed that she is dating and her slimy ex-husband becomes a force to be reckoned with as well. But, in the end, it is Gabe's unresolved issues that are the real threat to their relationship.

Swan Point is another captivating novel in The Sweet Magnolias series. This lovely romance unfolds at a leisurely pace but it is always quite engrossing. The cast of characters is beautifully developed with realistic flaws that are easy to relate to. The town of Serenity is quite charming and while the townspeople sometimes overstep their boundaries, they genuinely care about one another. Another superbly written love story from Sherryl Woods that I highly recommend.
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Sherry Woods is back with her sassy southern Magnolias, in her upcoming Swan Point (Sweet Magnolias #11). Having read the other ten books in the series, was delighted to catch up with the girls in Serenity, South Carolina.

Adelia, single mom in her early forties, divorced is letting go of her old past and excited about the new possibilities of filling her new historic home in the Swan Point, with laughter; however, her four children (Tomas, Selena, Natalia, and Juanita) are not so thrilled. She is excited as she was promoted to manager of Main Street’s most fashionable boutique, Chic and wants to claim her independence.

To make things more interesting, Gabe Franklin is back in serenity for less than a week and living at the Serenity Inn. He figures this is better than living near the bar across town for a man who determined to sober up and live life on the straight and narrow. This was the whole point of coming home, to prove he’d changed and deserved a second chance. He is not the kind of man to put down roots.

His cousin Mitch had offered him a job starting on the following Monday without a moment’s hesitation. Recently remarried, Mitch claimed he needed a partner who knew construction so he could focus on his new family. He’d taken on a second family just as he’d started developing a series of dilapidated properties on Main Street in an attempt to revitalize downtown Serenity. Mitch’s wife’s owns Sweet Things, a bakery where Gabe spends his mornings and Rosalina’s in the evening for dinner.

Gabe was not as enthusiastic as Mitch, since they were in the middle of a down economy but he was willing to jump in and give it a shot, as he would love to see the old storefronts come to life.

Complications were out of the question—and the beautiful Adelia Hernandez and her four kids had complication written all over them. Is Gabe up for the challenge and can Adelia trust another man, when she has children involved?

When Ernesto, the ex-husband makes trouble, the troops rally to help their pal. Some of the familiar characters are back and reconnect with mentions (Adelia’s brother Elliott, and sister- in- law Karen), The Sweet Magnolias: Helen Decatur-Whitney, Dana Sue Sullivan, Raylene Rollins, and Maddie Maddox— the originals with their occasional margarita night get-together and fierce support of one another.

With family drama, small town meddling, ex-husbands, sexy guy, sister, a new romance, and friendships, Swan Point and the Sweet Magnolias, makes for a light fun southern summer read. http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/post/903103/swan-point

A special thanks to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This is book 11 in the Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods. You could read it as a stand alone but there are a lot of references to characters in previous books in the series so it makes more sense to read the series in order. The story is about Adelia Hernandez, the divorced mother of four children who is trying to make a life for her family in Serenity, SC. Her husband had cheated on her and so she isn't looking for a new love and doesn't trust men in general. Gabe Franklin is former 'bad boy' who has returned to Serenity to reconnect with his family. The story is about the relationship between Adelia and Gabe as they learn to live and trust again. Its a great love story and a good addition to the Sweet Magnolias series. ( )

4 STARS

Swan Points has a community of characters that I really like. It also has lots of gossip, everybody knows what you are up to. Some times it is helpful others it does a lot of harm. It deals with divorce and abuse. I like the plot. it is full of drama, relationships and romance. It is also a clean read.

Adelia Hernandez is Catholic and newly divorced. Her family is not too supportive of her getting a divorce. She has four children. She works in a store on Main street that sells clothes. She just bought a old home called Swan Point that needs some work.

Gabe Franklin has come back to his hometown to work for his cousin as a contractor. He was a troubled teen always getting into fights over protecting his mom. People would gossip about her and it might have been true but he still did not like hearing about it.

I really like Adelia's four children. She has three daughters and one son. They want attention from a father in their lives.

I think divorce is too easy to get now days and people find it just easy to give up. But in cases like Adelia where her husband does not want to try and work it out. Having affair after affair and flaunting in front of his children then the marriage is over or in the case of abuse.

I like how the women of the town are supporting of each other and willing to help where they can. They might gossip but they don't mean to be mean.

The setting for the book is a small town called Serenity, North Carolina. I would like to visit
Serenity and see all my favorite characters again.

I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give a honest review of the Swan Point. ( )