I don’t think that you can ever go wrong with a Hallmark book! Althea and Jack were so sweet together and I was rooting for them the whole time! If you are looking for a lighthearted, sweet romance than this is definitely for you!

Piper Huguley's delicious novel is a love letter to Black Southern thriving, often exemplified in this region through food and drink.

A story about when you get what you want, but you're not sure if it's what you need.

This interracial sweet romance has Althea Dailey has finally gotten that partnership at the law firm she's been working at for way too long, but something doesn't seem right.
As she researches a case, it brings her close to home and she decides to check on her grandmother.

While there, she discovers a white man she's never met before knows her grandmother.

James Darwent is working on a cookbook project that highlights true southern cuisine and Althea's grandmother's cooking is well known.

Although James and Althea don't initially get along, these enemies eventually turn into friends. As their like turns into more and they each open their hearts, they discover sometimes love can be the sweetest gift.

Great banter and beautifully told, this lovely romance by Piper reads like a breath of fresh air.

Appreciate Hallmark sending me an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

** spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars

I liked the premise of this book more than the actual execution. I found the development of the main female character less than completely credible. Her personality didn't resonate with me and I struggled to like her. The main male character was much more sympathetic and likeable. I also admired Miss Ada.

The setting was good. The backstory of the college and the town gave an added dimension to the plot.

The pacing of the story was okay until the last 20%, when it felt a little rushed. I felt as if a chapter was missing. Slight spoiler alert: the conference room scene was not credible for me and I found myself rolling my eyes until they hurt.

Did I like this book as much as I hoped I would? No. Would I read more contemporary fiction from this author? Yes.

I thought this book was extremely well written and I loved the characters so much. I've read a bunch of this author's book and it was nice to see a change of pace and have her writing contemp.

Althea has left New York to travel home to the small town in Georgia to visit her GrandMother, she has also arrived before the celebration of the small college that was started by her family but that she feels no ties to. Everyone in town remembers her parents and talks about her grandmother who has prepared the food for so many years and how this will probably be her last and what will happen to the school? She feels torn because her life in New York, at least work life is good, for she is going to be made partner which she feels is what she has wanted the entire time she has been at the frim.
Looking for her grandmother in the school's kitchen she finds a white man cooking and her grandmother sitting and laughing at things he is telling her. These are strange to Althea for normally her grandmother is cooking and she feels that jealous of this man who she later finds out that her grandmother has shared some of her family recipes with. When talking to Jack later she thinks that his project of writing about southern recipes is actually stealing old family recipes by this white socialite which causes for many disagreements between them and her and her grandmother.
You will have to read this book to see who it all works out and the ending is very good. There is also a case where she works for free for a woman and her sweet tea which is the reason for the title. A very good book with many different topics. I for one liked how the grandmother wanted to pass on her recipes especially with her granddaughter and wish others would instead of holding onto them. A very good story with wonderful characters.

Piper Huguley hits the ground running with her debut Hallmark Publishing novel, Sweet Tea. It is a total breath of fresh air with a sense of home, history, and southern small-town charm and community. This refreshing read is set in a town, where everybody knows everybody with comfort and rich history, that if not careful, will soon be forgotten by the hustle and bustle of everyday life, changing of times, and people leaving on a quest for something new.

Intellectual property attorney, Althea Dailey is a successful, independent, beautiful woman on the verge of making partner at her prestigious law firm in New York. Jack Darwent is a cute, smart, sexy rebel with a hint of nerdiness that makes him all so attractive. He has a sense of southern charm and ease with all whom he comes in contact with. Not to mention, he is a crafty cook, who knows his way around a kitchen with his mouth-watering cuisines.

Connected by rebelliousness and determination to make their mark in the world in their own way is a performance of the Tango that neither Jack nor Althea sees coming. A little digging and investigation of one another, they find that they have a lot more in common as they journey on their quest to live out their truths. Their round and round, back and forth entanglement mixed with a few matchmaker moves from Althea's grandmother Grandda, brings for a delightful page-turner of a read for all to enjoy!

