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Southern Series #1

Southern Comfort

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SHE NEEDED A COVER
Undercover DEA agent Fallon Hargis can handle a nine-millimeter and take down a drug cartel. She can even survive the bullet she took escaping two gun-toting thugs. But nothing in her training has prepared her for sexy Wade Tanner and Two Creeks, Texas. Hiding out in the rinky-dink town is a necessity until she can discover who betrayed her at the agency. But people who don't lock their doors? Who bake pies and tell you to have a nice day? Torture. And having seductive, caring Wade melting her armor one kiss at a time? Sublime torture...

HE NEEDED A WAKE-UP CALL
Wade Tanner knows what it's like to live on the edge, and he's had enough of it. That's why he quit the detective life to become sheriff of this sleepy town. Now suddenly there's this bold, brassy, ill-tempered, sexy, and unbelievably exciting woman luring him out of his comfort zone and into a life of chaos he didn't realize he missed. The way she can go from cold to red-hot in seconds sets his pulse racing. But what will it take to get her to trust him...to show her what a man who cares can really do for her?

SOUTHERN COMFORT
As the threat grows and danger narrows in, a tough-as-nails agent and a sly, unwavering sheriff are about to get in over their heads--on the case and in each other's hearts. And once they get a little taste of southern comfort, anything could happen...

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

346 people are currently reading
358 people want to read

About the author

Karen Kelley

104 books223 followers
Karen Kelley always had a secret desire to live the life of a Gypsy. So she and her husband quit their jobs, sold their house, decluttered their lives and moved into their 5th wheel RV. Now they're traveling the United States. She works full time on her writing and spends her downtime walking on the beach or hiking in the mountains. Her motto has always been 'Who says you can't have it all.'

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Julianna.
Author 5 books1,343 followers
April 17, 2015
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" Southern Comfort got off to an interesting and rather unique start with the heroine, who was working undercover with the DEA, having her cover blown. She then fights her way out of the situation and runs for her life, but sees no way to get out of the hotel where they are without being found. Instead she corners the hero, has him strip naked at gunpoint, and “accidentally” makes love to him, all in an attempt to elude the bad guys. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about all this. While it was certainly an out of the ordinary beginning to a story, I couldn't help feeling it was also a little far-fetched. I definitely had to suspend disbelief a bit in order to buy into the premise, but I was willing to go with the flow, except that from there, instead of becoming more interesting and exciting, it became rather boring for the remaining first half of the book. Nothing of note really happens besides the hero and heroine engaging in page after page of sex. While I'm sure many readers will find their encounters hot and steamy, they didn't really do much for me, because I felt no emotional connection between them. At about the halfway point, things finally started to pick up a little, when Wade takes Fallon on a shopping trip to the mall, where she meets two of the supporting characters, Audrey, an older woman from Wade's little town, and Callie, the teenage girl who cleans house and cat-sits for him. Audrey is one of those larger than life characters who is good for a few laughs, and Fallon gets to put her DEA agent skills to good use scaring off Callie's sleazy older boyfriend. After returning to Two Creeks, Wade and Fallon finally get a lead on where the bad guy is hiding out and head to Mexico, undercover, to try to take him down. While this part was rather predictable, it still helped to liven up the story a little and keep me from dropping the rating any lower.

Fallon was a heroine to whom it was difficult for me to relate. She reminded me a lot of Shaw from the television show Person of Interest with perhaps just a touch better developed people skills. She's a tough, no-nonsense girl who is devoted to her job and taking down the bad guys. She's also very prickly and rough around the edges, while her thoughts and actions remind me more of a man's. IMHO her rule of never sleeping with a guy more than once was more than a little off-putting. Of course, she finds Wade irresistible and figures if she's stuck with him for a few days, she might as well have some fun. Fallon's family is dead, and she ended up on the streets when she was only a teenager, where she was found by her DEA boss. The author hints at some of her vulnerabilities early on and does build on them somewhat, but still not quite enough to suit me. So, in the end, Fallon was just an OK heroine for me.

