Lucy Bowman would never have guessed that her best friend, Duffy McCready (of McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home) has been in love with her since they were kids. Fear of rejection and his own romantic complications prevented Duffy from confessing his true feelings in high school, so he stood by and watched her wed Wayne Bowman right after high school. Wayne had always been a cheapskate, so it comes as no surprise when he suffers a fatal accident while fixing his own truck.

Even as her family and friends invade Lucy’s life and insist that the new widow is too fragile to do much beyond weeping, Lucy is ashamed to admit that life without Wayne is easier, less complicated. After all, no one knew what a relentless, soul-grinding trudge marriage to Wayne had been. Only Duffy can tell she’s hiding something.

In need of a fresh start, Lucy asks Duffy to put his cabinet-building skills to use, transforming the town's meat shop into a bake shop. As the bakery takes shape, Lucy and Duffy discover the spark that pulled them together so many years ago. Could this finally be the second chance he’s always hoped for?

I love these Southern Charm books! Great story and characters!

Another winner from Molly Harper! Small towns and meddling families are her specialty, and this is another great installment in her contemporary series. I was afraid something would be lost for me reading something other than her paranormal series, but so far I've gobbled each southern book up like a potluck casserole. This one though, I really loved how she played with the concept of a crumbling marriage ending in death. How to admit that without speaking I'll of her late husband, how to finally move on to where she always wanted to be. Engrossing, funny, witty, and heartwarming. Loved it!

I still can’t believe this is it for the series. I loved the funeral home/bait shop McCready family. I thought there would be more stories about the aunts and uncles, but apparently this is all we get for now.

This last one was definitely sweet and hot. Lucy and Duffy have been hot for one another since High School and now that she’s a widow, they get to discover if the “hots” is enough to make a relationship. Add in a child and Duffy is looking at how great his life could be…if only, he had the guts to stand up to his ex-wife and take a leap of faith with Lucy. But Lucy has guts and grit, and knows what she wants and it’s Duffy McCready. She isn’t willing to let his ex-wife horn in on what she has with Duffy and Duffy in return isn’t going to treat her like a weeping widow, but like a strong independent woman.

We watch their relationship blossom as he works at the bakery fixing and building things to make it just right for her. He also goes the extra mile to help deliver baked goods and helping give her son a good male role model. He also isn’t afraid to fight for what he wants. Which is funny to read about by the way.

They both finally give in to one another and accept each other the way they are with all their glaring faults. This is when they discover love can be great the second time around, and in the McCready family you better be willing to duke it out for the ones you love. There is never a shortage of laughter in this one just as in the last 5 books. Molly keeps up the shenanigans between the cousins and the meddling aunts and uncles. She also keeps showing us the the love this family has for their own. It makes me think of a den of wolves. There are leaders and followers, but they all are after the same thing, the care of their pack. Ok, maybe a bad analogy, but you know what I mean. If you’ve ready any in the series, you know.

Molly gets all the credit on this series, she created these beautiful, flawed, boisterous, and real characters in this series and it was heartwarming to read. I waited impatiently for each book as you can see I’ve reviewed almost all of them. Sadly, some life things got in the way when this one came out. so even though I’d read it right away, I wasn’t able to do the review. So here it is and now we are all caught up on the series. Be sure you let us know how you liked this one and the series. I’m giving this a 5 of 5 for the series overall. The book is definitely a 5, even though it makes you want more…Please, Please, Please Molly!!!

Molly Harper is absolutely one of my favorite writers. Each book in her "Southern Eclectic" series will make you laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. "Gimme Some Sugar" is no exception to the rule. If you've read any other books or novellas in the series, you've been waiting for Duffy to find his real person, and it is a relief to see him get his romance. The thing about the Southern Eclectic series is that it is much closer to real-life than some of Harper's other books. These books have larger than life characters, but in the way that all families do. These books have slightly idealized love stories, but they are still full of difficulties and human flaws. It's wonderful, but it isn't fully escapist literature. Like every book in this series, "Gimme Some Sugar" break your heart moment and make it soar the next. Be ready for the family feels just as much as the romantic ones. The McCreadys are quite the clan.

