I love a small town, enemies to lovers romance! Hyacinth owns a bridal shop, and she’s trying to get on a reality TV show. Selling a dress to one of the NHL players in town might help her. Unfortunately, one of the players, Robbie, knows a lot about dresses due to his family!s bridal shop in Scotland.

Now the producers want to film at her shop as long as Robbie is there. Hyacinth is angry but has no choice. Can the two become friends……or more “

The quirky characters make this a fun read, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was a generic but enjoyable small-town romance that was filled with quirky characters. Nothing special, but good way to pass the time.

A beautiful book, very whimsical and hopeful. I'd never read a book from Alicia Hunter Pace before but I hope to read more of her in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I didn't dislike this book but I didn't like it either. I struggled to find a real connection between Hyacinth and Robbie. I liked each of them on their own but not as a couple. There was very little romance. Also at times I thought maybe this was a Christian book. There were quite a few Christian phrases used.

In this second book in the Good Southern Women series, we get to see Hyacinth, the second of the three BFFs, find her happily ever after. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend you read the first book in the series to get the full story of this trio of friends. Hyacinth owns a wedding gown store, Trousseau, and wants to move into designing, but needs money and a big break. She wants to get on the popular reality TV show All Dressed in White, thinking this is what will allow her to reach her dream. She was not expecting it would happen the way it did. We met Robbie in the first book, teammate and BFF of Jake. It seems that Robbie's family owns and operates the Scottish Highlands’ premier wedding venue and he knows brides, gowns, wedding cake and more. When he spies a bride in Hyacinth’s shop wearing a completely wrong dress for her figure, he can't help but interfere. Hyacinth gets completely flustered as Robbie, wearing a kilt and t-shirt, saves the sale and gets filmed along the way. When the video is posted on youtube, it goes viral and Hyacinth is sure it will destroy her business, but it does the opposite. Meanwhile, with forced proximity, Hyacinth and Robbie begin to develop feelings toward each other. Will Hyacinth get all she has been longing for in business and love?

Who doesn't love a kilt wearing, smooth talking Scottish rogue, especially one who plays hockey (not a common occurrence in real life), and is a perfect gentleman in most cases. I loved watching the relationship between Robbie and Hyacinth grow. There was a lot of humor (at least for the reader) and great banter. Robbie and Hyacinth are complete opposites. Robbie has an over-the-top personality with a fly by the seat of his pants attitude, while Hyacinth is list and schedule-obsessed. This was definitely an enemies to lover story with forced proximity as well as opposites attract. Once again there was turmoil and angst, and I loved seeing Hyacinth finally realize Robbie was all she needed and wanted. I enjoyed seeing the three friends support one another as the story unfolded. The hockey lifestyle was more part of this story than the first and I found it realistic and relatable. There are some intimate scenes but only a couple and they were not explicit. I recommend this one to those who enjoy a sports romance.

An accent, a kilt, and ice cream is fun way to start a book and I loved it. The interaction between Robbie and Hyacinth from the start was fun to watch. I loved the alternating perspective throughout the book so we could see both of their reactions to different things. In the end, the tension came from honest places from both of them and I enjoyed how it ended.

Who would think that a hockey player would know anything about weddings? Hyacinth doesn't think that Robbie does. He sure seems like a bull in a china closet., so why would she think that he does? I guess that goes to show that first impressions are not always right. It takes him a while to get past that first impression and her upbringing that has a coat of armor on her. It sure makes for an interesting push and pull!

What a cute story! Hyacinth lives in a small town and runs a bridal shop. While she loves the store she aspires to make it more. Her dream is to design and create dresses for her brides. A pro hockey team is also situated in the town and with that comes brash and unfiltered defenceman Robbie. Unbeknownst to Hyacinth is that Robbie’s family owns a bridal shop in Scotland. He proceeds to unexpectedly take over a bridal fitting she is having and she is livid. The one positive is that this brings an important business proposition her way. The downside is they want Robbie to participate too. Hyacinth is an uptight and focus driven person and she doesn’t appreciate the outgoing personality of Robbie. Of course being a romance sparks fly. Robbie’s character is adorable and is very well rounded as the book progresses. We also learn a lot more about what makes Hyacinth tick. This is the second book in the series but can also be read as a standalone. If you are in the mood for a romance story check this one out!

Hyacinth Dawson runs her life in complete control, including her business, Trousseau, the local bridal shop in Laurel Springs, AL. Her real dream is to design wedding gowns but she needs more finances for that. One day when Hyacinth is dealing with a demanding bride who is wanting a dress style that is completely wrong for her, who comes walking into her shop, but none other than, Robbie McTavish. Robbie is an infuriating, happy-go-lucky, defenseman for the the Yellowhammer's, the local NHL hockey team. Robbie knows a thing or two about weddings because his family back in Scotland owns and runs a premiere wedding venue. While Robbie is able to steer the bride in another direction, he ends up causing some damage of his own which causes Hyacinth to lose control. Too bad all of this is captured by one of the bridesmaids and goes viral.

All Hyacinth has wanted was to have her store selected to be on the reality TV show All Dressed in White. Now that her chances are shot, Hyacinth is in for a big surprise when the show actually wants to film at her shop, but only if Robbie is there helping. It seems a big pop star saw the video and wants to find her dress at Trousseau's. Robbie jumps at the chance to help because he has been crushing on Hyacinth for a while....but he also makes her agree to a few things for his benefit too! The more time these two start spending together, the more their chemistry starts to ignite. When it comes time to tape the show, everything is going well until Robbie opens his mouth forcing Hyacinth into a situation she would prefer not to be in and that's when all hell breaks loose. It will take a huge, grand gesture for these two to find their happy ever after but they eventually do.

I really enjoyed this sweet, wedding themed story of opposites attract. Hyacinth was very rigid in her ways because of things from her past. Robbie was very laid back and just flew by the seat of his pants in most things in his life. Together they made a nice balance for the other. If you are looking for a fun, sweet read....give this one a try.

Small town romance with quirky characters. Many humorous moments.
All in all, I enjoyed Smooth as Silk.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Carina Press for access to this arc.

The blurb got me here. Honestly though it wasn’t the wedding shop setting, though, as I’ve seen enough of those and cooking contests to last me for a good long while. Instead it’s Robbie, the Scottish hockey player who knows his way around what looks good on a bride even if he’s sometimes iffy on the exact term, who made me want to read this. Well, gotta be honest that I liked it but not nearly as much as I’d hoped I would.

Hyacinth Dawson and Robbie McTavish are chalk and cheese, oil and water, up and down. Hyacinth has never thought of a list she didn’t make. She (usually) has not only plan A but also B, C, and probably D already mapped out. She’s got short term plans and long term plans and is laser focused. Robbie is easy going and charm personified. His agent does a lot of things for him and thank goodness for automatic bill paying. He also wears a kilt almost all the time (really, do Scottish men actually do that?) when his professional hockey team doesn’t tell him not to. But their chemistry is, according to the viewers who watch the phone video shot by a bridesmaid during a wedding dress appointment, is smoking hot.

Robbie quickly decides he likes what he sees and is all in for slow, languorous wooing. That is when Hyacinth isn’t making him frustrated by her insistence on plans, plans, and more plans. He’s also taken aback when she outlines her hopes that she can snag a spot on “Dressed in White,” the wedding dress reality show that has told Hyacinth she needs a strong pitch to be considered. It’s not the fact that she wants to be on the show – he watches it faithfully and knows it’s a big thing – but that she hopes to dress one of her best friends who is dating one of Robbie’s teammates. Hyacinth thinks this is smart while Robbie thinks it’s calculated and cold.

Things Happen and they part angrily only for Hyacinth to need to talk Robbie into doing a guest bit when DiW comes calling after the video goes viral. The getting to know each other section is fun and perhaps setting up future books but the characters (and there are a lot of them, some detailed and some mere background noise) don’t overshadow these MCs. Of course some conflict remains as Hyacinth is still wound as tight as an eight day clock while Robbie still has his easy going “let it all hang out” style of living.

