SWAN POINT – Sherryl Woods
Sweet Magnolia s, Book 11
MIRA
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1642-8
August 2014
Contemporary Romance

Serenity, South Carolina – Present Day

Adelia Hernandez has recently moved her young family across town to a ramshackle older home after divorcing her cheating husband.  In a small town like Serenity, where everyone knows everyone else's business, it's hard to pick up and begin again, but this is where Adelia's family is, and this is where she wants to stay.  Her four children are mostly too young to understand why she left her husband, Ernesto, except Selena, whom her conniving ex thought to sway to his side by introducing the teenager to one of his women.  The only thing Ernesto accomplished by that move was to alienate Selena, who is now becoming difficult and hard to control as she harbors resentment toward her father, and even a little toward Adelia.

Adelia comes from a large Catholic family, and her mother, while understanding Adelia's reasons for moving on with her life, still seems to disapprove of her divorce.  Mrs. Cruz really feels that marriage is for life, no matter what.  But Adelia refuses to stay in a relationship with a husband who can't be faithful.  Her brother Elliott understands; his wife Karen fled from an abusive husband.

Gabe Franklin, Serenity's resident bad boy, left town not long after his drunken mother died.  Now, he's returned home to rebuild his life after years of false starts and missteps.  His cousin, Mitch, hired him to help in the construction business.  Gabe is good with his hands, and building homes keeps him busy and out of trouble.

The first time they see each other, Adelia and Gabe try hard to ignore the zing of attraction, but their instant connection is a live wire that seals their inevitable future.  Adelia has no intention of entering another relationship right away, or at all.  Men are not to be trusted.  And likewise, Gabe doesn't feel that he is ready to settle down and become the dependable husband.  Even so, sparks fly when the two meet inside Rosalina's, the local pizza parlor.  Gabe knows he has to stay away from this beautiful woman; she is instant trouble.  But when Mitch sends Gabe to Adelia's home to give her an estimate on remodeling the structure, he knows that his cousin and friends are set on matchmaking.

SWAN POINT is a poignant novel of two people beginning again amidst a lot of baggage on both sides of their fences.  Dynamic characters, including the Sweet Magnolia's, the group of ladies that includes friends Maddie Maddox, Helen Decatur-Whitney, Dana Sue Sullivan, and Lynn Franklin.  These women are there for each other in times of trouble, especially with men.  Swan Point is a cozy little town and the perfect place for two people to fall in love.  And while the road to romance is a little rocky for Adelia and Gabe, true love wins out.

SWAN POINT is book number eleven in the series, but stands alone.  This is a story you will not want to miss.

Diana Risso