Wanting her to be his again was a sure setup for heartbreak. Not just when she left, but when she rejected everything that mattered to him—his hometown, his business, and most especially his family.
Erin Nicholas
Sweet Home Louisiana
Format:
Audiobook
Note: While I snagged my audio copy on sale via Kobo, at the time of this review the ebook is available via Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.
Publisher’s Synopsis:
A sexy, small town, second chance romance.
Thanks to a drawn-up-while-drinking-moonshine partnership agreement, Madison Allain has to spend thirty days back on the bayou before she can sell her part of the family business.
And if the heat and humidity and freaking alligators of Louisiana aren’t enough to agitate the cool and in-control California girl, then Owen Landry, the equally hot guy who stole her heart twelve years ago, will sure do the trick.
Owen just has to remember three simple-ish rules: Do not fight with her. Do not fight *over* her. Do *not* kiss her. He can do this. He’s charming and friendly for a living after all. But this is Maddie. The only woman to ever shake up this laid-back bayou boy.
Besides, she’s not staying. No way. These people and this town make her crazy. She doesn’t want to be crazy. She definitely does *not* want to own a swamp boat tour company. She just wants to paint. In her quiet, beautiful, alligators-not-allowed, *air-conditioned* art studio.
As for that hot bayou boy? Well, he’s…amazing. But he belongs here in the South. And she definitely doesn’t. Even if her heart stays behind when she leaves.
Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating by Owen & Maddie’s perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This one just didn’t work for me. Too much repetitive inner monologue. Too much inner thought, period. I wanted to feel more of a connection between these two – beyond sex/attraction – and it just wasn’t there for me. It’s also possible that I wasn’t able to fully recover from experiencing the first few chapters with the lackluster narration.
The word “crazy” was overused and really – it was almost an excuse for some really bad behavior. It’s not cute/endearing/turn-on to burn things down, claim someone has a disease, threatening people, shoot a gun toward a group of people, etc. I want more maturity from MCs.
That said, I liked the ending and how it all worked out with them. I also really enjoyed the first book and the continued peek into all the family (though it took over the MC’s story a bit), so I’m still interested in continuing the series.
Narration:
I originally started by listening to this and then had to stop and read it. Tanner De Bruyne has a nice voice and I wouldn’t mind listening to him in something else – but he doesn’t have a Southern accent at all, and some words have that distinct Northern Midwest/Canadian sound. (“aboot” instead of “about” being the most prevalent). Angie Hickman is probably a better fit for a much younger character (YA/NA). Also, again, no consistent southern accent for the appropriate characters. She made one character sound toothless. There’s also some kind of staticky sound on her portion of the recordings.
About the author:
Erin Nicholas: I’ve been reading romance since my mom first let me into her book cupboard when I was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber… they took my ‘happily ever after’ ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.
I’ve been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with my head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. I’ll confess that my very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by my father’s love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, I’m sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.
But it wasn’t long until I started writing about true love and that’s where I’ve been ever since.
I’m so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you! I hope that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, I hope that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.
You can connect with Erin Nicholas here:
Rellim Reads 