Wade is developed even less than Fallon. Initially, I had him pegged as a fun-loving guy who was up for just about anything. The fact that he had sex with a woman who had been holding him at gunpoint mere minutes before certainly suggested that. He used to be an undercover detective, who left that life to move back to his small hometown to become their sheriff. His reasons for doing so had to do with him feeling like he was losing himself in his undercover persona and becoming too much like the bad guys he was hunting. While I am aware of this phenomena occurring among those who work deep undercover like that, I didn't feel like the author developed this part of Wade's background sufficiently for me to understand it. It was almost impossible for me to reconcile the kindhearted, caring, small-town boy Wade was toward everyone in the story with someone who had nearly become one of the monsters he was trying to put away. The Wade I saw was someone who took in an abused, one-eyed, three-legged cat, or who saw Callie as merely a troubled girl who needed a break, or who rushed to the scene of an accident trying to help, or who cared enough about Fallon to walk back into the pit of hell with her just to make sure she was safe and to help her take down the villain. This Wade I liked and admired, so to say that he was, at one time, just as bad as the other criminals didn't only seem out of character for him, it also, somehow tainted him a little and made him seem less heroic to me.

As I mentioned before, I never really felt much of an emotional connection between Wade and Fallon. Their near constant sexcapades during the first half or so of the book were merely that – just sex – and as an aside, I didn't really care much for the lack of condoms or discussion of birth control. Pretty much throughout the whole story, I felt plenty of lust emanating from the pages but no real love or even any actual romance. Both of them are resigned to it being a short-term temporary fling, which is something I'm generally not a fan of in my romances, because IMHO, it stunts the romantic relationship. It didn't help that they don't really do anything of a romantic nature either. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what they saw in each other. Aside from the fact that she presents a challenge to him, Wade's attraction to Fallon seemed pretty arbitrary to me. Fallon, for some inexplicable reason, finds Wade far more irresistible than any other man she's ever been with. Overall, I'd have to say that their mutual attraction appeared to be based more on the fact that they have great sex than any true chemistry, romantic feelings, or compatibility.

In general, I felt the writing itself could have been a bit better too. More details definitely wouldn't have gone amiss. There are a number of weakly explained occurrences that could have been shored up much better, and considering that the book is less than 300 pages long (pretty short for a single-title romance), it seems like the author would have had plenty of room to build her characters and plot more soundly. I have a hard time characterizing this as a romantic suspense story, because the actual suspense only occurs during the second half of the story and despite being a little gritty, it still felt rather light. Perhaps this was because the first half is pure fluffy, quirky contemporary romance. IMO, Ms. Kelley also needed to use the character's names more often, especially in dialogue tags. Sometimes, it could get really confusing as to who was speaking or doing certain things. Lastly, I detected some repetition. There was an overabundance of characters opening their mouths and snapping them shut. Somehow, I don't think people do this all that often.:-)

Overall, Southern Comfort was an OK story for me. It was better than some books, I've read, and once I got past the tedium of the first half, it was a reasonably entertaining, if somewhat predictable, read. This is the first book in Karen Kelley's Southern series. A number of interesting supporting characters were introduced, but only one, Wade's sister, Bailey, appears to have gotten her own story later in the series. She becomes the heroine of the novella, It's a Wonderful Life (from the I'm Your Santa anthology), which falls after book #3 in the series ordering. Since her character wasn't quite as developed as some of the others, I was a little surprised about that. I can't really say anything about the characters in the next book, Southern Exposure, without giving away a significant spoiler, but one of them is definitely related to someone in this book but isn't a character we've gotten to meet yet. Southern Comfort was my first read by Karen Kelley. While this initial foray into her work hasn't left me with a burning need to continue, I will anyway since I have this series on a challenge I'm working on this year. It was admittedly entertaining enough to not be a chore to finish, so who knows, maybe the next book will be better.
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,521 reviews320 followers
October 6, 2015
This book was pretty good. DEA agent Fallon Hargis needs a quick escape when the people she is trying to bring down finds out who she is she run through the hotel after being shot she runs into Wade Tanner a small town sheriff returning to his room and orders him to strip at gun point. Wade Tanner retired from undercover work when the stress got to be too much. Now he works as Sheriff in the small town of Two Creeks. When he meets Fallon he is immediately attracted to her but after the first time they make love she informs him it will be their last. While trying to get past her physical and emotional boundaries Wade learns that Fallon isn't the only one who needs more in their lives. In an attempt to keep Fallon safe and help her bring down the drug dealer who killed her family, Wade goes undercover and back into The Pit that almost destroyed him years ago. This was a good book full of action. This is my first time reading this author and this the first book in a new series to me. This book was well written with no errors in spelling or grammar. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series about Fallon's sister.
Profile Image for Melanie Clemons.
36 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2018
If you want 90% sex, 7% thinking about sex, and 3% story/plot, then this book is for you. Not really my cup of tea.
Profile Image for ★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★.
2,385 reviews326 followers
November 8, 2019

