Ann B. Ross

Well, Miss Julia has gone and done it this time! She and her long-time friend, mentor/attorney Sam Murdoch have eloped to a marriage mill in Tennessee and honeymooned at Dollywood. Shortly after their return to town, but after they'd already hired carpenters who had demolished half Miss J's house to fit it out so everyone (Julia and Sam, Hazel Mae and little Lloyd) could live under one roof, they discover that the "reverend" who officiated at the nuptials may not in fact have been a rev at show more all, and their marriage may not be legal.

Naturally Miss Julia's southern sense of properness and morality is totally in chaos; she banishes Sam to a separate bedroom, refuses to go through with another ceremony (that would announce to the world that they'd been living in sin!!!!) and sends Sam off to "fix it."  At the same time, Hazel Marie decides to hostess a beauty pageant, Julia's best friend wants to throw her a wedding reception, and poor Miss Julia just can't seem to handle it.  As usual, Ann B. Ross does a wonderful job of keeping us guessing about the outcome of all these challenges and manages to give us some tension, some concern, and plenty of humor as the various characters work through life.

These are fun stories.  Miss Julia has just the right amount of ditziness and brains to make them believable and Hazel Mae adds the perfect foil of fun loving devil-may-care to counter Miss Julia's prissiness. Think Golden Girls with Betty White as Miss Julia and a young Rue McClanahan as Hazel Mae.  I'm not sure I could take these as a steady diet, but they are certainly well done - - especially in audio. show less

Miss Julia is back in the 5th book of this charming series about a Southern lady of a certain age and her household. This time practically the entire town joins Miss Julia in her favorite “exercise” – jumping to conclusions. From Hazel Marie to Pastor Ledbetter and his wife Emma Sue everyone is ready to act on suspicions.

Of course there is some real drama going on as well. An itinerant “pastor” has convinced Miss Julia to lease him some land just outside town so he can build a show more “Walk Where Jesus Walked” theme park. He seems to be backed by a rather oily door-to-door salesman with a private jet. Before Miss Julia can get to the bottom of this, she gets embroiled in several closer-to-home scandals, including the return of her friend’s prodigal son, back home from ten years in New York, now calling himself Tonya and wearing designer dresses. And Lillian’s five-year-old granddaughter has come for an extended stay. So, Miss Julia has her hands full!

Not to mention that Sam will not stop asking her to marry him and she is just not ready to say yes. At least not until she discovers that SHE is the subject of unfounded rumors of “unseemly behavior.” So, she decides to give them something to talk about and asks Sam to get her a fake ring that will stop tongues wagging. He couldn’t be happier to comply and comes up with a real whopper!

I love this series. It’s like spending time with old friends you haven’t seen in a while and relishing in all the news and gossip over a nice glass of lemonade (perhaps fortified with a little extra something). show less

Don't even bother cracking this book cover, unless you're hungry for boiled cabbage because the book is as bland as that recipe suggests.

It amazes me beyond all comprehension why such a talented writer would waste her time churning out this bland, flavourless offering. I have no idea what the rest of the Miss Julia series is like, but if this is any indication, it's better to stop here and venture no further.

Her characters are as vapid as the recipes offered herein: lots of canned products show more like creamed corn, mushroom soup and a collection of beans. Swirl the entire mess with ketchup, lipton soup mixes and multiple varieties of duncan hines cake mixes ... and there you have some good old fashioned southern .... bleh! If this is southern cooking at its best, pass the plate to the lady in the next seat, for I'm truly bilious.

Why two stars??? Ann Ross has TALENT. Why waste it on this drivel? show less

This is the 14th book in Ann B. Ross’ delightful Miss Julia Series. Just as Miss Julia is taking a moment to pause and count her blessings, all manner of chaos breaks loose in the Pickens’ household. James, housekeeper and cook, falls breaking his arm and spraining his ankle. Hazel Marie’s Uncle Vern shows up, claiming poor health and begging a place to stay from his only relatives; and J. D. is spotted around town with different women in his car. Hazel Marie, already busy with twin show more baby girls, is struggling with the full household. Of course, Miss Julia takes it upon herself to remedy the situation in her usual comic manner. With James unable to cook, Miss Julia worries that the Pickens family will starve, so she gathers recipes from friends to share with struggling cook Hazel Marie. Recipes are shared at the end of each chapter.

I enjoyed this installment in Ross’ humorous Southern fiction series, set in North Carolina. I read the first 13 books straight through, finishing late last year, and opening this book was like a chance to sit back down with good friends I haven’t seen in a while. I laughed out loud while reading! Personally, I would have enjoyed more Miss Julia & Co. and fewer recipes, but the story was great, and Miss Julia’s comments at the end of each recipe are quite entertaining. While this would be a good story and good cookbook read alone, reading this series in order (Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind is first) would be my recommendation, as the characters develop and change so much throughout. show less