Stealing Home

Sweet Magnolias by Sherryl Woods is a 2007 MIRA publication.

Sherryl Woods is a seasoned author of contemporary women’s fiction and by all accounts her books should have been right up my alley- but for some reason the few times I tried her books they just didn’t impress me much. But I noticed this book was in the KU program and of course, I know a Netflix show is based on this series, so although I don’t have a very good track record with this author, I decided to give her another chance.

As it turns out, I liked this one!

Maddie and her husband are finalizing their divorce after he had an affair with his much younger nurse, who is now expecting a baby. Now, being a single mother to three children means Maddie needs to find a job show more and get on with her life. As it turns out, a few of her friends are thinking of opening a spa and they want Maddie to join them in the business adventure- which she seriously considers… but her oldest child, a baseball prodigy, is struggling with the divorce and his father’s new girlfriend. This causes Maddie and the baseball coach to team up to help Ty retain his focus on his studies and his baseball prospects- but a strong attraction develops between them- a little flirtation- which doesn’t go unnoticed by the small-town gossips…

The theme of the book is double standards- the difficulty of divorce- and the effect it has on the children. But it also about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and getting on with life… and maybe taking a chance on love… true love this time around… with the help of your friends and family, too, of course.

I loved Maddie’s age- and liked that her love interest was younger than her. Maddie is very relatable and likable, as are her friends, and of course Cal is simply dreamy. My one criticism is that our beloved characters do things out of the order in which they should- marriage, intimacy, then children. But the intimacy is, in this first book in the series, thankfully behind closed doors. A small amount of language here and there- but mostly it’s PG13 material. It also seemed to run just a bit longer than was absolutely necessary- but overall, this is good start to the series- there is slight datedness in one or two places- but overall, it stands the test of time quite well. I’m glad I gave this author another chance.

4 stars show less

I actually started this series at book #6 and enjoyed it so much that I had to go back and start from the beginning. I was not disappointed at all!

I love turning to books like this, especially in the summertime, and especially after reading "heavier" books. I find them so light, fun, and uplifting. Now, I am a huge fan of historical romances, but contemporary... not always so much. I am extremely picky when it comes to contemporary romances because I just can't do cheesy writing or cheesy dialogue. Many a cute sounding romance has been opened and put right back down because of the eye-roll worthy dialogue of the characters. Sherryl Woods does NOT fit in the category. I really enjoy her writing and I am so happy for that, because I show more really want to love contemp romances! And I am so hooked on this series now and these characters!

Sweet, addicting, and not silly! Drama, romance, and friendship! All the things I am looking to read on a summer day. show less

I picked the first book of The Sweet Magnolias series because I saw the trailer for the T.V. series om Netflix. I am a person that first has to read the book and then read the series. After reading 77% of the book yesterday, I broke and watched the first season (10 episodes of the mini-series.) Yes, it is different, and there are plot lines that are from the other books of the series, but they reveal things that are on the summaries of the following parts of the series.
I know I am not here to write a review about the T.V. series, but for the book. The truth is that I loved the writing, the story, the friendship, the family relationships, and strong females that can manage to do things on their own. I loved everything about Stealing show more home.
This book has well-developed characters who are very believable. The plot was also exciting and multi-dimensional so that I wasn't only following one aspect of the story, and that kept me not wanting to put it down. Maddie, Helen, and Dana-Sue have to deal with problems and difficult situations, but when they put their heads together, they can work through most anything. The Sweet Magnolias series is fabulous in that the central characters are around 40 (at least the first 3), unusual for romance novels. Amazing, a romance author who realizes you don't lose that spark when you reach your 30's. Thank you!
I know a book is five stars book, especially if it is part of a series when I look forward when I am willing to devour the next books of the series right away. Unfortunately, I have to wait for the arrival of the books. I know that as soon as, as I have the books, I will devout them as well. I can't wait for the second season of The Sweet Magnolias as it let us in such a cliffhanger and I know that I will be looking forward to finding out what will happen to the characters of Serenity, show less

Honestly I only read this because of the Netflix series. I am glad I did. This was a fun ride. Maddie's life is in a mess. Her decades old marriage is ending due to her husband's typical mid-life crisis affair with a much younger coworker. Her oldest son is developing an attitude and her youngest is closing up. Her daughter is an emotional mess. Luckily for Maddie, she has 2 of the best friends in the world and they want to help her. This story follows the events that occur in Maddie's life as she tries to regain her footing in a world where she's a single mom with troubled children and a new member of the workforce. It was a good book, very enjoyable and I'm definitely going to be reading the rest of the series and following this author.

Maddie Townsend's husband has left her for a younger woman. If that's not cliche enough, it's his nurse that Maddie hired whom the rat-fink has knocked up. What makes matters worse is that he's insensitive or arrogant enough to believe they're all going to be one big, happy family. One small problem - Maddie and the rat fink's kids are so not on board with the arrangement. As matter their oldest son Ty is violently opposed to his dad's living arrangements and the fact that his dad has left his mom. The middle son, Kyle has pretty much quit talking and Katie the baby of the family is inconsolable.

But Maddie's best friends and mom are there to help put the pieces back together. But does that include Ty' s hot, baseball coach or will he show more make things even worse? Even more than a romance this is a story of friendship, at least that's what I enjoyed the most show less

Maddie Townsend's husband has left her for a younger woman. If that's not cliche enough, it's his nurse that Maddie hired whom the rat-fink has knocked up. What makes matters worse is that he's insensitive or arrogant enough to believe they're all going to be one big, happy family. One small problem - Maddie and the rat fink's kids are so not on board with the arrangement. As matter their oldest son Ty is violently opposed to his dad's living arrangements and the fact that his dad has left his mom. The middle son, Kyle has pretty much quit talking and Katie the baby of the family is inconsolable.

But Maddie's best friends and mom are there to help put the pieces back together. But does that include Ty' s hot, baseball coach or will he show more make things even worse? Even more than a romance this is a story of friendship, at least that's what I enjoyed the most show less

Maddie Townsend's husband has left her for a younger woman. If that's not cliche enough, it's his nurse that Maddie hired whom the rat-fink has knocked up. What makes matters worse is that he's insensitive or arrogant enough to believe they're all going to be one big, happy family. One small problem - Maddie and the rat fink's kids are so not on board with the arrangement. As matter their oldest son Ty is violently opposed to his dad's living arrangements and the fact that his dad has left his mom. The middle son, Kyle has pretty much quit talking and Katie the baby of the family is inconsolable.

But Maddie's best friends and mom are there to help put the pieces back together. But does that include Ty' s hot, baseball coach or will he show more make things even worse? Even more than a romance this is a story of friendship, at least that's what I enjoyed the most show less