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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adore the Sweet Magnolia series, and this storyline developing Karen and Elliot's relationship was no different. The series itself is the perfect antidote to many other books (and real life), as every book has a happy ending.
I loved how we got to see Karen and her husband worked through their differences. I hope the next book is about Elliot’s sister. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Recommend this book? Yes! Author? Yes!
Read more from this author? Yes!
Happy Reading!
Melissa
Midnight Promises is another story in the Sweet Magnolias series, this one following Elliott Cruz and his wife, Karen Ames. I'd like how this story dealt with a married couple, rather than the typical divorced, widowed, or otherwise single before the relationship begins set up. It gives the relationship different stakes, a more urgent sense when Elliott and Karen start to have relationship troubles. And the reasons for those issues were unique compared to other romances I've read as well and that could be because they are married from the get go. Finances play a huge role in their troubles, specifically Karen's anxiety surrounding this topic due to the fallout from her previous marriage. And I was intrigued by the conflict between Elliott's family and Karen due to her past divorce. Elliott comes from a Latino Catholic family and Mama Cruz does not believe in divorce. So that plays a rather big part in the struggles the characters' face, not just for Elliott and Karen but other members of the family as well. Interestingly enough, I don't feel that Karen's children from her previous marriage are a source of conflict for the characters. Mama Cruz and the rest of Elliott's family are very accepting of these children and the only issue that does surface regarding them doesn't do so until nearly the end.
I did enjoy this story, much like the other Sweet Magnolia tales I've read, but I don't know if it'll necessarily be a reread. I do recommend it for anyone that enjoys romance stories or has seen Sweet Magnolias. If you've seen the show, definitely give the books a read if you haven't already.
I did enjoy this story, much like the other Sweet Magnolia tales I've read, but I don't know if it'll necessarily be a reread. I do recommend it for anyone that enjoys romance stories or has seen Sweet Magnolias. If you've seen the show, definitely give the books a read if you haven't already.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
my least favorite book in the series.
Another amazing part of the series! I keep enjoying them and seeing the Sweet Magnolia's grow!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Sherryl Woods has a talent for making ordinary people and situations real and compelling, and she has done so once again in Midnight Promises. Karen and Elliot Cruz love each other deeply, but the attitudes and assumptions each of them brings to their marriage are causing tension between them. Karen carries emotional scars after her ex-husband ran up huge debts, then abandoned her and their children to deal with them alone. As a result, Karen is extremely averse to taking financial risks, and she insists on communication and full partnership in her current marriage -- no secrets. Elliot was raised in a Latino Catholic family with very traditional views of marriage and spousal roles, which leads him to keep quiet about things that might worry or upset Karen in order to protect her. Add in Elliot's new business venture, his relationship with Karen's children, and jobs that leave them with too little time together, and the strain on their relationship is taking its toll. Will their love be enough to keep them together despite the issues that divide them?
There's a lot to like in this book, from Elliot and Karen's mutual commitment to each other and their marriage to subplots involving an elderly friend who may have Alzheimer's disease* and the marital woes of Elliot's sister Adelia. (I admired Adelia, and hope we will see a resolution of her story in a later book.) Woods treats her characters with sympathy and a clear-eyed understanding. It was fun to see the other Sweet Magnolias and their husbands, in supporting rather than cameo roles. And it was refreshing to read a romance about staying in love for the long haul, rather than about falling in love -- one, moreover, that shows how much work it can take to keep a marriage strong.
I found very little to quibble with in Midnight Promises. My only complaint, and I'll phrase it as generally as I can to avoid spoilers, is that although both Karen and Elliot each come to a deeper realization and understanding of their own beliefs and behaviors and how those are affecting their marriage, I felt that one of them never completely confronts a deeper, underlying issue. Still, it is clear by the end that their love, and their marriage, will survive.
You can read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.
Sherryl Woods has a talent for making ordinary people and situations real and compelling, and she has done so once again in Midnight Promises. Karen and Elliot Cruz love each other deeply, but the attitudes and assumptions each of them brings to their marriage are causing tension between them. Karen carries emotional scars after her ex-husband ran up huge debts, then abandoned her and their children to deal with them alone. As a result, Karen is extremely averse to taking financial risks, and she insists on communication and full partnership in her current marriage -- no secrets. Elliot was raised in a Latino Catholic family with very traditional views of marriage and spousal roles, which leads him to keep quiet about things that might worry or upset Karen in order to protect her. Add in Elliot's new business venture, his relationship with Karen's children, and jobs that leave them with too little time together, and the strain on their relationship is taking its toll. Will their love be enough to keep them together despite the issues that divide them?
There's a lot to like in this book, from Elliot and Karen's mutual commitment to each other and their marriage to subplots involving an elderly friend who may have Alzheimer's disease* and the marital woes of Elliot's sister Adelia. (I admired Adelia, and hope we will see a resolution of her story in a later book.) Woods treats her characters with sympathy and a clear-eyed understanding. It was fun to see the other Sweet Magnolias and their husbands, in supporting rather than cameo roles. And it was refreshing to read a romance about staying in love for the long haul, rather than about falling in love -- one, moreover, that shows how much work it can take to keep a marriage strong.
I found very little to quibble with in Midnight Promises. My only complaint, and I'll phrase it as generally as I can to avoid spoilers, is that although both Karen and Elliot each come to a deeper realization and understanding of their own beliefs and behaviors and how those are affecting their marriage, I felt that one of them never completely confronts a deeper, underlying issue. Still, it is clear by the end that their love, and their marriage, will survive.
You can read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.