Readers will be glad they picked up this beautifully crafted, heartwarming story, Sweet Tea.

An okay story with a decent storyline abd cgaracters. Could have been better but not too bad. Thank you.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

Although I'm not a big fan of Hallmark type stories, I really enjoyed this one. This was such a cute and romantic read, with a little bit of drama placed in the story. I don't know which character I loved the Most, Althea, Jack or Althea's Grandmother. It was also an especially great to catch up with the small town of Milford . I would definitely watch this as a movie. The author did such a great job with this book.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Sweet Tea does a good job of weaving of food, history, and familial obligation into an engaging love story. Having read several books from the Milton College series I knew there would be a strong pull to the fundamental elements of that school's ancestral backstory. I particularly liked how those elements came through in the passing down of traditions and memories related to food. Ada, is a beautiful character that harkens the reader back to the many generations of elders who keep the significance of our pasts from being wholly forgotten and irretrievable. Althea and Jack, the main heroine and her unexpected hero, were also interesting and creatively drawn. This relationship was not easy to see in its beginnings though both characters shared a depth in their pasts that would eventually lead them to each other. It was slow burn to love that was not always clearly visible or passionately rendered but it was sweet, romantic, and believable given the context. The book ended in a way that left me wondering whether their path would continue as easily as suggested but also with a promise that hope springs eternal.

I enjoyed this Hallmark story about small town girl makes big in the city and returns home to find what is really important. Althea is driven, she is the first woman, black person to be made partner in her New York legal firm. Her first assignment as partner sends her south dealing with a case of a recipe that is being "stolen" and she is to settle the situation. She ends up heading home to visit her grandmother, who she hasn't seen in years, but sends money to and has other people checking on her, but had not visited herself. She finds Jack, a white man in her grandmother's kitchen. He is making a move and putting together a book about Southern Cooking and recipes that are becoming lost. Althea is sure that he is taking advantage of her grandmother and the other women he is interviewing and working with. As she tried to prove he is up to no good, she gets to know him and oh my goodness, fall for this kind, swoony man.

Jack and Althea are great characters. This is your typical enemies to lovers trope, but it is different from others I have read. The recipes, academic property, personal appearance angle is different. Jack is perfect. He is handsome, kind, creative, enthusiastic and doesn't get upset easily. Althea is uptight, driven, suspicious, and has quite the sarcastic and cutting tongue. She wants to protect her grandmother, but her grandmother. Miss Ada, knows what she wants. I loved her. She is bossy, old fashioned, caring and unfiltered. She says what she thinks! I enjoyed watching Althea fight her attraction to Jack and their verbal sparring was excellent. Jack didn't mince words when it came to what he thought of Althea's love for her grandmother and how she showed it. As they got to know each other, that changed to teasing and banter. This is a story about finding out what you really want and value in life, finding your place in the world and with the people you care about. There is a faith based message, hidden in the story with Ada's beliefs and the importance of church and the church family woven throughout the story. Of course this is a romance and there is a Happily Ever After, but the journey was a good one. I recommend this story to those of you who enjoy a good Hallmark story.

I enjoyed this book. I am really enjoying the diverse books that Hallmark is publishing recently. I just didn't connect to this book. I didn't connect with either of the characters. I also felt like the reconcilement was way too easy. I'm definitely looking at more books that Piper Huguley has written though!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. If you like Hallmark movies, you will love this book.

