Robin’s Rave Reviews 2023

This summer, if you want to get lost in a good series about family, love, and secrets, try the Peachtree Bluff series by Kristy Woodson Harvey. This is a four book series. Did you love Mary Alice Monroe’s The Beach House series? Do you love Elin Hilderbrand books? Nancy Thayer? Then The Peachtree Bluff books may be a good choice for you!

This family, a mother and her daughters (and their families), brings a variety of personalities and baggage, but their bond is unbreakable. Pull up a chair and they’ll bring you some sweet tea. I’ll give you a taste of each book, enough for you to see if they pique your interest, but not enough to spoil any of them.

Slightly South of Simple 

The first book, Slightly South of Simple, focuses on the mother Ansley and her daughter, Caroline.

When Ansley’s husband passed away, she was left with nothing. Even her own mother wouldn’t help her. From NYC, Ansley took her girls south to a house she inherited from her grandmother in Peachtree Bluff, Georgia, but it needed a lot of repairs. There she built a design business from the ground up and raised her children.

Her three daughters, now adults, all find themselves returning home for various reasons. For example, Caroline’s husband has been cheating on her in a very public way. With a failing marriage while she’s pregnant, she escapes with her nine-year-old daughter to the safety of Mom’s house in Peachtree Bluff. Then her sisters arrive with their troubles. Meanwhile, with the full house interrupting Ansley’s normally quiet life, Ansley’s first love, Jack, reappears. She tries to keep her distance, but the attraction is still there. The problem? He knows a secret Ansley wants to keep buried.

The Secret to Southern Charm 

The second installment, The Secret to Southern Charm, focuses on the middle daughter, Sloane. She returns to Peachtree Bluff with her two children when her military husband is deployed. In this book, she learns her husband is MIA. In the past, she has emotionally dealt with his deployments, but MIA is a whole different ballgame. The story also continues the storylines of the other sisters and the mother.

The Southern Side of Paradise

Emerson, the youngest daughter, gets center stage in The Southern Side of Paradise, appropriate since she’s an actress who is shooting an important role for her career nearby. The role itself becomes a source of contention in the family. While home, she cautiously rekindles a past love interest from her teen years, but should an actress who will be returning to LA get involved with a small town boy with roots?

Christmas in Peachtree Bluff

The last installment in the series, Christmas in Peachtree Bluff, brings a different kind of conflict right before Christmas – a hurricane. When the storm approaches, the family gets split up. Some of them escape to NYC while others stay behind in Peachtree Bluff. With the bridge out, it becomes a rescue mission to get to the trapped family. This story also brings Vivi, the eldest grandchild, into the forefront with mother-daughter tension and teenage angst that puts herself and others into danger.

My Take

I really like how each book focuses on a different character. Although I didn’t always like some of the characters, I appreciated experiencing their growth as people and within the family. This is especially true of Caroline. I didn’t like how she acted so entitled. Yet, it’s through our trials in life we learn to become better. It’s the same with characters.

The Peachtree Bluff series certainly had a lot of drama to dig into, but it was also full of love. Although the books could be read independently, you’ll get the most out of reading them in order so you have the backstory for context. This series of books is a good choice for beach reads this summer.

You can read my reviews of some of Kristy’s other books: The Wedding Veil, Under the Southern Sky, and Feels Like Falling. As you can see, she’s a favorite author of mine! Learn more about Kristy Woodson Harvey and her books at her author website here. You can also preorder her newest book, The Summer of Songbirds, coming out July 11. My copy is on order!

 

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