There are times, frankly a lot of times, when I wanted to shake Hyacinth. She does have Reasons why she’s so set on having her way and unable to just let loose. At times she appears to be relaxing a bit but she’s also a “glass half full” “prepare for the worst” personality. I can live with that as I like to plan ahead, too. But Hyacinth can be so focused on her plans that she can say some tactless, not to mention hurtful, things. For a woman who makes her living soothing frazzled bridal nerves as The Dress is chosen, this is strange. She’s all focused until the time when she finally tries to make up for something and that one time felt forced to me.

Meanwhile Robbie is perhaps just a little too good to be true. Handsome, charming, kind, attentive (I did like how both he and Hyacinth not only notice things about each other but remember those things), fairly well off, has manners that Emily Post would approve of, bakes, and smoking hot kisses. So his home is a little messy and he doesn’t always pack well for a road trip. Otherwise, the guy is a dreamy, beta, smooshy hero. Until the one time when he isn’t and that didn’t feel realistic for him – not the way he’d been written.

The two of them ended up working things out but it seemed too quick for how much they had let things fracture in the final stretch. The epilogue details some more efforts they’ve put into sorting their differences which is good because honestly, they needed to. C+

A good second book in the "Good Southern Women" series. Fun, sexy, and full of unforgettable characters who grow through personal growth as they grow their relationship.

Smooth as Silk is Book #2 of the Good Southern Women series and a sequel to Pace’s Sweet as Pie. This is the story of Hyacinth and Robbie McTavish. Hyacinth is a close friend of Evans, the heroine from Sweet as Pie, and owns a bridal salon, Trousseau. Robbie McTavish is Jake’s best friend and teammate on the local professional hockey team. The story takes place in a fictional suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Robbie is an interesting hero because he is Scottish, wears kilts, has seven sisters, and his family has a castle/wedding venue and wedding business back in Scotland. He can’t resist helping uptight Hyacinth with her business.

This story is a great Southern-fried romantic comedy. Each page contains authentic Southern expressions that are used in Alabama. Hyacinth’s uptight, control-freak nature conflicts with Robbie’s laidback-ness in multiple scenes with hilarious results. The alternating viewpoints add to the story.

I highly recommend this book.

Robbie is a professional hockey player living in Laurel Springs and Hyacinth is the local bridal shop owner. Hyacinth really wants to be on the reality show, All Dressed in White, to showcase her business. In a hilarious meet-cute Robbie crashes a fitting session and spills chocolate ice cream on a dress and she flips. She can’t stand him, though he is hot. But Robbie redeems himself by helping the bride-to-be choose a perfect dress instead of the horror the bride wanted to pick. It turns out his family in Scotland owns a bridal business so he has an eye for gowns and knows how to cajole someone into buying the right dress to say yes to. One of the wedding party from the fitting has filmed the antics, uploads it and puts it goes viral. Hyacinth is offered a spot on the show… if she does it with Robbie. Hyacinth has no choice, even though Robbie’s chaotic antics madden her. How could Chaos and Control Freak ever connect romantically?
Wonderfully amusing rom-com is part series by Alicia Hunter Pace. It can be read as a standalone but most readers will want to pick up others once they’ve had the experience of reading this one. Full of Easter eggs and merriment. I can’t wait to tell my patrons about it!

3.5 stars
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I wasn’t looking for a hockey romance when I went looking for this book. I’m not usually one to read sports romance. It’s not a genre that I particularly get into.

However, there was something that struck me about the synopsis and I really did enjoy the main character, Robbie.

He definitely made the entire story with his quirkiness and interesting look at life. He also had a very unique work history and is bursting with life.

One thing that saddened me was the fact he fell for a woman I had a hard time liking. She was intense, brusque, and didn’t always treat him well. I had a difficult time with their connection.

When that happens to me, it can somewhat put a damper on a romance story. I really enjoyed everything about this book except her. Maybe if the author brought heat and fireworks, it would’ve mellowed her out a little bit.

