Southern Seducer (North Carolina Highlands #1) by Jessica Peterson

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I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff in my life. But sleeping with my best friend tops the list.

Annabel and I have been close since college. When I left school to play pro football, she was there. While I collected Super Bowl rings and cars worth more than the house I grew up in—she was there.

I always assumed we’d end up together. Everyone did.

But by the time I retired from football, Bel was married. I thought I’d missed my shot at love.

So I buried myself in my new job as CEO of Blue Mountain Farm, a five-star resort my family and I built in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. It seems like a good place to be alone with the secret I have to keep from her.

Now Bel is a divorced single mom, struggling to raise her daughter on her own—and it’s my turn to be there for her.

So I invite her and the baby up to the resort for some much needed R&R.

Then, in a moment of bonfire-and-bourbon induced weakness, I kiss her.

And the fallout could ruin everything. 

SOUTHERN SEDUCER is a full length, standalone novel. It is the first book in the all new North Carolina Highland series.

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review 

 

I was super excited about reading this latest book from Jessica Peterson because I knew she was doing something a little different. Taking inspiration from real life, Peterson introduces us to Annabel, a new single mother who has been recently diagnosed with Postpartum Depression. On hearing this, her best friend Beau invites her, her baby Maisie and her mom, up to his family's resort for some much-deserved R&R. He does have ulterior motives, too. Beay's always been in love with Bel, as he affectionately calls her, and wants to be there for her in her time of need. He also has to come clean to her about something that he's going through. 

Before going further, let it be known that there's a lot of baby stuff. A LOT. Peterson does not hold back on all the craziness that happens in the first few months after having a baby, covering it all from the physical to the emotional. More impressively, she allows herself to be vulnerable here and I can't commend her enough for it. Another thing that's done exceptionally well is how Bel rediscovers her own sexuality with Beau. Any woman who's given birth will tell you that it's hard to feel whole again, much less sexy after the traumatic experience of childbirth. Bel has to rediscover this new version of herself and appreciate everything that has brought her to this moment. 

Beau is right there, encouraging and loving as always so see her through it, though he's also suffering emotionally and physically. Revealing his secret to Bel is one of the scariest things he has to do. They've been each other's rock for the past several years but Beau's condition might put an expiration date on their relationship. It seems too selfish to dump on Bel at this point in time but he can't not include her in one of the most important changes of his life.
  

Southern Seducer is more than I could've wanted. On a personal level it stirred up lots of memories through Peterson's honest and unfiltered shared experience. She gives voice to so many things that I couldn't articulate back then and it means something to see those words describe how I felt then. Even though I'm years removed from that stage in my life, there's still meaning and comfort in being recognized and finding solidarity with other moms. It's also incredibly touching and sincere about pivotal moments in these two friends' lives. It's about being present when needed, finding shelter and comfort in the chaos, and admitting that one needs help to weather the storm. Southern Seducer is a stunner and the romance is typical Jessica Peterson with the more intimate moments being sensational and hot. It's an exciting start to a new series and I am ready for more!

~ Bel 

✴ AUTHOR INTERVIEW ✴ 

I was inspired to reach out to Jessica Peterson after reading Southern Seducer and I'm so thankful that she was able to spare some time to share her thoughts on Bel and Beau. 

You had a baby recently so it’s not surprising that motherhood would feature heavily in Southern Seducer with Annabel being a new mom struggling to find her way through it. It’s astonishingly frank about motherhood. What was it like to put your feelings to paper? 

  

Oh, my, what a great question. It was very cathartic to write Annabel's story! In the early days of motherhood, I wasn't really ready to talk about Postpartum Depression because I was just so in it, you know? I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and not sure how I'd make it out on the other side. So while I couldn't talk about it, I could write about it. Which was in many ways the best kind of therapy. Now that I'm kinda-sorta feeling like myself again, I'm able to come out and share my story. But in many ways, this book saved me during those first nine months of my daughter's life. 

  

Something I like that you did is show that Bel didn’t completely lose her sexuality after having a child but she had to rediscover herself. How fun was it to give her back her agency? 