I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I wanted to like this book but could not connect with the characters and DNF.

This Needs to Be a TV Series

When widowed Lucy moves back to her hometown with her son, she finds her old best friend Duffy has grown more handsome and sexy over the years. Duffy works at the family business McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home and puts his cabinetry making skills to good use helping Lucy get her bakery set up to open. Between Lucy’s crazy in-laws constantly trying to sabotage her and Duffy’s crazy ex-wife, finding romance seems an up-hill battle. But luckily for Duffy and Lucy, the town also has a battalion of wonderfully crazy McCready’s who’ll do anything they can to support their own.

Molly Harper’s Southern Eclectic series has become an auto-selection for me since I fell in love with this family of characters since the very first book.

My copy was provided in advance from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to Gallery for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I love this series so very much! Molly has such a great way of writing characters that are hilarious & relatable! I love this town & the residents. Also, the cover is gorgeous!

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Having previously enjoyed Sweet Tea & Sympathy and Ain’t She A Peach, I was REALLY excited for Gimme Some Sugar! Let me go on and say that it DID NOT let me down.

What I liked:

Ok, we all know I LOVE the cover. Also, in all seriousness, I wish I could write everything in the font that Molly’s publishers use for her title. Seriously. I would graffiti all the buildings in my town if my writing looked THAT good.

The McCready family. They get better with each book. Bring on book 4 ASAP!!!!

How I feel while reading/after finishing a Molly Harper book- I’ve laughed and laughed and laughed. I’ve watched a family that is a bit on the kooky side stand up for one another, get in each other’s business, and ultimately love each other unconditionally. Did I mention I LAUGHED? If someone could bottle the way I feel after a Molly Harper book- well, they would make a million.



Bottom line: Molly’s series just gets better with each book- come out out and meet the McCready family of Lake Sackett, GA.

This was my first by Molly Harper, and I think this was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” Since I did not read the previous two books in this series Gimme Some Sugar fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time feeling interested in the characters and the plot. But I think readers who enjoy southern fiction would like this more than I did. I DNF at 29%

I gave this book 38 percent. I really wanted to like this one. I love lots of Southern fiction. But it just did not do it for me. There are excerpts that show real promise. However, I had a hard time following the characters.. I felt like they were spread really thin. I tried. I really did. But this one is not for me.

This was a quick, entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and the dynamic among the townspeople. My only complaint was being a southern woman, the "southernisms" were a little forced and too much almost at times. Overall, it was a cute story and I would read another in the series.

Exactly what you'd expect from a cute, fun, and charming novel set in the South. I read this after a stressful week and it as the perfect way to unwind. Light and fluffy in the best way, this was pure entertainment.

I enjoyed this book. It was a sweet friends to lovers romance. Lucy and Duffy are finally going to get their chance to see where a relationship can go between them. I loved the small-town setting. It was lovely and idyllic. Lucy is starting fresh and creating. a wonderful life for her and her son. Duffy is trying to win over the one that got away. He's had a very unhealthy relationship going since Lucy left. I would have loved for Lucy and Duffy to have had more face time. I loved them, but I feel like we spent more time with them apart.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Gallery Books and NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. Lucy Brewer suddenly finds herself widowed and happy Wade’s death due to a freak accident and now forging a new path for herself and her family. It is met with opposition from Wade's parents. She decides to open a bakery and gets help from an old friend Duffy making cabinets. Who has loved her since high school. They realize there may be more to this friendship that has been smoldering for years and soon ignite! I loved this book and the whole series! It was like a warm blanket you can snuggle into on a cold night or rainy day. I love finding new authors and Molly is a keeper! Keep up the great storytelling!

The third book in the series has Lucy Brewer coming home and starting a new business in town. Her husband has passed away and it seems she finds out more about his life outside of the home each day. Wayne and her also from the same town so she now has to deal with his mother who thinks her son walked on water, until you find out the real story and after you the wants Lucy to have it out with her she finally does. The one guy that always liked her was her best friend Duffy McCready. He has his own set of problems between his mother and an ex who shows up at the wrong time. When Lucy asks him for help with building shelves for her new store he takes it on with vigor and he also hopes that he can start something with Lucy especially as he knows she feels the connection as well. A funny story at times with all of the different characters from the other books. Sometimes sad, but overall a wonderful book to go along with the other books in the series.