As it was I would consider this pretty close to a clean romance. I felt it was missing the intensity and the passion between the two characters. There is no doubt he cared for her, she didn’t recognize it and that was heartbreaking.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, it has some fun interactions, great friendships, and a sweet ending. But I really wanted Robbie to have a different type of love, for his sake.

Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒
Smooth as Silk by Alicia Hunter Pace is her second book in the Good Southern Women series and can be read as a stand-alone. The small-town magic of Laurel Springs combined with the competitive spirit of the professional hockey players makes for a unique backdrop to this story.

Hyacinth Dawson owns Laurel Springs's only bridal boutique, Trousseau, and she has plans to build up the business so she can afford employees and she can devote her time to wedding dress designing. Keeping schedules, making lists, and sticking to her plan isn’t enough for her to grow her business, she also wants to get a celebrity client so she can be on a wedding dress show and take her business to the next level.

Robbie McTavish is a defenseman for the Birmingham Yellowjackets hockey team. His family runs a wedding business back in Scotland in the “wee castle” his family owns. When he peeks in the window at Trousseau, he sees a woman in a wedding dress that is all wrong for her, and he can’t just let a woman get married in a dress that isn’t right, so he barges into the shop to try and fix it. Naturally, Hyacinth isn’t happy about the intrusion, and when a video of the disruption goes viral, Hyacinth believes her business is ruined. But, the wedding show producer calls her up and wants to film an episode in her shop, she’s elated until they tell her the one condition is that Robbie must be in the show with her.

It was fun to go back to Laurel Springs, and I enjoyed visiting with Evans and Jake from the first book in the series, Sweet as Pie. I enjoyed Robbie and his over-the-top personality. His wild, fly by the seat of his pants attitude is perfect for the hockey rink, but not when it comes to dealing with the schedule-obsessed Hyacinth. Robbie and Hyacinth had some good banter, but I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. I thought Hyacinth was too harsh for Robbie, although she did warm up a bit near the end of the story.
I enjoyed the first book in the series a bit more than this one, but I’m still looking forward to her next book in this series.
I recommend Smooth as Silk to anyone who enjoys a sports romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a character driven novel with a protagonist who is surrounded by friends…a business woman…she has a goal and does what is necessary to reach that goal…this is a fun quick read…enjoy this book on a snowy afternoon, wrapped in a warm quilt, with tea and delicious scones…the book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…although the story wavers at times…slowly…the conclusion is…wait…you must read it to discover…enjoy…

Hyacinth was an incredibly strong woman and I enjoyed reading her character. I was impressed by the wittiness of all of the characters and I'll admit that I laughed out loud at quite a bit of the dialogue. My one objection would be that Hyacinth and Robbie "fought" the romance and chemistry a little too much. I would've liked to have seen Hyacinth take stock of her emotions more instead of fighting with Robbie. Other than that, I enjoyed the book.

*ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I want to express a thank you to the valued author, the publisher who took a chance on the author, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

A good read...

Hyacinth is a somewhat strong character with a slightly wounded/ uncertain side due to her childhood while Robbie is a happy go lucky person. They were made to compliment each other and I liked the couple...

While the first 50% of the book felt a bit slow, I enjoyed the second half a lot.

Will surely read the first one in the series while eagerly waiting for the next one.


Overall an enjoyable read.

Smooth as Silk is fine. It's perfectly fine. I read it in two sitting and it was easy to follow and a quick mostly enjoyable read but unfortunately it was nothing special for me.

There is some very witty dialogue in this and some lines (particularly in the Robbie chapters) that made me snort, which is always fun but then at the same time, there is some very clunky, awkward dialogue that just doesn't fit the vibe at all. I also felt that the two MCs, just didn't click? Like, there were moments of chemistry but it didn't feel sustained to me and there is just so much unnecessary back and forth and the main 'drama' just felt so so contrived and stretched out. It just seemed to go in circles too much in places and I didn't love Hyacinth. Also Robbies 'Scottish-ness' just feels way too overplayed and cringe.

It's pretty well written though and has some very interesting scenes and the vibe is light and fluffy which is always appreciated so this was an okay read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.