Gimme Some Sugar

Molly Harper

Apr 2019 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

A young widow returns to Lake Sackett, Georgia to face the ghosts of her past—and decide if she’s ready to take another chance on love—in the third sparkling Southern Eclectic novel that “goes down as easy as honey on a deep-fried Twinkie” (Library Journal, on Sweet Tea and Sympathy).

Lucy Bowman would never have guessed that her best friend, Duffy McCready (of McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home) has been in love with her since they were kids. Fear of rejection and his own romantic complications prevented Duffy from confessing his true feelings in high school, so he stood by and watched her wed Wayne Bowman right after high school. Wayne had always been a cheapskate, so it comes as no surprise when he suffers a fatal accident while fixing his own truck.

Even as her family and friends invade Lucy’s life and insist that the new widow is too fragile to do much beyond weeping, Lucy is ashamed to admit that life without Wayne is easier, less complicated. After all, no one knew what a relentless, soul-grinding trudge marriage to Wayne had been. Only Duffy can tell she’s hiding something.

In need of a fresh start, Lucy asks Duffy to put his cabinet-building skills to use, transforming the town's meat shop into a bake shop. As the bakery takes shape, Lucy and Duffy discover the spark that pulled them together so many years ago. Could this finally be the second chance he’s always hoped for?

Once again Molly Harper “writes characters you can’t help but fall in love with” (RT Book Reviews) in this charming and entertaining love story.

Ratings and reviews

GIMME SOME SUGAR is the third full-length instalment in Molly Harper’s contemporary, adult SOUTHERN ECLECTIC romance series focusing on the men and women of Lake Sackett, Georgia. This is tour boat operator Duffy ‘Duff’ McCready, and widow/baker Lucy Brewer’s story line. GIMME SOME SUGAR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person points of view (Lucy and Duff) GIMME SOME SUGAR follows the second chance romance between childhood best friends, tour boat operator Duffy ‘Duff’ McCready, and widow/baker Lucy Brewer. Years earlier Lucy Brewer fell in love with her best friend Duff McCready but life, and someone else got in the way. Fast forward to present day wherein Lucy, now a widowed, single mother has returned to Lake Sackett, Georgia to open her own bakery shop in spite of the obstacles, including her former in-laws, standing in her way. Duff McCready never stopped loving his childhood best friend but their individual marriages, and his eventual divorce sent our couple in different directions. Lucy Brewer’s return to Lake Sackett came with the possibility of second chances, a second chance that is all but destroyed by the overwhelming pressure Lucy places upon herself to be independent and never to rely on someone, again. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Lucy and Duff, and the potential fall-out as Lucy’s need to remain in control, and interference from her former in-laws, threatens our heroine’s peace of mind. The relationship between Duff and Lucy is one of second chances; an unrequited love between two people whose lives went in opposite directions despite their life-long friendship, and lack of love for the significant others. Duff is desperate to rekindle his relationship with the woman he has always loved but convincing Lucy to take a chance is tempered by the drama that has become her life. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. The colorful secondary and supporting characters are an eclectic mix of quirky, small town gossips, busybodies, family and friends. The requisite jealousy and rivalry comes from Duff’s ex-wife, as Lucy does battles with her former mother and sister in-law who is are desperate to prevent Lucy from succeeding. GIMME SOME SUGAR is a story of family, friendship, second chances and love. The premise is fun and frenetic; the characters are energetic, sassy and eccentric; the romance is sweet, spicy and real. GIMME SOME SUGAR is an inviting and delightful look at small-town romance, family and friends.

