Customer Reviews

Leaving Carolina (Southern Discomfort Series #1)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a HUGE Tamara Leigh fan (if you see a weird lady walking down the street with a TAMARA LEIGH FAN CLUB T-shirt on... that'd be me! And no, we aren't related and she doesn't pay me for the opportunity!) Leaving Carolina totally lived up to my high expectations of a Tammy Leigh book! It was funny, insightful, quirky, and had just the right amount of romance. I love her characters, they are different and unique but also totally relatable. Piper was such a fun character, and I loved her attitude and am giddy (okay fine, horribly impatient) to read Maggie's story next!

I'm a huge believer that the best books make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and make you to... 'Hmmmm... I need to work on that'. Leaving Carolina did just that! Two thumbs up from moi!

-krista phillips

Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh is Sweet Home Alabama all over again. Luckily, I loved the Reese Witherspoon movie so I enjoyed Leaving Carolina. In Leaving Carolina, the main character leaves her past and her hometown in the South when she runs away to the big city, changes her name and loses her accent. More than a decade later, circumstances force her to return home where she has to face the demons from her childhood . . . and possibly discovers romance while she's at it. Leaving Carolina is a fun, light read with a theme of healing childhood wounds, forgiveness and finding your authentic self.

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina taking an embarrassing secret with her that she prayed she would never have to be revealed. She worked hard at public relations and has come a long way from her roots; especially with her engagement to a Congressman.

However, she had not thought deep into the future until she learns her Uncle Obe probably is dying and his will most likely will reveal her humiliating secret. Piper rushes home to persuade her uncle not to do so. Whole back in Pickwick, Piper deals with her estranged relatives and her uncle's godson, Axel Smith whose religious belief begins to give Piper hope that she might forgive those who hurt her.

This is an engaging tale that makes a strong argument that veracity is the key in developing strong loving relationships; anything less than the truth harms yourself and others. The story line is character driven mostly by Piper trying to conceal her past. Although the action is limited and at times deliberately rambles at a rustic leisurely pace, Fans will enjoy Tamara Leigh's inspirational witty tale that second chance forgiveness and redemption is a natural part of a family when given the chance.

Harriet Klausner

As a card-carrying member of the G.R.I.T.S. club, I am proud to be a Girl Raised In The South. Piper Wick, however, feels no such pride. The heroine of Tamara Leigh's latest novel, Leaving Carolina, left the South twelve years ago and never looked back. Now an accomplished PR consultant with a prominent boyfriend, Piper is living out her dreams in Los Angeles. The past she's worked to diligently to forget is suddenly front and center when an eccentric uncle decides to change his will and expose family secrets that Piper would rather keep hidden. Reluctantly she returns to her North Carolina hometown in hopes of setting things straight. She isn't prepared for the changes back home, including an encounter with her uncle's handsome gardener, Axel Smith.

Leaving Carolina is a light-hearted romantic story filled with Biblical truth. Fans of Jan Karon and Jane Kirkpatrick will enjoy Ms. Leigh's descriptive writing style. As Piper Wick quickly learns, you can take a girl out of the South but taking the South out of the girl may not be possible.

I finished "Leaving Carolina" and couldn't wait to start with Maggie's story. Fortunately for me, I ordered early enough so am anxiously awaiting to start "Nowhere Carolina". I know it'll be like the rest of her books, pretty predictable...my day will consist of picking up her book, opening it and not putting it down until dinner time, like I said, "predictable". You can't help but get totally involved in the book and I love that every book that Tamara Leigh has ever written, is predictable in the fact that it's so good, it's truly hard to put down. The house has to be on fire to even consider taking a few minutes off to set it aside. I have no doubt that Tamara's new book will be the same and that I will have the most enjoyable day off reading it, and not putting it down until dinner time! I like predictability and I can rely on Tamara to fulfil it, because I'm in need of a story that takes me to another place, even for just several hours, and come out feeling inspired and my strength renewed.

Thanks Tamara, looking forward to receiving book.

If you are looking for some contemporary Christian fiction that would fall in the chick-lit category, Tamara Leigh's newest book, Leaving Carolina, should fit the bill for you. The story of Piper, running from her family of black sheep and misfits, she find herself in the spotlight in glamourous Los Angeles, working in PR and almost engaged to a U.S. Congressman. However, the peculiarities of her family have summoned her back home again, and before her buried secrets are unearthed, she tries to help sort out the mess.

Themes in this story such as truth and honesty gives some depth to this otherwise easy read, as well as the thought that the Lord is the one that truly can change a heart. None of the scheming and manipulating of men (or women as we can be prone to do!) will work His purposes for His glory like stepping back and letting Him guide us.

Piper Pickwick tries to live a good and honest life but, like most of us, she has things she needs to work on. When she is called back to her hometown she gets the opportunity and time to work on correcting past wrongs. It took me several pages to get into the rhythm of Leaving Carolina but once I did, the pace picked up and I quickly finished reading the book.

Two of my favorite characters in the book help Piper realize that life can be good when you face your past instead of run from it. Those two are Uncle Obe and Axel Smith. Obe has received a diagnosis of dementia and wants to make things right in his own life. Piper has always been his favorite relative and she feels the same about him. Axel is Obe's godson and works as gardener on Obe's estate. Obe thinks Axel (who has had several challenges in his life) could be a good match for his niece. The story moves in several directions and never failed to keep my attention.

There are several interesting characters in addition to my favorites. Two of them will be featured in a second book due out in 2010. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy Chick Lit and Contemporary Christian Fiction.

I love this book so much. Tamara Leigh's character's are always so interesting to me because I can see myself in their struggles to do the right thing. All of her books have characters that remind me of real people in my life the way they struggle with their faith and dealing with the real world. My only wish is that Tamara wrote faster!!

It has been since Jan Karon's Mitford series that I have looked so forward to hearing more from the Carolinas!

With a town full of people like Tamera Leigh introduced me to in Leaving Carolina, I would be entertained daily! There are lots of people you'd want to spend more time with in this book. The characters are interesting and personal; I can see them as well as if I ran into them every day in town. The story is fun with some twists and questions that are answered in a timely fashion. Although there are some questions I think will have to wait until the next two books about this family! Sometimes authors will drag out the main `unknown' until you just don't care anymore, but not here. Yes, you do wonder what will happen and are unhappy to set it down to fix dinner, but little bits get answered and new questions arise; keeping you reading just one more chapter....

I believe I have read every one of Tamera Leigh's books and this is my favorite! Although I had never read romances, a friend recommended Tamera Leigh's novels. I began reading her historical romances books because I am a history buff and I enjoyed the research she put into them. It was fun having faces and personalities given to the long ago times I had studied. I always felt like I really knew the time, place and people when I finished one. Her most recent books are set in modern times, but the feeling is the same! You finish having a full picture of the characters, their personalities, background, and location.

Piper Pickwick, I mean Wick, left North Carolina with her mom a long time ago to forget the embarrassing secrets and teasing of the people of the small town of Pickwick. She is now engaged to be engaged to a Congressman in L.A. and is enjoying her job as a PR specialist.

Soon her past comes back at her when she decides to head back to NC to help convince her Uncle Obe not to reveal all the family secrets in his will. Once she is back in Pickwick she is dealing with all the hurt from her past, the humiliation and the new surprises that await her...like Axel Smith!!

This was a great book to read during the summer!! Such a fun story about the South and about healing relationships and moving forward!!

Piper is a great character and I'm drawn to see things work out for her. It was touching to read about her bullying and the things she went through as a teen. Most of us can probably relate to how hard the teen years are and how much that teasing can affect who you are today. I liked how Tamara shows us that you can recover from bullying and become great and respected and also forgiving and prove that God can heal all wounds!!

The plot was original and fun and Tamara is very descriptive with her characters and their thoughts which were enjoyable. I only wish at times things would have moved a bit faster, but overall I really loved reading about the Pickwicks!!

I was really inspired by this sweet story and I've already started reading the next book in the series about Piper's cousin Maggie!!

Content: only 1 or 2 clean kissing scenes!