Love, Alabama by Susan Sands
Series: Alabama, #2
Romance Contemporary
April 13, 2016
Tule Publishing
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “We’re all broken just a little”
Emma Laroux, former Miss Alabama and current pageantry coach, is pretty content with her life. Who cares if she is cursed when it comes to dating men? She has her home, health, business, and family for comfort. When her sister lands her own reality cooking show, Emma helps out and finds herself at odds with the show’s producer.
Matthew Pope has come to the small town of Ministry, Alabama to produce a cooking show but he’s pretty sure he’s really just paying for past sins. Matthew’s reluctance to succumb to the town’s southern charms stems from bad memories of his own hometown, only two hours away. Meeting Emma Laroux brings back some of those memories.
Matthew and Emma soon reach a truce and Emma begins to think that maybe her curse has been lifted as she and Matthew begin to grow closer and fall for one another. But there is someone who doesn’t want Emma finding happiness with anyone. Her narcissistic ex-boyfriend-Tad Beaumont.
Tad and Emma dated in college. He broke up with her during a difficult time in her life. Now the mayor of Ministry, Tad’s controlling behavior ramps out of control as he uses his position in an attempt to manipulate Emma’s love life.
When the lies of the past are finally revealed, can Matthew and Emma weather through them or will the curse claim another victim?
Love, Alabama is the second book in Susan Sand’s Alabama series which follows the lives and loves of the Laroux family. Family, second chances, and forgiveness are the bases on which this small town southern romance contemporary is built upon. Though a series, each book can be read as a stand alone. I’m a sucker for small town romances. I often enjoy the gossipy nature that permeates these stories and the often eccentric and sometimes outrageous characters who inhabit these towns. Add in a southern flare and you are usually guaranteed to have a good time.
Unfortunately, this story didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Emma Laroux, crowned Miss Alabama ten years ago, lost her boyfriend, her crown, and her dreams though she has always refused to discuss what happened. Now back in her hometown of Ministry, Alabama, Emma is a well known and respected pageantry/debutante coach. A slew of unfortunate circumstances has left her love life nonexistent though it provides much gossip for the residents. It doesn’t help her ex-boyfriend, the one who left her during her greatest time of need, is the very married town mayor and seems to have an unhealthy fascination with her and her love life.
The proper southern bell, Emma is a contradiction of steel and deep vulnerability. A stickler for decorum, she shows just enough spark and snark to assure us that she doesn’t always toe the line. Intelligent and witty, she is entertaining though there were times though when she became a little too judgemental for me towards those she deems as inappropriate or different.
Matthew is a sweet, hard working, slightly uptight television producer whose past has a very strong hold on him. Born and raised about two hours from Ministry, Matthew left home as soon as he could and never returned except when he was injured while in the military. A former football player for Auburn, he remembers Emma from their college days though he is reluctant to tell her how he knows her. Matthew more than holds his own with the prickly Ms. Emma. Both characters are interesting to an extent but there is nothing that sets them apart from everyone else in the book.
The story moves at a meandering pace with the emerging romance a huge part of the storyline while an astonishing amount of subplots flow in and out of it. We have a stalker, childhood trauma, secret baby daddy, mean girl turned bff, and a mystery from the past. The romance moves fast with Matthew and Emma quickly overcoming their antagonism towards each other and falling in love. Even though Emma and Matthew spend quite of bit of time together, Sands never manages to completely convince me the romance is based on anything more than attraction and the fact that Matthew isn’t being scared away by Emma’s stalker. We never see the point where they fall in love or even why.
Emma’s stalker was another bone of contention for me. Everyone knows who he is-the town mayor. We learn of everything he has been doing to stop Emma from dating yet nobody in this town seems to see what he’s doing until his wife finds out and tells Emma’s family. I could see this working if it had just started, but it is hinted at that it’s been going on for years. Also, Emma’s family never pushed at why she suddenly relinquished her crown and left school. Their whole attitude was that she would tell them when she was ready.
The ending is a series of over the top dramatic plot devices that solve all the problems in one lazy swoop. Matthew is the only one whose issues were resolved in what I would deem realistic in time and manner. We are left wondering how and why this was able to resolve so effortlessly.
Love, Alabama had some interesting characters and humorous dialogue scenes but it couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to be funny and sweet or serious and weighty. It flips back and forth with an unsteadiness that is noticeable. Sands use of serious subject matters isn’t supported by the story’s frivolous attitude and lack of serious discourse. A nonchalant beach read that doesn’t ask for or require any emotional connection.
GRADE: C-
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