Undercover DEA agent, Fallon Hargris' cover has been blown. While trying to make a daring escape from the bad guys at a hotel, she forces one of the hotel guests into his room at gunpoint and insists that he strip and get into bed with her. Fallon hopes that when the men who are pursuing her open the hotel room door with their master key, they'll find her and her hottie pretending to make love and be thrown off the trail. The ruse to save her life works - perhaps a little too well - as she finds herself actually having sex with the guy. Fallon has a good time and it was a great way to relieve her tension, but now she has to be on her way before the bad guys return.


Southern Comfort got off to an interesting and rather unique start with the heroine, who was working undercover with the DEA, having her cover blown. She then fights her way out of the situation and runs for her life, but sees no way to get out of the hotel where they are without being found. Instead she corners the hero, has him strip naked at gunpoint, and "accidentally" makes love to him, all in an attempt to elude the bad guys.
Wade takes Fallon on a shopping trip to the mall, where she meets two of the supporting characters, Audrey, an older woman from Wade's little town, and Callie, the teenage girl who cleans house and cat-sits for him. Audrey is one of those larger than life characters who is good for a few laughs, and Fallon gets to put her DEA agent skills to good use scaring off Callie's sleazy older boyfriend. After returning to Two Creeks, Wade and Fallon finally get a lead on where the bad guy is hiding out and head to Mexico, undercover, to try to take him down...
Profile Image for Saly.
3,437 reviews578 followers
June 8, 2019
3.5 stars
I liked this and it was pretty steamy as well. We have a heroine who is kick-ass DEA agent and doesn't do emotional entanglements. To get out of a jam she takes the hero sort of captive and from there the book rolls on. I liked that the hero was more invested in them than her who he had to convince.
Profile Image for Michelle.
303 reviews28 followers
November 19, 2019
Barely finished. Didn’t care for the writing style
Profile Image for Maria.
353 reviews5 followers
March 30, 2015
A freebie that was actually enjoyable.

Tough DEA agent who cheats death hides out with small town sheriff after drug king pin/all around bad guy almost kills her. What makes this story a good read is the cast of supporting characters. Doc, the grumpy town doctor. Audrey, town gossip. Andy, the observant deputy. They have a good deal of one-liners that will make you want to LOL.

As for our main characters, Fallon and Wade, they met in an unconventional manner and their story just built from there. Steamy chemistry and the seeing too much destruction because of bad guys makes these two perfect for each other. They both have issues, attitude and scars that each can help the other with. Think what I like about Fallon is unlike other females that start out strong but kind of lose something when they "fall in love" Fallon takes those feelings and it makes her stronger in the sense of she doesn't fall to pieces and wait for someone to rescue her, she works alongside Wade to catch the bad guys and make it out alive.

Nice surprise at the end which I have since discovered is the into for the next book in the series, will I read it....maybe.
Profile Image for Kristy Dean-Veen.
1,203 reviews14 followers
March 3, 2015
Very good