Intellectual property versus romance - who will be the winner?
As her contemporary romance debut with Hallmark Publishing award-winning author Piper Huguley presents "Sweat Tea. A perfect heartwarming romance from Hallmark Publishing" . In this story Allie Dailey has everything she ever wants, but she has a serious problem. She cannot sleep but she is also hiding from her past in her past in Milford, Georgia. So she spends her nights watching television to finally find two hours of rest after the sun comes up before having to go and work as a partner at a law firm. The new acquaintance of Allie's grandmother,
Andrew Jack Darwent III, on the other side has (according to his father's world) no care in the world, but he has other concerns. He decides to write a cookbook and film a documentary about his travels called "Southern Treasures." Consequently he runs into Allie who accuses him of stealing her grandmother Monique's intellectual property and who tries with all her strength to prevent him from using Monique's recipes. The question that arises is who will succeed. Can Allie manage to block Andrew from using the recipes or will Andrew be able to use them? Or will there be another outcome?
This was the first book by Piper Huguley which I read and I highly recommend it to readers who are looking for an easy and relaxing read with believable and nice characters. This book also contains the original Hallmark recipe for "Grandma’s Biscuits and Gravy."
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#SweatTea #NetGalley

Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley is just what I needed to read right now! A fun summer read set in the south with delicious food being front and center to the story.! A great slow starting romance between Althea who has been living in New York and working as a lawyer on the fast track and Jack who is making a documentary about southern cooking. I loved the characters, the town and all the food references! Enjoyed it a lot!

Title: Sweet Tea
Author: Piper Huguley
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Sweet Tea" by Piper Huguley

My Opinion:

'Sweet Tea' centered around Althea Dailey [Tea] finally finding her way back to her family and getting a little bit of romance added to it. How this author puts this story together was interesting because the two, [Tea and Jack] seemed so very diametrically different. We find Tea had left her small hometown, along with her grandmother [Granda] Ada and her parents, who had passed on. Upon Tea finding out that Jack Darwent, a filmmaker, had come to Milford to work on his documentary that involved Tea's grandmother's who was a renowned chef who worked for the local HBCU, emphasizing African American cooking, so she decides to come back home to make sure of Jack's intentions. Tea didn't care that her grandmother was sharing her recipes with this filmmaker. Being a high-powered lawyer from New York, Tea worked on a case involving a sweet tea recipe. Seeing how these two [Tea & Jack] butted heads were quite something to read as it soon became apparent there was something else going on. So be ready for a read that will give you a little bit of 'romance, family dynamics, loss, grief' to one living up to what was natural for them. As the story progressed, it was a delight to see how Tea and Jack changed their lives, including Tea's Granda.

4.5 stars

A Hallmark story, nothing else needs to be said. In a situation that started with a fight over Sweet Tea! But the undertones are the impressive part of this story. The knowledge of food and southern culture is spot on.

Jack and Allie are successful professional people, but at a point where success is no longer the goal of happiness. This story is about their journeys to settle their souls.

Allie has just made partner in her New York law firm, but a fight over a sweet tea recipe has her returning to her roots in the south.

Jack is also an attorney in his family's prestigious practice, but gives that up to find his true love of cooking.

Their paths cross with her grandmother, the one and only Ada Dailey. Who calls Allie by the name Al-Tee-A. Tea wants to know why Jack spends so much time with her Granda, and heads home to Milford, GA to find out.

I would have loved to see a little more chemistry between Jack and Allie, but all in all, a great story rich in history and the appreciation of food. Eat before you read and have snacks handy because all the food references make you crave some southern cooking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing; this is my voluntary review.

Review was also posted to Barnes and Noble

This is a sweet story about a woman and her grandmother, and the effort to protect and preserve the past. Full of recipes that sound delicious and what I admit is a funny tete-a-tete with an unlikely suitor, Sweet Tea is a heartwarming, soul lifting novel. I've been reading Piper for some time and an overjoyed to see her publish with Hallmark.

My only question is: When is the movie going to be produced at Hallmark? That is all I want to know. It was a true sweet romance, a first for me by Piper Hughley. While I do not enjoy reading them, I love watching them on Hallmark so I think this book will translate better when it becomes a movie (as Hallmark needs more diversity). I liked Allie and Jack

ETA: I also got the Audiobook via NetGalley and it was fantastic. I am adjusting my score for the book based on that. Sometimes, books are better via audiobook and this was one of them. It was a love letter to grandmas, Southern cooking and hardworking women.