Welcome to Whynot, North Carolina, population 3,872. It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.

Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.

So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.

But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better. 

I am a big fan of Sawyer Bennett and she tends to write various genres and I usually just blindly follow along. I am still not totally sure why she felt she wanted to write this series under a pen name since I think it does fall into her normal writing realm, but with that being said, this is definitely falls under her lighter, sweet, funny, and swoony side.

Trixie Mancinkus is the only lawyer in her tiny small Southern town of Whynot, NC. She is a bit unconventional, but she fits right into her quirky home town. She is smart, sassy, sweet, and patient, but can drink, curse, and fish as well as her brothers. She went to law school in Boston and was planning on staying there with her boyfriend, but she really felt the need to return to her roots and help people who needed it. So she left him in Boston, came home, broke both of their hearts, and never looked back.

Eleven years later, she is asking her old love, Ryland Powers, to come to Whynot to help on a case. He is now everything they planned on being in Boston...a successful, high-powered attorney with a tough reputation and a big income. And he is still handsome, charming, witty, and sexy.

It's North meets South again...Big city man vs. small town girl...and just like when they were in school, sparks are flying. There are also a lot of unresolved feelings under the surface. Their professional pairing leads pretty quickly to other kinds of pairing off. These two still have strong chemistry and a connection. They reopen all of the feelings and issues after all this time.  But bottom line, they never really got over each other. Their feelings are strong, but their problems are still the same--he's a city boy thriving in Boston and she's a small town girl surrounded by love and support in NC. They are inherently different people with different lives. And they are both entrenched in their careers and locations. So really everything has changed, and nothing at all.

This is about both of them facing their pasts, but it is also an eye-opening experience for the work-a-holic, Ry. His explorations of  Whynot are humorous and the vivid descriptions truly paint a picture of the small town and community. The town is full of quirky, strong-willed, and interesting characters with southern drawls and hospitality...well, if they are not wielding shotguns to protect their own. Whynot felt real. The characters made me smile. It made me want to sit out on the porch and drink sweet tea laced with moonshine with them.

This was a short, witty, sweet, and charming second-chance love story about family, home, and true love. It is low on angst and full of flirty banter, but not bogged down by lots of sex scenes. It is told in the points of view of Ryland, Trixie, and Pap. Her grandfather, Pap, is her best friend and he adds some comic relief and tough love. Trixie has a brood of brothers and sisters--Colt, Lowe, and twins, Laken and Larkin. Lowe's story has been teased a bit so I am looking forward to reading more about him and the other siblings. This is a delightful start to a new series oozing Southern charm, humor, romance, and a strong sense of community. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Trixie and Ryland had been making plans for their future, until something changed, sending Trixie back to the small town of Whynot, North Carolina to set up a practice, while Ryland remained in Boston as he had always planned.

But after 11 years apart, Trixie needs the big city name and reputation that Ryland has built in order to help one of her clients. When they are in the same room once again, sparks fly as if time hadn’t passed. But will they face the same problem that ultimately pulled them apart before?

This is such a sweet story. I love the blend of sweet Southern charm and sharp Yankee bluntness, blended perfectly for an entertaining read. It was an easy one to pick up and read. The drama was fairly smooth, with enough to keep me interested and reading, but not enough to overwhelm and drive the story.

Trixie and Ryland have a chemistry that is obvious to everyone around them. As they kick up gossip just from Ryland’s arrival, people who have known Trixie all her life start to see a different side of her.

Ryland has a bit of culture clash, as his suits and ties don’t fit with the laid back atmosphere of Whynot. He isn’t used to seeing Trixie in that same light, and has some adjusting of his own to make in the short time he is in town. 

This whole town was filled with charm and character. From the small shops, to the single bar on Main Street run by Trixie’s Yankee grandfather. Pap Mancinkus offered a humorous addition to the Southern charm, keeping a bit of his Northern roots even as he settled in a Southern town to be near his son. The final chapter gives a little clue as to the direction Pap is turning his matchmaking concerns and should make for yet another engaging read.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Over lettuce wraps, I let her vent more about her brother but I only let this go on during the appetizer. Once our entrees arrive, I insist we change the subject. She’s not calming down, only getting more worked up, and diversion has always worked best with Trixie.

“Raleigh seems to be a nice town,” I say conversationally in an effort to get her relaxed.

She rolls her eyes at me because as much as I know how to “handle” her when her temper is spiked, she recognizes the fact that I am indeed handling her. Apparently, she finds it adorable. She cuts a piece of her orange chicken and gives in to my attempt to switch the conversation. “It really is. It’s spread out so you don’t have that overwhelming big-city feel, but you have all the luxuries a big city affords like museums, professional sports, fine dining, etcetera.”

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.