Perfectly Charming

by Liz Talley

Overview

“A standout contemporary romance.” —USA Today’s Happy Ever After

Morning Glory native Jess Culpepper is desperate to get out of town after divorcing the only man she’s ever dated. She takes a temporary nursing job in Florida and, thanks to the bequest of her late friend, Lacy, has the funds to rent a condo right on the beach. She’s not prepared to literally trip over her old high school lab partner—and definitely not prepared for how deliciously hot he is now.

Ryan Reyes, once known as “The Brain,” has worked hard to become more than the skinny nerd that jocks bullied and girls politely tolerated. At twenty-six, he has retired from science to run a charter fishing business in Pensacola and spend his leisure time catching up on the debauchery he missed. But when the unattainable girl of his teenage fantasies moves in down the beach, old feelings come flooding back.

Their scorching attraction soon leads them into bed—but what starts as no-strings-attached fun is complicated by a return to Morning Glory and the shadows of their shared past. Can the head cheerleader and the geek redefine themselves and forge ahead to find their happily ever after?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781503936201
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Series:	A Morning Glory Novel , #2
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

RITA-nominated author Liz Talley writes sassy contemporary romances set in the South, where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and the men are hotter. Her first book, Vegas Two-Step, debuted in June 2010, and Liz has published nineteen romances since. She lives in northern Louisiana with her childhood sweetheart, two handsome children, three dogs, and a mean cat. Liz loves doing laundry, paying bills, and creating masterful dinners for her family. She also lies in her bio to make herself look like the perfect wife. What she really likes are pretty shoes, lemon-drop martinis, and fishing off the pier at her lake house. You can visit Liz at www.liztalleybooks.com to learn more about her and her upcoming books.

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2016
A newly divorced woman gets a second chance at love in the sweet, understated second Morning Glory contemporary (after Charmingly Yours). Jess Culpepper moves from her small Mississippi hometown to Pensacola, Fla., in order to get away from her ex-husband and a lifetime of memories. As she settles into her new life at the beach, she unexpectedly runs into an old friend: Ryan Reyes, whom she remembers as a socially inept child genius. He’s reinvented himself as an easygoing ladies’ man with a fishing charter service. Now he finally has a shot at getting together with the cheerleader he yearned for all those years ago. At first Jess is reluctant to leap into a new relationship, but she soon gives in to Ryan’s charms and her own desires, and they discover an explosive chemistry in the bedroom. Before they can reach a happily ever after, they have to confront their insecurities and preconceived notions of what love truly is. Talley’s characters play well against each other in a classic “beauty and brains” contrast, both possessing hidden depths, and their developing relationship is tender and vibrant. Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Snappy dialog, realistic characters, and Southern charm will have readers rooting for the underdog in Talley’s sweet-and-sassy, feel-good romance.” Booklist

“In this second Morning Glory novel, Talley has created two well-conceived characters, each with his or her own issues. The ongoing emotional conflict that barrages the two lovers is both sweet and frustrating but leads to a satisfactory conclusion. A sweet, grown-up romance with a delightful mashup of fun and dysfunction.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Perfectly Charming is a standout contemporary romance. It’s an upbeat, unpredictable read with a sleek, intimate, intelligent narrative and a just-right tempo.” —USA Today/Happy Ever After

“I enjoyed the attraction and chemistry between Ryan and Jess. It was nice to see them have their light bulb moments and get their acts together, separately and together.” —Smexy Books

“I had wondered what would cause these two to examine their relationship and move past the easy and physical. Some hard truths smack them in the face and cause some true soul searching. It isn’t easy and definitely not pretty but it’s what was needed for them to reach a HEA I can buy into for the long term.” —Dear Author

From the Publisher

2016-08-23
When a divorcée takes an out-of-town job in Pensacola, the last thing she expects is to run into an old nerdy classmate—and he’s totally hot now.Jess Culpepper has had one love in her life: the boy she fell in love with in ninth grade, whom she married a month out of college and divorced just shy of her 30th birthday. Desperate to get out of the small Mississippi town they both share, Jess takes a nursing job in Pensacola, where she literally runs into an old classmate, Ryan Reyes. Once nicknamed The Brain, Dr. Ryan Reyes, M.D., Ph.D., has abandoned his life of Nobel-worthy science and research to run a charter fishing boat. But he could never forget the girl he had a crush on as a high school nerd. After some hesitation based on their history and the fact that neither is looking to start a new relationship, the pair spark up a friendship that quickly leads to more. In this second Morning Glory novel, Talley (Charmingly Yours, 2016, etc.) has created two well-conceived characters, each with his or her own issues. The ongoing emotional conflict that barrages the two lovers is both sweet and frustrating but leads to a satisfactory conclusion. A sweet, grown-up romance with a delightful mashup of fun and dysfunction.

Kirkus Reviews