Book Review | Rugged Southern Charmer – Fabiola Francisco (Magnolia Grove Series, Book Four)

Rugged Southern Charmer
By: Fabiola Francisco

Series: Magnolia Grove
Book # in Series: 4 of 12
Tropes: Childhood Friends To Lover
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: April 25th, 2024
My Rating: ✮✮✮
My Reading Format: kindleunlimited

Synopsis:

I never imagined I’d be back in my hometown, unemployed, and feeling like a failure. Getting involved with someone at work is a huge mistake, especially when he’s a famous football player, and I’m just a therapist they can easily replace.

The silver lining is reconnecting with my best friend…even if he is hot now. I can ignore that detail, right? I hope so because Dean’s helping me fix my grandma’s old cabin so I have a place to stay, and between seeing him shirtless and working with his hands, I might just give in to temptation.

Crossing that line should be awkward, but when he kisses me on a dare, I feel like he’s sparked life into me.

My time in Magnolia Grove is temporary while I figure out my next steps, and falling for Dean is not a part of my plans.

But sometimes challenges lead us back to where we’re meant to be.

honey-script.light

This is the fourth book in the Magnolia Grove series and I’m still hanging on. One thing I love the most about this series is the anthological aspect. Each book in this series is written by a different author. You get a fresh take everytime you open up a new book and dive into this glorious small town. My heart is loving this series. But let’s dive into one particular book today. That book being, Rugged Southern Charmer by Fabiola Francisco.

To start, this is a friends to lovers romance with a hint of a second chance approach. So if that’s your cup of tea, you may find yourself falling head over heels in love with Dean and Rae Lynn’s story.

After a scandal wrecks her career, Rae Lynn decides a trip to her hometown Magnolia Grove is the picture. Besides, her brother and his pregnant wife desperately need her help looking after the local flower shop, Twisted Tulip, and that’s the exact distraction she has been looking for. I really liked the fact that Rae Lynn was supposed to look after a flower shop, and this woman had zero sense of artistic talent. My heart craved more humorous scenes of her in this workplace environment.

And then we have Dean. Dean has finally acquired the family business. What more could a man want, aside from the bombshell disguised as his childhood best friend that just walked back into town. This premise screams epic love story. I loved Dean’s character. I loved his bright light personality. It was exactly what Rae Lynn needed in her life after all she had recently been through.

I’m not new to Fabiola Francisco’s work, in fact, there have been several novels that I devoured from this author. But sometimes, an author’s words and a reader’s mind don’t mix and that’s okay. It’s okay to say, this was an okay novel, but I wasn’t really feeling the overall story. I gave Rugged Southern Charmer a three star rating. Don’t get me wrong, I liked this novel, but due to the best friends to lovers trope I wanted to LOVE this novel. I absolutely adore romances evolving between best friends. Everything from the chemistry, to the falling in love aspect always has me clutching the arm of my chair in anticipation for what’s to come. Does it end in heartbreak, does it end in a happily ever after… typically, you never know until those final chapters. But when it came down to Rugged Southern Charmer, I have to say the biggest drawback for me was the pace of this novel. I wanted to feel that connection and that vibe between Rae Lynn and Dean, but the pace didn’t give their chemistry and connection time to grow. There was also talk about the shady way Rae Lynn lost her job, a few flashback moments would have really set the scene. I wanted a more personal dive in Rae Lynn’s emotional baggage…

Overall, I went into this novel wanting and expecting to give it a five star rating. And this just goes to show, I’m not going to love every single book I read. However, I did like this one, I just wanted so much more when it comes to the characters and the romance.

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