The Magnolia Sisters

Starred review from January 13, 2020
City girl Avery Keller finds a sense of belonging where she least expected it in this uplifting small-town romance from Major (the Fortunes of Texas series). Leaving behind a disastrous relationship in San Francisco, Avery travels to Magnolia, N.C., to settle the estate of a father she never knew and meet her two half-sisters. Avery hoped to collect her inheritance and be on her way, but her biological father’s complicated estate thwarts this plan. Delayed in the quaint small town, Avery bonds with her sisters and warms to the close-knit community. Though memories of her painful breakup are still fresh, Avery falls for her handsome temporary landlord, divorced firefighter Grayson Atwell, and his precocious five-year-old daughter, Violet. But Gray’s glamorous, spiteful ex-wife, who brings up many of Avery’s insecurities, objects to Avery’s presence in her daughter’s life. Major’s well-developed characters are credible and winsome; Avery’s growth from a steely stranger into a caring community member is especially heartwarming and well-done. Striking the perfect balance of romance, heat, and drama, this optimistic love story is a sweet start to a promising series, perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber.

February 15, 2020
After a horrible affair implodes her life, a young woman travels to North Carolina for an inheritance, meets a sexy firefighter and two half sisters she didn't know she had, and decides it's time for a life-changing move. Avery Keller believed her mother's claim that she didn't know who Avery's father was. In truth, her father knew about her, which makes her feel unwanted and resentful when she finds out about it after he dies, despite the inheritance he leaves her. Traveling to Magnolia, North Carolina, to claim it, she meets her two half sisters, who also have tangled feelings toward their father. Her inheritance consists of some heavily mortgaged buildings in downtown Magnolia, so Avery stays in her sister Carrie's apartment while the sisters decide how to handle the properties and Carrie cleans out her father's mansion. The apartment's landlord, Gray, is the sexy fireman she bickered with at a gas station on her way into town. Every day Avery lingers, she grows closer to Magnolia, her sisters, Gray, and his daughter, softening her determination to leave. She doesn't have anywhere to go, anyway, since her successful life in San Francisco had been derailed by an affair with a deceitful married man. As her relationship with Gray grows emotionally and physically intimate, it threatens his narcissistic ex-wife just as he hopes to gain sole custody of his daughter. The first full-length novel (A Magnolia Reunion, 2019) in the Magnolia Sisters series introduces the daughters of a renowned artist whose star had faded, highlighting his complicated relationships with them and with his community. Major's characters and small-town romance worldbuilding are unique, engaging, and emotionally compelling. Avery and Gray's romance is complex, but the Magnolia backdrop adds dimension and texture to the story. A dynamic start to a series with a refreshingly original premise.

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July 24, 2020

Unemployed and recovering from a messy breakup, Avery Keller arrives in small-town Magnolia, NC, intending to collect her inheritance and then run--but her late father's will reveals massive debt and two half-sisters Avery didn't even know existed. With nothing calling her back to California, Avery reluctantly settles into what she hopes will be a short stay in town, but first she'll need to untangle her father's legal mess, stay out of her sisters' decades-long rivalry, and somehow resist the charms of her attractive next-door neighbor, single father Grayson Atwell. This first in a new series from Major ("Colorado Hearts" series) is a pleasant and quick read, and seamlessly blends themes of family, self-growth, and forgiveness into a love story. VERDICT This enjoyable romance is perfect for voracious readers who want to dive into a new small-town series. Recommended for libraries that already boast strong romance collections.--Rachel Alexander, Peabody Inst. Lib., MA

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