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ssimpson92's review
4.0
3.5/5 Rating rounded up
This review is for the series including Books 1 - 3.
High-brow “literary” fiction these are not. Southern Eclectic is just pure, unadulterated, silliness. If you’re expecting anything else from a story about an “eclectic” family, based in a small southern town, that run a combined funeral service/bait and tackle shop (which locals refer to as the “bait and bury")… well…you’re just not paying attention. But, if this kind of preposterousness doesn’t immediately put you off, then maybe, just maybe, you’d enjoy this delightful little yarn spun by Molly Harper. I actually listened to the Audible version of these books, so for me, it was like having that funny, full of life, family member/friend come to your house to share a drink and a tale. A tale told on the back porch at the end of a good meal, for no other reason than to make you laugh. The characters are … well … characters: quirky, prone to predicaments and downright likeable. The things they get themselves into make for a funny story – humorous, with a touch of snark and embellished with just enough exaggerated mischief to make you laugh till you snort your beer. Nothing is too outrageous to include, from the flamingo raid on the shrimp canapes at a fancy gala, to staged zombies in the autopsy room at the funeral home, to crazy bubba-brawls at the annual trunk-and-treat. Yup, crazy antics, stuff you wouldn’t think could ever work, but somehow does. All that and a romance thrown in. The whole series is a very quick "read" and just delightful!
Sometimes you need a break from stories bent on deep social commentary or demanding empathy for the plight of others. For me, these books fill that need.
This review is for the series including Books 1 - 3.
High-brow “literary” fiction these are not. Southern Eclectic is just pure, unadulterated, silliness. If you’re expecting anything else from a story about an “eclectic” family, based in a small southern town, that run a combined funeral service/bait and tackle shop (which locals refer to as the “bait and bury")… well…you’re just not paying attention. But, if this kind of preposterousness doesn’t immediately put you off, then maybe, just maybe, you’d enjoy this delightful little yarn spun by Molly Harper. I actually listened to the Audible version of these books, so for me, it was like having that funny, full of life, family member/friend come to your house to share a drink and a tale. A tale told on the back porch at the end of a good meal, for no other reason than to make you laugh. The characters are … well … characters: quirky, prone to predicaments and downright likeable. The things they get themselves into make for a funny story – humorous, with a touch of snark and embellished with just enough exaggerated mischief to make you laugh till you snort your beer. Nothing is too outrageous to include, from the flamingo raid on the shrimp canapes at a fancy gala, to staged zombies in the autopsy room at the funeral home, to crazy bubba-brawls at the annual trunk-and-treat. Yup, crazy antics, stuff you wouldn’t think could ever work, but somehow does. All that and a romance thrown in. The whole series is a very quick "read" and just delightful!
Sometimes you need a break from stories bent on deep social commentary or demanding empathy for the plight of others. For me, these books fill that need.
tessisreading2's review
3.0
Fun and funny; very heroine-focused and maybe a little too much backstory filled in about basically everyone else involved in Frankie's and Eric's lives, but I'll definitely be reading my way through this series.
rosie_p_burke's review
5.0
If you loved Sweet Tea & Sympathy, you will love this one! It follows Frankie McCready & Eric Linden as they navigate having a working relationship after discovering they "met" before on one of Frankie's trips to Atlanta! The same craziness and chaos, laughter and loveable characters are all back!
The one liners hit just as hard in this second book in the Southern Eclectic series as they did in the original. We get to catch up with some of the familiars and learn more about the new-to-town interim sheriff Eric Linden. The southern charm mixed with family dynamic was authentic and real.. without being staid and boring.
I listened to this on Audible at 1.4x speed and never wanted to stop listening. I am now a huge Molly Harper fan and working my way through all of her works. Please... go find this book and enjoy it.
The one liners hit just as hard in this second book in the Southern Eclectic series as they did in the original. We get to catch up with some of the familiars and learn more about the new-to-town interim sheriff Eric Linden. The southern charm mixed with family dynamic was authentic and real.. without being staid and boring.
I listened to this on Audible at 1.4x speed and never wanted to stop listening. I am now a huge Molly Harper fan and working my way through all of her works. Please... go find this book and enjoy it.
elzabetg's review
4.0
Okay this completed [b:Peachy Flippin' Keen|36111003|Peachy Flippin' Keen (Southern Eclectic, #1.5)|Molly Harper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516581689l/36111003._SY75_.jpg|57699472] in a really good way. I really have no idea why the two were split up. I like the town of Lake Sackett. I would totally hang out with Margaux, Frankie and the rest of the McReadys.
inmyhumbleopinion's review
5.0
OMG! I LOVED THIS STORY! Ain't She a Peach? is a sweet sometimes silly sometimes sad small town romance that will leave you believing in possibilities. Eric is a big city cop who has moved to tiny Lake Sackett and runs into a one night stand he hasn’t been able to forget. Franky is a quirky character in her small town. With rainbow hair, eclectic clothes and attitude to spare Frankie takes her job as mortician and coroner very seriously. Now she has to work with the hunk she ran out on. Can the big city cop and the country mouse put their differences aside and learn to get along. I can tell you it won’t be easy but it can be done.
