Abigail Sharpe
Author of Ten First Dates
Series
Works by Abigail Sharpe
Cupcake of the Month 1 copy
Merry Magic & Meows — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- Abigail Sharpe is a Boston-bred Yankee now eating grits and saying "y'all" in North Central Florida. She dreamed more of being a stage actress or joining the CIA than being an author. While she still enjoys participating in community theater productions and singing karaoke, the secret-agent career was replaced by hours at her computer, writing passionate and playful contemporary romance.
When she's not writing, she can be found wearing a corset and singing bawdy songs with Just Desserts, an a cappella musical comedy act, at places that won't throw them out.
Members
Reviews
Pleasantly gentle
3 stars
This is my first Abigail Sharpe novel and as such, I’ve not read the first two books in the Just Add Peaches series, Moonshine and Magnolias and Cupcake of the Month. I did feel a wee bit confused by the setting of the story (a brewery and an Inn) and the relationships between some of the characters as I hadn’t read the first two books. Sometimes, authors rehash story lines of their previous novels to get readers up to speed. It often annoys me if I have already read the novels they’re rehashing - but in this case, I really could have done with the catch-up.
On that same note, our heroine, Brandi obviously appeared in the first two novels - seemingly in a less than favourable light. As such, I felt much of the first third of the novel was the author apologising for Brandi’s prior behaviour and proving to readers that she has changed. Apparently she was a self-centered little madam on a man-frenzy with not a responsible bone in her body. The present-day Brandi is trying hard to be a responsible adult and overcome her surprising lack of self-worth. Surprising because she is well aware of her physical attributes, but obviously less so of her other charms. Yet she’s still a serial dater, going through a number of men before Sebastian catches her eye.
Sebastian is a nice enough hero - and not as wet as you might assume what with his having been in love with Brandi for years and having done little to nothing to make his move. Even when he does make his move it still quite gently done. In fact, gentle is a good word for this book all round.
There’s some declarations, some mama drama, some personal dilemmas… yet none of it ever makes more than a ripple in our characters’ lives. I’m not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I do prefer a little more feistiness or excitement in my stories. And while ‘sweet’ might be another word to describe this story, there is a wee bit more spiciness than you might expect from such a descriptor.
I don’t think I can write a review without mentioning this book’s cover. Or more accurately, the attempt to ‘ginge-up’ the model portraying red-headed Sebastian. Seriously, are there no stock images with ginger male models? I definitely know there are trained graphic designers/artists who could help. I spent much of the book with Sebastian walking round my head with comedically painted on hair and beard. It’s not affecting my rating of the book but I’m definitely grumpy about it.
Anyway, this was a pleasant book with likeable characters and sweet love story. It didn’t set my world on fire but the writing was good and made the read an enjoyable one for me. A solid 3-star read.… (more)
3 stars
This is my first Abigail Sharpe novel and as such, I’ve not read the first two books in the Just Add Peaches series, Moonshine and Magnolias and Cupcake of the Month. I did feel a wee bit confused by the setting of the story (a brewery and an Inn) and the relationships between some of the characters as I hadn’t read the first two books. Sometimes, authors rehash story lines of their previous novels to get readers up to speed. It often annoys me if I have already read the novels they’re rehashing - but in this case, I really could have done with the catch-up.
On that same note, our heroine, Brandi obviously appeared in the first two novels - seemingly in a less than favourable light. As such, I felt much of the first third of the novel was the author apologising for Brandi’s prior behaviour and proving to readers that she has changed. Apparently she was a self-centered little madam on a man-frenzy with not a responsible bone in her body. The present-day Brandi is trying hard to be a responsible adult and overcome her surprising lack of self-worth. Surprising because she is well aware of her physical attributes, but obviously less so of her other charms. Yet she’s still a serial dater, going through a number of men before Sebastian catches her eye.
Sebastian is a nice enough hero - and not as wet as you might assume what with his having been in love with Brandi for years and having done little to nothing to make his move. Even when he does make his move it still quite gently done. In fact, gentle is a good word for this book all round.
There’s some declarations, some mama drama, some personal dilemmas… yet none of it ever makes more than a ripple in our characters’ lives. I’m not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I do prefer a little more feistiness or excitement in my stories. And while ‘sweet’ might be another word to describe this story, there is a wee bit more spiciness than you might expect from such a descriptor.
