Talk of the Town

Karen Hawkins can write some really great books, and some mediocre (and some just plain boring). This falls into the mediocre category- occasionally ok but not her genre. The characters are a little flat. BUT I did finish it!

I always pre-order all Karen Hawkins historical romances because they are funny and have a great story. I was not disappointed with the change to contemporary romance. In this novel Roxie ends up back in her home town after her divorce taking care of her mother and runs into her first love. That sounds like a lot of similar plot lines but this author brings a very funny cast of characters that gives the reader lots of twists and turns. I loved the back story of Roxie's divorce - so funny (in a twisted way), Enjoy! If you enjoy this book I would also suggest;Not Another Bad Date (Avon Romance), Unravel Me (Berkley Sensation) and Into Thin Air (Signet Eclipse). Check out Karen's historical romances; To Catch a Highlander, How to Abduct a Highland Lord, To Scotland, With Love.

This book is a hoot and definitely worth reading. It will keep you laughing out loud all the way through. I've liked some of Karen Hawkin's other books, but this one is delightful!

Roxie Treymayne is devastated by a divorce after finding out her husband was cheating on her, so she decides to change things up. She dyes her dark hair blonde, gets a tattoo and begins wearing more provocative clothes. She plans to head to Paris when her brother tells her their mother is ill and needs their help. Bringing her eccentric maid, Tundy, with her, they head back to their hometown of Glory, North Carolina. While caring for her mother, she gets involved with a group of people from the assisted living center in town. Obsessed with CSI, they get excited when it seems there might be a mystery afoot. Also in town is her first love, Sherrif Nick Sheppard. Beautiful and causing her to feel the passion she thought was lost, Nick sends mixed signals as he deals with his past. He isn't sure he can handle someone so obviously wild and untamed; however, he can't keep away from her. Talk of the Town is a funny, very readable romp. The characters are all well drawn; the story takes turns at unexpected places. Every word serves a purpose; there are no wasted paragraphs. I loved Roxie and her desire to change herself. Nick is a fascinating character. And the comic relief (the maid and the older folks) is well placed and well timed. I definitely Joyfully Recommend Talk of the Town. Niki Lee Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I am always a bit leery when an author whose works usually take place in a certain time period switches over to a radically different time. I needn't have worried about Karen Hawkins. I was in good hands. I've always enjoyed her humor in her Regency/Historical novels. In TALK OF THE TOWN, she really cuts loose and I laughed my way thru it. I was very happy to see that she didn't change from 3rd person to 1st as some have done. I, personally, don't care for 1st person reading. TOTT is contemporary at it's finest with some terrific zany-ness thrown in. I love the sense of humor. And I adore seeing Nick & Roxy find each other again after so many years. They are wonderful. And so are Tundy and her cronies out at the home. What a hoot. I look forward to reading more of their shenanigans in the future. Because, of course, Mark & Susan must have their stories told. I love stories about small town nuttiness. Thanks, Karen!!! Just don't abandon those oh so sexy MacLeans! I love those guys.

I was fortunate enough to win an Advanced Reading Copy of Karen Hawkins' new "Talk of the Town" in a contest and just had to post a review. In short, it's a fantastic and fun read! This is Hawkins' first contemporary romance and I for one hope she'll keep writing in this vein. It's a perfect setting for her to display her outrageous sense of humor. Be prepared to burst out laughing on a regular basis with this book! Roxie Tremayne is fresh off of a divorce from her philandering husband, Brian Parker, and she's ready to shed her old, staid, good-wife persona. She goes blonde, gets her navel pierced, gets a tattoo, and trades in her proper Southern lady wardrobe for high heels, short skirts, skintight jeans, and clingy tops. Just as she's ready to jet off to Paris (or the Italian Riviera, or anywhere but Raleigh, North Carolina), she's called back to her small hometown of Glory, NC to tend to her ailing mother. Nick Sheppard is now the sheriff of Glory, but not so long ago he was the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He and Roxie had a brief, intense fling in high school, but since she was the prim Homecoming Queen and he was more the juvenile delinquent sort, their love affair seemed to be doomed from the start. The sparks fly once the two of them meet again, and it's so much fun to see how this second chance at love progresses. And worked in through the romance is an entertaining mystery involving a crazy bunch of senior citizens from the local assisted living center. Hawkins' talent for flat-out hilarious dialogue is very much on display in "Talk of the Town." And the supporting characters are memorable - especially Tundy, Roxie's former maid (and Oprah-watching friend) from Raleigh. I highly recommend "Talk of the Town!"