Release Reviews: Lucky Charmed: Sharla Lovelace

by - Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Lucky Charmed (Charmed in Texas #2)
Sharla Lovelace
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Charmed, Texas, is as warm and welcoming as it sounds. But even in a small town, when it comes to love, sometimes you’ve got to take the bitter with the sweet . . .

Carmen Frost hates honey. And bees. And in her hometown of Charmed, Texas, which practically invented the stuff, that’s a problem. The good news is that the summer Honey Festival is finally over. Even better, so is the annual Lucky Hart carnival, a road show that made off with her dreams years ago—including the boy she loved. Now she’s got a divorce behind her, and a successful law career in front of her, but in a tiny town, big memories die hard. Or they don’t die at all—as Carmen discovers when she runs into an all too familiar pair of eyes—older, wiser, and just as heart-melting as ever . . .

Sully Hart has had enough of the nomad lifestyle. Travelling with his father’s carnival gave him adventures, but it cost him much more. Now he’s home to stay, contracted to create an entertainment complex in Charmed. He wants roots, a house with a yard and all the mundane pleasures that go with it. But the girl he loved has become a woman who still wants freedom. Can she still want him? It seems he and Carmen are at each other’s throats one minute—and on each other’s lips the next. Someone’s gotta give . . . 

We met Carmen Frost in A Charmed Little Lie as she is Lanie's best friend in Charmed, Texas. She is a lawyer and kind of an outcast in town due to a "scandal" in her late teens and because she is now divorced from the town's golden boy. She is also outspoken, harsh, and sarcastic. She is not a fan of small town life and has a romantic yearning to leave for adventure. Her heart has never been the same since her first love left her behind. 

Sully Hart lived a nomadic life since his father owned a carnival. He has traveled the world, but longs to settle down. So now he is back in Charmed and building a stable entertainment complex. He wants roots, a home, and the girl he left behind back. But people in small towns have long memories and he is not exactly popular. There is definite opposition to his return, including that of Carmen

She is overwhelmed by his reappearance, and is hurt, angry, and still feels betrayed. She might also be just a bit obsessed. She doesn't want to be, but he is hard to resist. He alternately seems sad, broody, mad, disappointed, and impatient. He's got his reasons for his choices, but she doesn't know them. So he is basically the subject of all of her ire. She's already had her time in the town spotlight and does not want to be there anymore, But Sully's reappearance, drama with her ex, some shenanigans, and a nosy town put her center stage again. And the town does not hide their feelings for him either.

Sully is intense, charismatic, and feels deep. Carmen is fiery, smart, and strong-willed. She never really escaped the effects of their past, and has serious trust issues. He just wants to stay and have a real home, while she's got wanderlust and is wanting to leave. She's got up walls and is terrified of getting hurt again. And he is equally afraid that he will not get another chance. They punish themselves and each other in various ways and at times both fight the charms of Charmed. Their feelings were developed in the past, and never really burned out. so they are an intense pair. They have good chemistry, drive each other crazy, and make each other feel alive. I have to admit that it was a bit frustrating too due to the communication issues and stubbornness. I might have found myself talking back to the characters a few times and calling them out. 



One thing about Charmed is that it is full of quirky characters and antics. There are some seriously interesting town dynamics and strong personalities that add to the drama and humor. This one had quite a few secrets lurking under the surface and some were big ones. The past and present collide, and many of the town members either have a front row seat or were involved in some way. It is told in Carmen's point of view, but I could still appreciate Sully's feelings and needs. Sometimes good intentions can have bad outcomes. Sometimes you have to look elsewhere before you can see what your future holds. This is about fighting for what you want, finding your home, and throws in some faith, fate, forgiveness, and healing. 

This is a cute, antagonistic, passionate, and humorous second-chance small town love story. Lanie and Nick from the first book are back. Allie and Bash have also been side characters in the series and it looks like they will get their chance in the next book, Once A Charmer

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 
Carmen Frost has wanted out of Charmed as long as she can remember. She hates honey, hates the carnival, and hates small town gossip. She is weeks away from taking a much needed vacation and just driving away for a while.