Lucy grew up in Lake Sackett and only left after high school when she married Wayne, returning now as a widow with her five-year-old son Sam in tow. She’d immersed herself in her new live in Texas, saying goodbye to family and old friends, when she was married, but now it feels right (and familiar) to raise Sam in a place that feels safer, where people know her, and where she can try her hand at making a living for them both with her hands, as she’s leased the former butcher / meat shop to redesign it as a bakery – where she plans to serve up various tasty treats, bake cakes and enjoy being ‘home’. Not all is as simple as that – while she’s not overtly grief stricken with the loss of her husband, her mother-in-law and the majority of her husband’s relations are judgy, pushy, obstreperous and downright nasty to her- passing judgment on her every move, choice and particularly affronted with her desire to put Sam in a Pre—K program. A few things haven’t really changed though – she’s still got her friends in the McCreedy camp, from her best friend Duffy to his sister Marianne, his cousin Frankie and the newest addition, Margot as well as a pile of gossip, a new ‘view’ of Duff and the usual goings-on and laugh out loud situations. Lucy is adorable and trying desperately to be the best mother possible while keeping Sam safe (and that often means away from his grandmother Evie, who simply sees him as a manifestation of his father). The friendship with Duff, which is so much more on both sides while both are afraid to speak of their feelings or fears – worried that if things go pear-shaped they’ll lose a friendship that they’ve had nigh on twenty years. Oh sure, Duffy is a bit too nice for his own good, and the ongoing ‘relationship’ with his train-wreck of an ex-wife Lana doesn’t show him in the best light, but – he means well, and when push comes to shove – he’s also the one you want backing you up (and he’s less mean with a dash of deviance than his cousin Frankie). But – with the mother-in-law calling in favors with the “health inspector’, the sister-in-law rolling in with her affected ‘holiness’ and overt addiction to drama, being near on the only person that Donna (Duffy’s mother) speaks to kindly all the time isn’t enough to quell Lucy’s fears and insecurities. It’s going to take a non-life-threatening (but scary) accident, a puppy, a box of red velvet cupcakes and a fishing trip to finally get everyone ‘on track’ and allow Lucy and Duffy to start their way on the path to ‘together’. Like all of Harper’s books – this isn’t going to solve world peace (well – if everyone who wants to act like a dimwit would just read them it would improve their moods!) but you will have the most entertaining time just going through the pages. Plenty to laugh about, quirky but somehow actually very real characters, snark, sweetness and plenty of ‘deep fried’ options – it’s a veritable smorgasbord of laughter, family and food. I adore this series and look forward to each and every book – listening to the audio versions when life gets ‘overwhelming’ and I want something light. From full-length sagas to the little ‘filler’ episodes between the longer books – this series is the antidote for a bad day (week, month …..) I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

There were a lot of amazing things about this book, but there was a major downer--I want the cupcakes mentioned or the recipes. The author had me drooling with some of the combos. Talk about major teasing. Where is this bakery? And if not Gimme Some Sugar than the model for the bakery. I see a road trip in my future. I WANT CAKE!! I WANT COOKIES!! I WANT THEM NOW!! For those of you that are like me and read everything "Molly Harper" then you are very familiar with Duffy. Can I just say it is about time that the man had real love and found his Happily Ever After. The long strange relationship with his ex-wife was just all kinds of wrong. For those of you that haven't read the rest of the series I must ask why in the world have you not picked up the books and laughed until your side hurts. After all that is what happens when you read a book by Molly Harper. I went crazy highlighting McCready wisdoms and smart comments that I plan to use on my children in the future. So here is what was so amazing, wonderful about this book. Second chance romance--Lucy and Duffy were best friends all through school. Small town romance--Lake Sackett is the epitome of small town, barely surviving after the lake was almost drained dry. A love that could not be denied--Lucy and Duffy fell in love in high school but were afraid to act on it until now. Romantic comedy--so many great laughs thanks to colorful characters. A long running series--I get to fall in love with the characters each and every time I pick up a book. Characters to despise--The author has to ability to create characters that I love to hate, that make me feel icky Leaves me wanting MORE!!!!! That is what makes it a 5 star read--I didn't want it to end. It is like sitting in the theater watching the credits roll hoping for another glimpse, a few more minutes of entertainment.

About the author

Molly Harper is the author of two popular series of paranormal romance, the Half-Moon Hollow series and the Naked Werewolf series. She also writes the Bluegrass ebook series of contemporary romance. A former humor columnist and newspaper reporter, she lives in Michigan with her family, where she is currently working on the next Southern Eclectic novel. Visit her on the web at MollyHarper.com.