Well done.
Well done.
pilotwaifu's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scoutmomskf's review
4.0
Fun book. Frankie was one of my favorite characters from the first book Sweet Tea And Sympathy, so I was happy to see her get her own story. Frankie is the wild child of the family. She is impulsive, sassy, snarky, and sarcastic, but also loving and loyal to her family. A survivor of childhood leukemia, Frankie still lives at home with her very overprotective parents. She longs to break out on her own but doesn't want to hurt their feelings. When the pressure gets to be too much, she sneaks off to Atlanta for a "hit it and quit it" night with a random man. One of those encounters comes back to bite her when he shows up in Lake Sackett as the new interim sheriff.
Eric was a cop in Atlanta until a confrontation gone wrong sent him looking for a slower paced life and job. It takes him a while to adjust, and in the meantime, he sees foul play in almost every death. This brings him into frequent contact with town coroner and mortician Frankie, the woman he hasn't been able to forget.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Frankie and Eric. The chemistry between them is strong, though each tries to fight it. It was fun to see her jerk Eric's chain about his tendency to see murder in the most normal of deaths. The barbs and insults that fly between them highlight the emotion that both try to deny. Franke has to dial down the snark when she goes to Eric for help catching the vandal who has targeted the funeral home. Frankie is sure she knows who it is, but Eric believes in law and order and evidence. As they worked together to catch the culprit, they frequently clash over methods, but also grow closer emotionally. But when Frankie goes a little too far with one of her plans, it puts Eric's job in jeopardy and causes a rift between them. Harsh words were spoken, and though they hurt, they also created some serious self-reflection. I ached a bit for Frankie as she saw herself through new eyes, but I also cheered for her and the changes she made. I liked her big moment at the end as she and Eric realized that they belonged together.
As in the previous book, life in Lake Sackett is not dull. Small town life has everyone poking their noses in everyone else's lives, making some go to extreme lengths to get a little privacy. Small town politics also invade every facet of life, from the PTA to the town government. Frankie and her cousin Margot got yet another taste of this when it came time to plan the annual Trunk-or-Treat for Halloween. The planning session was a riot, from deciding on the venue to arguments over costumes allowed. I loved seeing Margot maintain control and give as good as she gets in the process. The other big story is the case of the vandalism at the funeral home. Since Frankie is confident who is behind it, she is ready to have it out with him, but Eric reminds her that without solid evidence, he can't do anything about it. I could feel Frankie's frustration, especially when one attempt goes so badly wrong. I loved that she learned her lesson, and when the opportunity came to set a trap, she was extremely clever about it. I loved how it played out and seeing the punk get what was coming to him. There was also a nice little twist that had a connection to Eric.
I enjoyed seeing more of Frankie's family members. Aunt Tootie is always a hoot with her abundance of rescue dogs and her unfiltered commentary on everything. I liked catching up on what is happening with Margot and Kyle, especially the surprise that Margot is facing. I'm looking forward to seeing how that works out. I saw more of the relationship between Frankie and her parents and completely understood her frustration. Their overprotectiveness was definitely over the top, though it was also understandable. It was difficult for her to break away without feeling guilty about hurting their feelings. Their confrontation over the issue was emotional but productive.
Eric was a cop in Atlanta until a confrontation gone wrong sent him looking for a slower paced life and job. It takes him a while to adjust, and in the meantime, he sees foul play in almost every death. This brings him into frequent contact with town coroner and mortician Frankie, the woman he hasn't been able to forget.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Frankie and Eric. The chemistry between them is strong, though each tries to fight it. It was fun to see her jerk Eric's chain about his tendency to see murder in the most normal of deaths. The barbs and insults that fly between them highlight the emotion that both try to deny. Franke has to dial down the snark when she goes to Eric for help catching the vandal who has targeted the funeral home. Frankie is sure she knows who it is, but Eric believes in law and order and evidence. As they worked together to catch the culprit, they frequently clash over methods, but also grow closer emotionally. But when Frankie goes a little too far with one of her plans, it puts Eric's job in jeopardy and causes a rift between them. Harsh words were spoken, and though they hurt, they also created some serious self-reflection. I ached a bit for Frankie as she saw herself through new eyes, but I also cheered for her and the changes she made. I liked her big moment at the end as she and Eric realized that they belonged together.