I don’t think I can write a review without mentioning this book’s cover. Or more accurately, the attempt to ‘ginge-up’ the model portraying red-headed Sebastian. Seriously, are there no stock images with ginger male models? I definitely know there are trained graphic designers/artists who could help. I spent much of the book with Sebastian walking round my head with comedically painted on hair and beard. It’s not affecting my rating of the book but I’m definitely grumpy about it.
Anyway, this was a pleasant book with likeable characters and sweet love story. It didn’t set my world on fire but the writing was good and made the read an enjoyable one for me. A solid 3-star read.… (more)
3.5 stars. Charming romance about Ainsley, a girl battling to make her own way and choose her own partner, whether her bossy mother approves or not, and Riley, a cowboy whose heart and ass(ets) are being put on the line to save the family ranch.
Quibbles: there's a "B" story (Cecelia and Edward) and a "C" story (Meagan and Cookie) that are both so strong they overshadow the Ainsley-and-Riley storyline. Looked at another way, it's like delicious brownies WITH chocolate chips AND chocolate frosting, a triple threat.
Sisters Molly and Jeanne have come up with the idea of basically staging "The Bachelor" (sans cameras) on the Wyoming ranch, as a test drive for making it a a singles' vacation spot. They forgot to get their brother Riley's permission, however, before staking him out as bait and main attraction. He becomes a barely cooperative participant, and is much more attracted to Ainsley, who is more interested in the family greenhouse than in the maneuverings and backstabbings of the other female guests.
If you enjoy watching/reading the many ways women can undermine and spread rumors about one another, it's showcased very well here, and creates no end of problems for Ainsley and Riley. I did feel like Molly owed Riley an apology, both for setting the "game" up without his knowledge or consent, and for screening such horrible women for him to "date," but though there were big issues worked out between Riley and Seth, the 17-year-old brother, there was not really a settlement between Riley and Molly (I'm letting Jeanne off the hook because she's only 14).
Kudos on condoms always being used in situations calling for them; lots of great sexual tension and frustrating interruptions. Enjoyed this very much and am looking forward to the next books in this series.… (more)
Quibbles: there's a "B" story (Cecelia and Edward) and a "C" story (Meagan and Cookie) that are both so strong they overshadow the Ainsley-and-Riley storyline. Looked at another way, it's like delicious brownies WITH chocolate chips AND chocolate frosting, a triple threat.
Sisters Molly and Jeanne have come up with the idea of basically staging "The Bachelor" (sans cameras) on the Wyoming ranch, as a test drive for making it a a singles' vacation spot. They forgot to get their brother Riley's permission, however, before staking him out as bait and main attraction. He becomes a barely cooperative participant, and is much more attracted to Ainsley, who is more interested in the family greenhouse than in the maneuverings and backstabbings of the other female guests.
If you enjoy watching/reading the many ways women can undermine and spread rumors about one another, it's showcased very well here, and creates no end of problems for Ainsley and Riley. I did feel like Molly owed Riley an apology, both for setting the "game" up without his knowledge or consent, and for screening such horrible women for him to "date," but though there were big issues worked out between Riley and Seth, the 17-year-old brother, there was not really a settlement between Riley and Molly (I'm letting Jeanne off the hook because she's only 14).
Kudos on condoms always being used in situations calling for them; lots of great sexual tension and frustrating interruptions. Enjoyed this very much and am looking forward to the next books in this series.… (more)
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 9
- Members
- 51
- Popularity
- #311,767
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 9
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5 Stars)
Title: Moonshine and Magnolias
Author(s): Abigail Sharpe
Character(s):
― Wendy Marsh: Black
― Rob Upshaw: Hazel Eyed
Setting: Atlanta, Georgia
Tag(s): Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Content Rating: ―
POV: Third Person
Smexy Level: ―
Favorite Quote(s): N/A
Overall Opinion:
Seemed like a cute romance but sadly "Moonshine and Magnolias" didn't do much for me. Maybe it was the characters or the storyline, but I found myself skimming this a lot more than I should to have considered it enjoyable.
… (more)