ARC Review: “Sweet Talkin’ Lover: A Girls Trip Novel” by Tracey Livesay

Sweet Talkin’ Lover: A Girls Trip Novel Tracey Livesay

Publishing Date: December 30, 2019

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Length: 384 pages (paperback ARC edition)

Synopsis:

Marketing manager Caila Harris knows that the road to success in the beauty industry doesn’t allow for detours. She’s forsaken any trace of a social life, working 24/7 to ensure her next promotion. When grief over her grandfather’s death leads to several catastrophic decisions, Caila gets one final chance to prove herself: shut down an unprofitable factory in a small Southern town. But as soon as she arrives in Bradleton, she meets one outsized problem: the town’s gorgeous mayor.

Wyatt Bradley isn’t thrilled about his nickname, Mayor McHottie. He’s even less happy to learn that his town might be losing its biggest employer. If he has to, he’ll use some sneaky tactics to get Caila on his side. Yet even as he’s hoping she’ll fall for Bradleton, he’s falling too—right into a combustible affair that shakes them both with its intensity.

Two stubborn people, torn between loyalty, ambition, and attraction. But when you’re willing to give it your all, there’s no limit to how far love can take you…(description from Goodreads)

Review:

I was very excited to read this novel since I’m a huge fan of Livesay’s previous works. This novel did not let me down and it weaves together a story that blends together the romance and slice of life genres.

Our main character of the story is Caila, a hardworking woman who wants to rise at the top of the company she works at. Her hard work is not without sacrifice and in doing so she has strained some family and friend relationships along the way. After the death of her grandfather, she is deeply affected causing her much pain and grief. She messes up at her job and her one last chance to make things up is to go to a small town and evaluate the plant.

From there on, readers are transported to a small cozy town named Bradleton where everyone is a tight-knit community. Wyatt is a young mayor of the town who is constantly striving to provide the best for his town in his own way. All the while trying to not be influenced by overbearing grandfather who is trying to run his life and career.When Caila and Wyatt meet sparks instantly fly and even though they want to deny it, they are falling from each other.

What’s entertaining about the story is how we see two different people connect besides coming from different backgrounds, cities, families, etc. Livesay writes sweet and steamy romances, but also tackles some complex issues in her text. Race is topic that comes up multiple times in the novel in various ways (ex. interracial couple, cultural clashes), but it was handled in such a smooth way.

I really enjoyed how she lets Caila and Wyatt work through their issues without instantly throwing them into a deep relationship, but also makes her readers connect with the people of Bradleton and show the immense passion they have for their community. This was such a good book and I’m looking forward to meeting the other characters and reading the rest of their stories in the Girls Trip series!

Final Verdict: