REVIEW: Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper
AIN’T SHE A PEACH by Molly Harper continues the snarky fun we had in SWEET TEA AND SYMPATHY with the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop as the stage. Bet you can’t read just one!
Frankie McCready loves to talk to her customers and play their favorite music while she does their makeup. Friends are a little weirded out since her customers are deceased, but Frankie thinks it’s normal. After all, she grew up at the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop in Georgia. As the coroner, death is a weekly ritual that she insists is handled with respect for these people she has known her whole life.
A one-night stand with new Sheriff Eric Linden wasn’t exactly the best way to start a working relationship. Not that Frankie knew he was the sheriff when she had sex with the man. Just her luck to love him and leave him and then have him show up in her hometown. If that wasn’t enough, now he feels the need to be Dick Tracy and claim every death in town suspicious.
I highlighted far more passages in this book than normal. Author Molly Harper cracks me up, especially in this series. I find this family to be a hoot and a holler away from crazy, just the way I like them in a romantic comedy. She makes me laugh and laugh – it’s such good therapy. The writing isn’t just funny, it’s extremely clever snark that pokes fun at the ridiculous side of humanity.
So much so that I read this book twice before writing the review. I read it last summer while on vacation, but I didn’t take enough notes to be able to write a worthy review. Thinking I could just skim it the second time to write the review, the story and characters pulled me in. I easily read it cover to cover in 24 hours.
Enemies-to-Lovers is one of my favorite tropes but it’s extra-fun when it’s a reunited pair who thought they were a one-night stand. Frankie’s observations about Eric at the beginning of the novel are hilarious. Even her description of Eric’s looks is laugh-out-loud funny. The coroner vs. sheriff routine reminds me of one of my favorite television shows – NCIS. Frankie is the perfect description of the geeky brainchild and her quirky behavior is addictive. Frankie and Eric together are like Mutt and Jeff or two of the Three Stooges until they finally come to an understanding. Always poking at one another, even in love they’re open in warfare.
Word of warning – situations are sometimes outrageously naughty and the characters often have potty mouths. They have a jar for that, so they’re well aware that swearing costs them money every time. It’s good fun, silly, and entertaining. I’m completely amazed at the comedic material in these books. Molly Harper should be a stand-up comedian. She takes life’s little moments and human characteristics, twists them on their head, making them both corny and believable.
Margot Cary from book one, SWEET TEA AND SYMPATHY, gets a lot of page time, so fans will enjoy her continuing story with Kyle and his girls. I was thrilled to get more pages with this couple. The cousins also spend a lot of time counseling Frankie so their hilarity continues as well. I did miss Donna as she doesn’t have any page time, but there’s a good laugh-out-loud moment where she’s mentioned.
I loved the book so much the second time that when I realized there were three novellas that were published in-between the novels, I immediately bought them. If you love a Kindle deal – the price is good. And that would be an easy way to introduce you to why I find this series so addictive.
In the end, the second time I read this book was just as much fun as when I read it on my vacation the first time. It’s not necessary to read the books in order as AIN’T SHE A PEACH reads fine as a standalone, but I don’t recommend it. You’ll miss half the fun if you don’t read SWEET TEA AND SYMPATHY first.
Frankie and Eric are perfect for one another. Their love story is filled with outrageous behavior and sentimental sweetness. There’s some crime they need to solve together, so that adds to their conflict and respect for one another. It’s hard to imagine one without the other as they’re a natural fit. I can’t wait to find out more about their happy-for-now in the next book, GIMME SOME SUGAR, releasing in April 2019.
Creative and quirky, full of trash talk, snark and backwoods oddities, Molly Harper once again made me laugh with her entertaining characters in AIN’T SHE A PEACH. I highly recommend the SOUTHERN ECLECTIC series to anyone in need of a really good time. Just be aware that anyone close to you will be reading over your shoulder, curious about why you’re laughing, snorting, or guffawing. Go on now, you know you want to buy it and see why I’m smiling. Happy Reading!
Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. Digital copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. Thanks in advance for following links and sharing this review on social media.
Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper
Series: Southern Eclectic (Book 4)
Category: Contemporary Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Gallery Books (June 12, 2018)
ISBN: 978-1501151330
Rated 5 out of 5 + Recommended Read
What’s your favorite romantic comedy?
