30 October 2014

Palmetto Moon by Kim Boykin Review!



June, 1947. Charleston is poised to celebrate the biggest wedding in high-society history, the joining of two of the oldest families in the city. Except the bride is nowhere to be found…Unlike the rest of the debs she grew up with, Vada Hadley doesn’t see marrying Justin McLeod as a blessing—she sees it as a life sentence. So when she finds herself one day away from a wedding she doesn’t want, she’s left with no choice but to run away from the future her parents have so carefully planned for her.

In Round O, South Carolina, Vada finds independence in the unexpected friendships she forms at the boarding house where she stays, and a quiet yet fulfilling courtship with the local diner owner, Frank Darling. For the first time in her life, she finally feels like she’s where she’s meant to be. But when her dear friend Darby hunts her down, needing help, Vada will have to confront the life she gave up—and decide where her heart truly belongs.


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Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.
Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.
As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.
Thanks to the lessons she learned under that mimosa tree, her books are well reviewed and, according to RT Book Reviews, feel like they’re being told across a kitchen table. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule, and Palmetto Moon, also from Berkley 8/5/14. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.
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My Thoughts
1947 Charleston is the setting for Palmetto Moon. Vada Hadley is a young woman who is to be married to a man she despises. She tries desperately to figure a way out but the only way is to run. Run she does but not too far from home to a little town not far from Charleston. She moves in to a boarding house with very little money and is accepted for a position as teacher. While living in the boarding house she meets Claire, a young widow with three little boys who is looking for a man to help her raise her two boys. Frank Darling runs the local restaurant and falls in love immediately the first time he sees Vada. They each have their own secrets but start seeing each other romantically. Vada is also looking for Darby, a longtime friend, who Vada wants to reconnect with and make sure she is doing well.

In the meantime Vada's father and ex fiance, Justin, are looking for Vada and do eventually find her. Will she go back with them and marry Justin or will she go where her heart is? Well for the answer, you need to read the book and find out. I liked Vada because even though this is 1947, just after the war, where woman, especially in the South, have strict rules to follow. They do what their fathers require, marry the man that generally is picked by the father, an arranged marriage if you will. Vada is a strong character and wants to lead her own life even if that means being estranged from her accustomed way of life. Frank Darling is a hard working average man who will do anything for Vada. I did not like Justin at all, a pompous jerk, not at all what Vada needs for a life partner.

This is a character driven novel that depicts life in the south, not only with its prejudices and hatred. Characters who are full of life and meaning, who will grab your heartstrings. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. 

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for said review.

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