  

Another great question! Love that you picked up on how much this book is about Bel getting her groove back in lots of ways. It was important to me to show that Bel was still a person, still a woman with "brains and red blood" as she says, after she had a baby. I feel like our society/culture has a tendency to erase mothers as human beings. We're supposed to roll our dreams and desires into our kids. I wanted to reverse that, and show how Annabel is still very much herself, and still very much dedicated to what she wants, and what she needs. Rediscovering herself sexually was part and parcel of that. 

  

You tackle another major issue through Beau’s storyline that in a way parallels Bel’s struggles as well. How did either storyline inform the other for you?  

  

You know, I've wanted to write an ex-NFL hero for a while. When Annabel's storyline came on STRONG after I had my daughter, I started to realize how well Beau's journey would mirror hers. They're both going through some heavy shit, and while I know that makes the book intense in many ways, it also felt real and fresh and emotional. They could relate to each other in a way they never could before, adding a whole new dimension to their decades long friendship. It also gives us a great "why" - why they fall in love after all these years of never crossing that line. 

  

Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite moment in Southern Seducer? 

  

Ooooh girl you know I love me a good kissing scene. So my favorite moment is probably the first time Bel and Beau kiss at the bonfire. It's angsty and hot and poignant, and I loved writing it. In fact, it was the first scene that came to me when I started brainstorming this book. Love it! 

  

Thanks for having me, and happy reading, y'all! 

Connect with Jessica Peterson

Source: Goodreads

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Well-Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave

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From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.

Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little "writing hobby." But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high school sweetheart.

Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. From dealing with her husband's demanding family to the casual racism of her patients, everything Nandini has endured has been for her children's sake. It isn't until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the Perfect Indian Woman, she's let herself slip away.

Mimi Kadakia failed her daughter, Nandini, in ways she'll never be able to fix---or forget. But with her granddaughter, she has the chance to be supportive and offer help when it's needed. As life begins to pull Nandini and Simran apart, Mimi is determined to be the bridge that keeps them connected, even as she carries her own secret burden

Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review


This is a compelling story about three generations of women who dealt with or are currently dealing with life in different ways. Nandini as matriarch of her family, feels the responsibility and pressure of making sure her daughter, Simran has a good life ahead of her. That means making sure she's marrying the right man and following all the family and religious traditions.  Simran has been with her fiance since they were in high school and strongly feels that he's 'the one'. While they're both facing stressful careers ahead, they're also committed to making their relationship work. Then Simran meets a journalist at a book signing who not only shares her love of books and writing but encourages her to look into it as a career. Everything that Simran has built her life around so far all of a sudden feels off to her. She begins questioning what she really wants and what's expected. This draws her into direct conflict with her mother who demands excellence and commitment. Nandini has always subscribed to putting family ahead of her own dreams so while she recognizes something of herself in Simran, she's hesitant to encourage Simran to be so reckless as she sees it.

This was hard for me at times. I couldn't help but get irritated every time outrageous expectations were placed on either Simran or Nandini. A lot of it has to do with some warped patriarchal thinking about what women can and should be allowed to do. A lot of it generational or cultural. Then there's the whole not wanting to care about what others think of them but then being painfully mindful of what the community does think about them. I am familiar with a lot of the sentiments conveyed in this novel (having lived some of it) which is why it was so hard on me. But what I do appreciate is how Simran and Nandini come in to their own and expand their perspectives. While mother and daughter might not come to a full understanding of each other, they do come to some sort of truce and it's a hard fought for one. What's important here is that these two women fight for what they believe in even if it means ruffling feathers and upsetting the status quo. They do so knowing that they can't be truly happy until they speak up and step outside the confines of their worlds.

Simran's grandmother, Mimi doesn't figure as prominently but she is a pivotal piece that helps to bridge the gap between her daughter and granddaughter. Call it a blessing of a long life but she has had the time to reflect on events to become the sensitive sounding board to Simran and Nandini, giving them the emotional support and nudge they need to come back to each other. She is easily one of the most precious women ever. 

Reading Well-Behaved Indian Women means getting your heart squeezed and wrung out a good number of times but by the end you're wrapped in a warm blanket that lets you know everything will be all right. I was glad to see this mother-daughter duo find their strengthand voice to demand that they can also be happy!

~ Bel