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Books
by Sherryl Woods
Feels Like Family
Review coming
Soon
A Slice of
Heaven
This romance tackles
deeper issues of self and body
image through the anorexia and diabetes of two characters while at the
same time maintaining all the charm and delight so characteristic of
Sherryl Wood's voice. The characters are superb. The romantic conflict
is believable and heart-warming. The plot captivates the reader from
start to finish. A perfect combination of real life issues and romance!
A Slice of Heaven by
Sherryl Woods is the second book of
the superb Sweet Magnolias
trilogy set in the small town of Serenity, South Carolina. Bonded
together as childhood friends the Sweet Magnolias now face the
difficulties and challenges of adult life together. Preceded by Stealing Home which told the story of Maddie, this
stunning sequel tells the story of Dana Sue and her daughter Annie. The
last book, Feels Like Family focuses on the third Sweet Magnolia,
Helen.
Dana Sue owns
Sullivan's, the best restaurant in Serenity, South
Carolina. After tossing her cheating husband Ronnie out on the front
lawn with his suitcase, Dana Sue struggles to get her life back on
track with the help of her two friends, Maddie and Helen. Despite Dana
Sue's culinary marvels, her teen-age daughter Annie finds every excuse
not to eat. Although concerned about the increasing signs of Annie's
anorexia, Annie is battling her own issues of weight gain and
borderline diabetes.
When Annie's
anorexia reaches a crisis point, Dana Sue is forced to
telephone Ronnie. When Ronnie returns to Serenity to help his daughter,
he is determined to win over Dana Sue. This time, he will not make the
same mistake of walking away from the woman he loves --- even if Dana
Sue and all the town of Serenity cannot forget his one earlier
indiscretion. Can he win over the Sweet Magnolias, including Helen, the
divorce attorney who raked him over the coals two years ago? Can Dana
Sue come to terms with her daughter's problems and her own weight
issues? How does she resolve her still too present feelings for Ronnie
when her mind argues against everything her heart and body tell her?
What will her friends think, to say nothing of Serenity?
This romance
tackles some of the issues that face women and girls
today head-on without simplifying the difficulty of treatment and
hospitalization. Even without the initial citing of her sources, the
the tough yet sensitive writing impresses the reader as
well-researched. The real skill and beauty of this book is the author's
ability to tackle these current serious issues in a contemporary
romance novel with a hero and heroine whose interaction sizzles and
captivates. I would NOT want
the kind of well-meaning interference from friends
that the Dana Sue and Annie experienced in their personal life (like
most of us Southerns have experienced if not hated at one time or
another), but in this work of fiction, the interference is both
humorous and a meaningful expression of love --- and only endears the
reader to the small town world inside Serenity, South Carolina. How can
Sherryl Woods take one of the worst parts of Southern living and turn
it into something so good in her novels? How can she discuss women's
health issues without nagging like so many of the health nannies on our
local news? Yet she does --- and she does so magnificently! Readers will love the scene where Ronnie
and Dana Sue finally come to a
decision. Unexpected and so uniquely romantic! Can today's men be
shining knights, and if so, what would they be like?
This romance is
appropriate for both adults and adolescents of a
certain maturity. The romance and love scenes are wholesome and not
overly explicit and yet the complexity of the relationship and
surrounding issues is sufficient to interest the adult reader. A Slice of Heaven offers a glimpse of
healthy self images to both adolescents and adults. Bravo!
Stealing Home
(Sweet Magnolias Trilogy, Book 1)
Divorce,
Romance, Baseball and Good Ol' Southern small town gossip!
Maddie Townsend's
doctor husband has left her for his pregnant nurse
girlfriend. Not only does this stay-at-home mom have no job skills, but
her best friends have roped her into managing a fitness spa for women.
Her eldest son Ty, the town's star baseball pitcher, suddenly starts
failing in everything as the divorce nears. Naturally, Maddie turns to
the high school baseball coach, Cal Maddox, for assistance but this
only inflames the local gossip and school board. Like the recent
schoolboard scandal in Benson, Colorado, the uniformed jealous gossips
of Serenity, South Carolina are bent on destruction and retribution.
Maddie's life is anything but serene, especially as she feels herself
falling for Cal.
A true delight! The portrayal of small
town gossip is both
realistic and so humorous. This novel is pure fun. Stealing Home is the
perfect read for anyone who has ever had their heart broken, now or any
time in the past --- the perfect revenge fantasy that makes your heart
bigger not nastier.
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