As in the previous book, life in Lake Sackett is not dull. Small town life has everyone poking their noses in everyone else's lives, making some go to extreme lengths to get a little privacy. Small town politics also invade every facet of life, from the PTA to the town government. Frankie and her cousin Margot got yet another taste of this when it came time to plan the annual Trunk-or-Treat for Halloween. The planning session was a riot, from deciding on the venue to arguments over costumes allowed. I loved seeing Margot maintain control and give as good as she gets in the process. The other big story is the case of the vandalism at the funeral home. Since Frankie is confident who is behind it, she is ready to have it out with him, but Eric reminds her that without solid evidence, he can't do anything about it. I could feel Frankie's frustration, especially when one attempt goes so badly wrong. I loved that she learned her lesson, and when the opportunity came to set a trap, she was extremely clever about it. I loved how it played out and seeing the punk get what was coming to him. There was also a nice little twist that had a connection to Eric.
I enjoyed seeing more of Frankie's family members. Aunt Tootie is always a hoot with her abundance of rescue dogs and her unfiltered commentary on everything. I liked catching up on what is happening with Margot and Kyle, especially the surprise that Margot is facing. I'm looking forward to seeing how that works out. I saw more of the relationship between Frankie and her parents and completely understood her frustration. Their overprotectiveness was definitely over the top, though it was also understandable. It was difficult for her to break away without feeling guilty about hurting their feelings. Their confrontation over the issue was emotional but productive.
mindfullibrarian's review
4.0
Thanks to Gallery Books for this free review copy!
*
Dare I say that I loved this book just as much or even MORE than the first one in this series? SWEET TEA & SYMPATHY was such a fun read, and this next one in the Southern Eclectic series picks right up where that one left off in the little Georgia town of Lake Sackett with the decidedly eccentric McCready family. This time with Frankie, the 20-something town's coroner and embalmer as the main character. Okay, now when I say the family is eccentric, I mean, really eccentric. Like, they own a bait shop connected to a funeral home eccentric! I adore the exaggerated, down-home, Southern sassiness of these books and would be oh so happy to have Frankie be the one taking care of any of my dearly departed family members, that's for sure! Oh, and there's a h-o-t romance between Frankie and the town's new sheriff.......only a 3 on my steam factor, but definitely lots of romantic tension!
*
This can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I would highly recommend reading SWEET TEA first so you don't miss out on that fun!
*
AND, I just discovered that there are also 2 novellas as well ~ SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK (technically first in this series) and PEACHY FLIPPIN' KEEN (comes chronologically between SWEET TEA & AIN'T SHE A PEACH). These appear to only be available digitally, so I just bought them for my Kindle - only $1.99 each!
*
Dare I say that I loved this book just as much or even MORE than the first one in this series? SWEET TEA & SYMPATHY was such a fun read, and this next one in the Southern Eclectic series picks right up where that one left off in the little Georgia town of Lake Sackett with the decidedly eccentric McCready family. This time with Frankie, the 20-something town's coroner and embalmer as the main character. Okay, now when I say the family is eccentric, I mean, really eccentric. Like, they own a bait shop connected to a funeral home eccentric! I adore the exaggerated, down-home, Southern sassiness of these books and would be oh so happy to have Frankie be the one taking care of any of my dearly departed family members, that's for sure! Oh, and there's a h-o-t romance between Frankie and the town's new sheriff.......only a 3 on my steam factor, but definitely lots of romantic tension!
*
This can definitely be read as a stand-alone, but I would highly recommend reading SWEET TEA first so you don't miss out on that fun!
*
AND, I just discovered that there are also 2 novellas as well ~ SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK (technically first in this series) and PEACHY FLIPPIN' KEEN (comes chronologically between SWEET TEA & AIN'T SHE A PEACH). These appear to only be available digitally, so I just bought them for my Kindle - only $1.99 each!
angie_stl's review against another edition
5.0
Hilarious
Molly Harper makes her characters easy to relate to, and the things they say, do, and happens to them are by far the funniest I've ever read!! My poor dog kept looking at me like I was having a fit of some kind!! I knew that Frankie's book was probably going to be my favorite, just by the way she treated Margot in Sweet Tea. Duffy could steal the title, but I doubt it.
Molly Harper makes her characters easy to relate to, and the things they say, do, and happens to them are by far the funniest I've ever read!! My poor dog kept looking at me like I was having a fit of some kind!! I knew that Frankie's book was probably going to be my favorite, just by the way she treated Margot in Sweet Tea. Duffy could steal the title, but I doubt it.