Lucky Charmed by Sharla Lovelace
Charmed in Texas, #2
Romance Contemporary
July 18, 2017
Lyrical Shine
Favorite Quote: “The only person I could trust in my entire life to be there for me and never leave-was me.”
Reviewed by Tori
Carmen Frost hates honey. And bees. And in her hometown of Charmed, Texas, which practically invented the stuff, that’s a problem. The good news is that the summer Honey Festival is finally over. Even better, so is the annual Lucky Hart carnival, a road show that made off with her dreams years ago—including the boy she loved. Now she’s got a divorce behind her, and a successful law career in front of her, but in a tiny town, big memories die hard. Or they don’t die at all—as Carmen discovers when she runs into an all too familiar pair of eyes—older, wiser, and just as heart-melting as ever . . .
Sully Hart has had enough of the nomad lifestyle. Travelling with his father’s carnival gave him adventures, but it cost him much more. Now he’s home to stay, contracted to create an entertainment complex in Charmed. He wants roots, a house with a yard and all the mundane pleasures that go with it. But the girl he loved has become a woman who still wants freedom. Can she still want him? It seems he and Carmen are at each other’s throats one minute—and on each other’s lips the next. Someone’s gotta give . . . (Goodreads)
Fans of Lovelace’s A Charmed Little Lie will remember meeting Carmen Frost, Lanie McKane’s best friend and the town lawyer. We learn through Lanie that Carmen had fallen in love with a Sully Hart, a young man from a traveling carnival, but something happened to make him leave her behind with no goodbye. She ended up marrying and eventually divorcing the local golden boy. Now years later, Carmen is preparing to leave Charmed on an extended vacation, she’s just waiting for Lanie to return from her honeymoon so she can say goodbye. Only, when she runs into her long lost love at the local grocery store, she learns he is the owner and developer behind a large entertainment annex being built on the outskirts of town.
Sully Hart is finally laying down roots…in Charmed.
What did it matter that the love of my life, the man who shattered me into a million pieces in the stadium parking lot, was standing in front of me fifteen years later, looking good enough to lick from head to toe?
I was better than that.
I love Sharla Lovelace’s contemporaries. They are often filled with humor, angst, realism, romance, and a strong dose of growth. We aren’t given a fairy tale but an honest look at relationships and the problems that often come with them. Lovelace makes her characters colorful and sometimes exasperating in their stubbornness, bad tempers, and drama fueled decisions. Combine that with witty narrative, tangible chemistry, and a small town setting and you have an enjoyable fast read.
Family, second chances, and forgiveness are the basis 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 of the inhabitants that permeates these stories with their biting commentary, long memories, and general unforgiving nature. Toss in the southern flair for dramatics and you are usually guaranteed to have a good time. Usually. Not so much in here.
Carmen Frost grew up in the trailer park with her mom and has never left town beyond going to college. The product of a single mother who was constantly changing jobs and men, Carmen’s own wanderlust is not a surprise. When she first met Sully, all her dreams seemed to come true. Her was her sexy bad boy prince with the ability to get her as far away from Charmed as possible. They clicked instantly and spent all their time together. Until it came time for the carnival to leave. Carmen waited for Sully to come get her and take her with him but he never showed up and the carnival left town for the year. After that ill fated summer romance, Carmen shut down all her dreams and went the route expected of her.
A decision had to be made.
I made mine.
He made his
They weren’t the same.
Sullivan (Sully) Hart grew up in his father’s carnival. He went to school until the 4th grade then was homeschooled as is common in that lifestyle. His mother left not long after that and Sully was left to help run the carnival and raise his younger brother. Meeting Carmen and spending the summer with her was everything to him and he struggled to do that right thing. Now he is back and finally fulfilling his own dream.
“See that?” he asked, pointing inside at the dishes and bowls and glasses. He looked in there too, and the look of pride on his face was astounding. “That’s living.”
We don’t get as much from Sully as we do Carmen because this is all told from Carmen’s point of view but you can;t help but think Sully is definitely more mature and stable of the two. Lovelace does a wonderful job though of showing us what happened as she pushes home the point that MAYBE Carmen’s attraction was more rooted in what Sully represented then Sully himself. Carmen wanted adventure and to see the world while all Sully wanted was a real home. Their disastrous first relationship was a cumulation of many things. Age, class differences, and fear. Sully loved Carmen but he honestly felt his nomad existence wasn’t meant for her. She has destined for great things and he wasn’t going to stand in her way.
“Back in the day, you said he was this vibrant…something or other.”
“Rebel.”
“So, my question is…did you fall for the guy or the lifestyle?”
“What?”
“Was it what he did or who he was that grabbed you? Because, we all grow up. We change what we do. But whether he is travelling the country or planting bushes, he’s still the same guy.”
Though touted as a romance, that isn’t the central theme of the story. Lovelace centers primarily on Carmen and her issues. There was a lot of anger in Carmen and it lasts most of the book. Carmen is angry with Sully for what he did fifteen years ago, she’s angry at her mother for her father not staying, she’s angry at her ex-husband for not being who she wanted him to be,…but most of all she’s angry at herself. Carmen realizes, deep down inside, that a majority of her unhappiness is fueled by her.
“All you ever wanted was to get out of here.” My throat burned. “Yes.”
“And all I ever wanted was a house with no wheels that can’t be broken down and and moved in an hour…or less.”
The romance was very low key as Carmen and Sully have numerous hurdles to climb. The chemistry was weak, their interactions more melodramatic than substance, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sully would have been alright if he and Carmen didn’t get back together. He seemed to angle more for a peaceful co-existence. Lots of angry kisses but one smexy time *sigh*
The main conflict’s resolution is predictable but felt rushed and disorganized. And odd with the random paranormal aspect that was tossed in at the end and the fact that advice from a virtual stranger suddenly solves everything for Carmen.
While I liked Lucky Charmed, it wasn’t my favorite of Lovelace’s work. It felt rushed, not as well developed as her previous works, and polarized towards the heroine. Certain secondary characters were tossed in willy nilly for drama but didn’t really have a purpose beyond that.
Regardless, I am looking forward to book three, Once a Charmer, which features two locals whose long time friendship is about be tested in every way possible.
RATING: C
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