After her husband died, Lucy Brewer is back in her hometown to start anew. Her plan is to bring up her child where she grew up and open her own bake shop. As anyone in her predicament knows, starting a new life even in your hometown is a hard task. From one complication to the next, it’s not a surprise that Lucy takes it like a champ. From the very start, you will see that her character is strong and you get a sense that she will pull through. The journey, however, is a doozy.

After binging on the previous books in the series, I couldn’t help getting excited about Gimme Some Sugar. The characters in this series are quirky, funny, and so easy to relate to. They say things that you wouldn’t typically say in RL, but I’m sure they are things you would only say in your head. I love the foodie scenes in this book. Lucy being a baker starting her new shop was exciting to see and it was even more exciting to watch Duffy support her in every way. They were very sweet. I also loved the character building for the other characters. I feel like I got to know them well enough to feel their weight on the protagonists’ story.

Just like the previous books, Gimme Some Sugar is filled with Southern charm, light humor, and smalltown love. If you like, rom-com smalltown reads, this book is worth a try.

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5
Lucy has moves to her hometown to grieve the lost of her husband and to raise her son in a familiar place and to pursue her dream of opening a bakery. But like any good small town Lucy will have to learn to deal with the gossip and a nosey and bossy mother in law.
Duffy McCready has always loved Lucy. She was his best friend growing up. But time, distance and both of them marrying the wrong people put a kink in their friendship. But now that Lucy is back Duffy will not let anyone or anything wreck their friendship again. Well except maybe himself.

As always I had the talented Amanda Ronconi read this story to me. I truly love having Amanda narrator Molly’s books. She is able to bring these characters to life for me. So much so that when I read any of Molly’s books I can hear Amanda’s voices in my head. I

YAY!!!! Duffy McCready finally got his own book!! I am so glad that Duffy finally got his book. I adore his lady love, Lucy! Lucy is a spit fire that give Duffy a run for his money.
I really enjoyed this last book of the Southern Eclectic series. It has been a fun ride learning about the McCready family. I can’t wait for the next book written by Molly and narrated by Amanda.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audio book and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I LOVE MOLLY HARPER.
That is all.
Go.
Buy it.
Read it.

Enjoy all that this book and series have to offer. I promise you won't regret it.
It's mandatory for any beach bag this summer.

Once again, Gimme Some Sugar, is another sweet, humorous and charming read in the Southern Eclectic series. This author makes me want to live in Lake Sackett and to join all the towns people and be part of the McCready family!

Duffy McCready and Lucy Brewer have been best friends growing up, but sometimes life takes a turn and you end up going down different paths and being with the wrong person. Their love for each other never went away, they just weren't ready to tell each other. And when they find themselves single again, their friendship starts back up and maybe a little more!

When Lucy finds herself back in Lake Sackett and starting a new life over with her son, she also easily picks up her friendship with Duffy and the town again (despite all the rumors about her!) - even after all these years. She is set to open up a new bakery and has the support of the McCready family, but runs in some issues with her ex-dead/husband (yes, gasp!). And possibly rekindling a more than friendship with Duffy, might also cause some issues. Can these two finally get it right? A great read that sure to give you a laugh - it's a book is full of Lake Sackett shenanigans!

Gimme Some Sugar is the third of Molly Harper's Southern Eclectic series and a funny, smart, cute, and southern gem!

Widow Lucy Brewer returns home to GA after moving from TX after the sudden death of her no-good cheating husband. Instead of sorrow, Lucy feels a bit of relief and hopes that she and her son will have a fresh start. Lucy reconnects with her best friend Duffy McCready, who did not work up the courage to tell her that he loved her before she married her husband Wayne. Lucy decides to use her savings and insurance money to open up a new bakery in town. As her bakery nears its opening date, Lucy has to deal with hiding her feelings, her meddling in-laws, and her growing feelings for Duffy McCready. Hopefully, she'll get a second chance at love too.

You can't help but fall in love with this charming family and its cast of colorful characters. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a new read.