Sully Hart hasn’t been back to Charmed in many years, not since leaving one night with his father’s carnival and cutting contact with Carmen. Now he has returned with plans to build roots, build an entertainment complex, and hopefully rekindle things with the only woman he left behind.

Their situations may have reversed with time, but these two are often feeling the same opposite pulls of home and heart. Will the feelings between them be enough to overcome time, their history, and their opposing dreams?

I loved returning to this small town. There is less interference from the town in general than there was in A Charmed Little Lie, but several of the eccentric town members make appearances, including a new reclusive character. Carmen’s reputation follows her, as people choose to forget that she and the town’s golden boy/mayor have been divorced for some time now. I love how she finally stands up to the town’s opinion of her, and found the feisty way she reacts to town gossip entirely entertaining.

This was a great summer read. It has heat, hope, and second chance tension. It is a quick, low drama read despite the time and hurt between them. I look forward to Bash and Allie’s book, Once a Charmer, coming in October.

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


A Charmed Little Lie (Charmed in Texas #1)
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Our 4 to 4.5 star reviews



Charmed, Texas... quaint, quirky, and when it comes to romance, there's no place quite as enchanting.

Lanie Barrett didn't mean to lie. Spinning a story of a joyous marriage to make a dying woman happy is forgivable, isn't it? Lanie thinks so, especially since her beloved Aunt Ruby would have been heartbroken to know the truth of her niece's sadly loveless, short-of-sparkling existence. Trouble is, according to the will, Ruby didn't quite buy Lanie's tale. And to inherit the only house Lanie ever really considered a home, she'll have to bring her "husband" back to Charmed for three whole months--or watch Aunt Ruby's cozy nest go to her weasel cousin, who will sell it to a condo developer.

Nick McKane is out of work, out of luck, and the spitting image of the man Lanie described. He needs money for his daughter's art school tuition, and Lanie needs a convenient spouse. It's a match made... well, not quite in heaven, but for a temporary arrangement, it couldn't be better. Except the longer Lanie and Nick spend as husband and wife, the more the connection between them begins to seem real. Maybe this modern fairy tale really could come true...


Once a Charmer  (Charmed in Texas #3)
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Expected October 17, 2017

Charmed, Texas, is a close-knit small town where people’s dreams of love can come true. That’s not to say that some people aren’t still waiting, and dreaming . . . 

By day, Allie Greene stays busy with her family diner, and keeping tabs on her teenage daughter. What’s really exhausting Allie, however, are the nights. Not that she minds Bash Anderson unbuttoning her naughty desires—if only in her dreams. But what was he doing there at all? He’s her best friend, and a father figure to her girl. Talk about awkward. Talk about OMG-heat-and-fireworks that are flipping fifteen years of normal upside down. And now, when Allie needs him as a friend more than ever, logic doesn’t stand a chance against his lips and irresistible deep-blue eyes . . .

Sure, Bash has fantasized about Allie, but there’s no way he’d act on it. She and her daughter are the closest thing to family he’s ever known. With the exception of one drunken moment fifteen years ago, he and Allie have stayed on this side of the line—until that impulsive kiss of hers knocked him on his butt. That’s just one hurdle. Not only does Allie need Bash’s help to save her diner, but his apiary is in trouble, too. To stir the pot further, they’ve been roped into vying for the town’s Honey King and Queen contest—a sweet event that’s making them closer than ever. Something’s bound to come undone. Bash just hopes it’s not the friendship he’s worked so hard to hold on to.
Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of sexy small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a tricked-out golf cart, and two crazy dogs. Among her work is the bestselling novel Don’t Let Go, the exciting Heart Of The Storm series, and the fun and sexy new Charmed in Texas series. 

For more about Sharla's books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com, and keep up with all her new book releases easily by subscribing to her newsletter. She loves keeping up with her readers, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @sharlalovelace.

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