Sweet Tea at Sunrise

March 15, 2010
Woods chooses a whimsical, sweet scenario for her sixth Sweet Magnolia contemporary romance (after 2010's Home in Carolina
). Travis McDonald, a ladies' man and washed-up ballplayer, lights in Serenity, S.C., one day and decides to stay. He buys a radio station and, charmed by the friendly chattiness of Sarah Price, a recently divorced mother of two, lures her to become his morning DJ. Sarah, still fending off her belittling ex, Walter, impulsively agrees. Woods spends some time catching up with the robust cast developed in earlier books, and Sarah and Travis frequently play second fiddle to Walter's self-discovery, unexpected pregnancies, the local real estate market, and other smalltown dramas. For longtime fans, however, the digressions have their own charm, and Woods never fails to come back to the romantic point.

May 15, 2010
Cupids arrow hits Travis McDonald square between the eyes the first time he sees single-mom Sarah Price waiting tables in Whartons, but his reputation as a player seems destined to come between them. Undaunted, he proceeds with his original plan to open a local radio station, and soon convinces Sarah to become the morning host. As the entire town of Serenity watches, entertained by his very public courtship and her on-again, off-again response, Sarah works through the insecurities caused by ex-husband Walters verbally abusive treatment and her resentment that he and his parents are only interested in her son and not her daughter. When Walter moves to Serenity to become a better father, he becomes another issue between Travis and Sarah. Woods further develops the second-generation Sweet Magnolia friendships between Annie, Sarah, and Raylene while introducing Mary Vaughns daughter Rory Sue into the equation in the newest heartwarming installment in her contemporary-romance miniseries set in small-town South Carolina.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)