Customer Reviews

Talk of the Town

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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!"

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.

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

This was my first time to read this author. It was a quick pick up at the airport, so I didn't know quite what to expect. What I found, was an author who I plan to continue reading.

The characters are great. Tundy made me laugh out loud! There are so many plots within plots. The characters are well written and their stories intertwine so well. Even the small town of Glory becomes a character within the book.

It's definitely a page-turner which made this a quick, enjoyable read.

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!

This is the first book that I've read by Karen Hawkins. It was an enjoyable read, although it was a tad too long. It was over 400 pages long. I enjoyed reading about Nick and Roxie, and the assisted living gang were a hoot! Nick (a hottie) is the town sheriff and Roxie is the girl who got away who has come back to town newly divorced. This time around though there is a mystery to be solved which involves most of the town and a lively and hysterical elderly trio. I did feel though that there were too many secondary characters who really didn't have a place in the story and took away from the romance between Nick and Roxie. Talk of the Town is a solid 4 star read! If you like this story, try a similar one by Lori Wilde, Addicted to Love (it is a little better read and has a sexy sheriff as the hero too).

You are going to LAUGH OUT LOUD, and love every word of this sexy, funny contemporary romance that has a mystery as well. Something to please everyone.

The only problem is waiting until Karen's next book comes out.

Roxie Tremayne was once the belle of Glory, North Carolina. Her only goal when she married the town golden boy was to escape her small town after a torrid affair with bad boy, Nick. Now divorced from philandering Brian, and sporting a sex-kitten makeover, she returns home to care for her ailing mother. Nick is now the town sheriff and finds that he still cannot resist Roxie, despite his resolve to only get involved with potential Ms. Right's. Determined to spend as little time with her as possible, Roxie makes it difficult as she fills in for her mother at a retirement home and gets involved with a trio that fashion themselves investigators after one episode of CSI too many. A recent death and the discovery that he was blackmailing half the town have them convinced that his death was intentional. And it's all Nick can do to keep a short leash on the trio and their ring leader, Roxie.

Hawkins is best known for her historic romances, which is why this is my first time reading one of her novels. She has written a fun and engaging story (and I liked the twist with Brian), but at times it is over the top. That did not keep me from enjoying the chemistry between her lead characters and the quirky seniors that occupy her day. As her debut in contemporary romance, Hawkins has done a great job.

On a side note, was it me, or does "Roxie Tremayne" sound more like a porn star than a southern magnolia?

© Tracy Vest, January 2009

Roxie Treymayne celebrates Victory Day as her divorce from two hundred and fifty ponds of worthless cheating slug is finalized. She vows no more Ms. Nice Gal behaving properly. Before noon on V-Day she bleaches her hair blond, obtains a tattoo and wears four inch heels with a black mini low top. Her come and get me gear is step one on the wild side.

However, the best laid plans of mice, men and Roxie go astray when her mom suffers a heart attack. She rushes home to Glory, North Carolina to be there for her mother. There she meets Sheriff Nick Sheppard, who she once shared short blissful high school tryst that ended badly duie to a misunderstanding. She decides he is the perfect one for her to walk on the wild side with; he rejects her though he wants her. However, his investigation into a death turns into a homicide case in which Roxie and his great-aunt Clara's Murder Mystery Club members trespass.

Displaying her vast talent Karen Hawkins leaves the historicals that have made her popular and writes a lighthearted wonderful regional investigative romance. The lead couple is a delightful pairing as Roxie goes all out to seduce Nick, but though he has a permanent hard on for her, he refuses to let the lower head do his thinking especially while working a murder investigation. The support cast is great starting with her friend Tundy and his Aunt Clara as fans will want the Glory Murder Mystery Club to work on future amateur sleuth cases while driving the sheriff and his professional law enforcement peers crazy.

Harriet Klausner