The Magnolia Sisters - Alys Murray (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 01/03/2020

Author: Alys Murray

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: March 5, 2020

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by the publisher)

About the book:

Harper Anderson has a to-do list longer than the Colorado River, and fields of tulips to tend to at her family’s flower farm in Hillsboro County, California. It’s her dream to run the business with her sisters when their father retires, keeping up traditions that began with her great-great-grandmother.

That is if there’s a farm left to run. Rich out-of-towners looking for a slice of country living are hiking up the prices in town and it’s putting her family out of business. So she has no time for the arrogant LA tech mogul who makes her an offer to use their farm as his sister’s wedding venue. No amount of money could make up for the destruction it would wreak on next season’s crop. The sooner Luke Martin is on his way, the better.

But Luke isn’t willing to go. He’s been looking out for his sister ever since their deadbeat parents left them to fend for themselves, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. So when Harper’s newest farmhand leaves her in the lurch, he sees an opportunity to strike a deal. He’ll work on the farm for free if she’ll give him the chance to change her mind.

Harper and Luke each expect the other to crack first. What they don’t expect is the chemistry that sparks between them as they work side by side among the budding roses. But Luke’s presence is turning over more than the earth, and just as Harper is starting to let her guard down, he stumbles upon a secret that could spell disaster for the entire Anderson clan.

With her family’s happiness at stake, can Harper put her trust in a man who is worlds apart from everything she knows? 

Review:

      I must probably be living under a rock or why didn't I hear about this author before? So here I go with nothing but the blurb as my guide and what I find is a modern version of 'Pride and Prejudice'. Did you hear a scream? Yes, that's me jumping up and down in excitement. If you want to know, that happened pretty much throughout the reading process. Had my sister worried.

       So what is that glued me to the kindle? Everything -- vibrant and funny characters, the language that flows off the page, a storyline that makes you tingle . . . well, the list goes on. A kickass heroine prejudiced against the city dwellers, a socially awkward billionaire uttering all the wrong words -- that surely is a killer combination proved and tested from the classic times onwards. And it has ticked all the boxes for me: enemies to lovers, siblings love, and to top it all a sassy narrative that engages you throughout.

        Anderson family is similar to the Bennetts in most ways including a mother who is socially humiliating (in the perspective of Harper, anyway). The flower farm setting, if you borrow the term from Indian aesthetics, just adds to the rasa. I loved the way the bond between Harper and Luke developed slowly, thanks to some sisterly meddling from both sides. I don't want a single thing to be changed about this book, it's going straight to my favourite shelf.

        A sweet romance that will cheer you up and comfort you like a gift of flowers. Highly recommended!!!

Meet the author:

Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man.