If you are a fan of Lori foster, than you will like this book. The story is in-depth and you can connect to the characters and story line. Romance with a little thrill.
Overview. Fallon is an undercover officer with the DEA. Her cover is blown. While trying to escape, she runs into a guy in the hotel hallway. She orders him into his room at gun point and orders him to strip. Wade is not sure what is happening. But goes with it. That is until she strips too and takes off her wig and climbs on top of him. Both are lost in the moment when the door opens and he understands she is on the run and hurt. Wade helps her by taking her him with him. Where she learns he is a cop too. But will both of their past s and present collide or find a way to work together?
Profile Image for Stacey Timmons .
640 reviews4 followers
May 30, 2017
The best part of this was the beginning when she escaped into Wade's room. It was sort of slow. Just seemed to be more about the sex than anything else. I did like the banter Fallon dishes out, especially with Doc! Then the action picked back up when they went to The Pit! But some parts just seemed a bit anticlimatic. Not enough fighting action, considering she was a path of revenge. The last couple of chapters threw in a few surprises though.
Profile Image for Chanel.
1,833 reviews
April 22, 2019
Well, I am not sure I have ever read a book that starts out quite like this one! Fallon and Wade certainly meet in the most unexpected way. I wasn’t sure what was in store for this DEA Agent and former uncover detective turned small town Sheriff after their unorthodox first meeting. Even though the characters were interesting, especially the town’s doctor, the whole “Pit” was too violent for my liking.
2,364 reviews12 followers
May 14, 2021
4 stars
I purchased a copy of the steamy novel Southern Comfort: Southern Series: Book 1 by Karen Kelley and this review was given freely.
One of the best Karen Kelly books I have read! Southern Comfort has all the elements of a well developed romantic suspense. Be prepared to put several evenings or a weekend aside to fully enjoy Southern Comfort. Especially, if the hook at the end draws you into to the sequel.
36 reviews
May 5, 2019
Good romantic mystery

Enjoyable story between Wade and Fallon as well as the mystery involved in finding the man who killed her father and sister when Fallon was younger. She's now DEA officer and Wade is formerly a big city cop, now small town sheriff. Together they track this murderer into Mexico and the danger begins. Lots of heat in story as well.
Profile Image for Carolyn.
466 reviews
April 13, 2019
Louisiana Woman

Fallon was an uncover DEA agent and now she was in a world of trouble. Looking for an escape she barges into a hotel run and meets a sexy cowboy. That’s when things got exciting. Erotic romance and adventure. Recommend.
Profile Image for Rony.
702 reviews3 followers
March 23, 2021
Started out promising but became redundant very fast. The ongoing inner debate about sleeping with each other/ staying away/ not wanting to get involved blah blah blah... Exhausting. Managed to read 30% and gave up
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for whatthe_didijustread.
92 reviews6 followers
January 20, 2019
An interesting enough book. A little repetitive but overall entertaining enough that I finished it.
Profile Image for Lucinda Race.
Author 67 books652 followers
May 27, 2019
Hot and steamy romance- with interesting twists and turn. Certainly kept me turn the page.
And yes I finished it in 24 hours ...
Profile Image for Tracy Brant.
366 reviews4 followers
July 28, 2020
Not my kinda book, but still entertaining

Too cheesy for me. No REAL mystery, but there was A LOT of heat/steamy. Read this while waiting in doc office.
947 reviews3 followers
September 20, 2021
Southern comfort

This is a story about a DEA agent after the man that killed her family and she finds the love she is missing and the man of her dreams
Profile Image for Tim Covell.
Author 3 books9 followers
October 14, 2024
Over-the-top opening establishes this as more erotica than romance, though the latter half is more conventional romance and dominated by an action-suspense plot. Fast moving fun.
Profile Image for Lucinda.
714 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2017
Loved, loved, loved Wade and Fallon! They were both serious and hilarious at the same time! I found the story hard to put down. It was funny, intense, suspenseful, sad....It had it all. Can't wait to read more by this author.
Profile Image for Natasha.
686 reviews8 followers
June 22, 2013
What a great story. I especially loved the way the ending went and even better was the epilogue. Fallon was such a strong woman that went through her life trusting no one and being alone until she found some trust in King. That is until the day she meets Wade. And what a meeting that was. I loved their introduction to one another, it was quite funny really. Wade was such an adorable caring guy. I loved Wade and Fallon's immediate and intense attraction to one another. I read a review of this book before I read the story and some one wrote that there was way too much sex in it and I knew I had to read this and see for myself. I loved the sex scenes in it. It made the story what it was.
Profile Image for Amy.
543 reviews23 followers
November 30, 2009
Fallon Hargis is an undercover DEA agent who is after a man named Cavenaugh who destroyed her family when she was only fourteen years old, but her cover was blown. When she ran into Wade Tanner, she held him at gunpoint and ordered him to strip in order to evade capture. Reluctantly, she teams up wth Wade, the Sheriff of Two Creeks, a small town in Texas, who tries to help her find Cavenaugh. In the meantime, Wade and Fallon have lots of passionate sex... a fun, entertaining read.
3,123 reviews
January 3, 2015
First time reading this author....Awesome

Fallon is an undercover DEA agent trying to bring down a drug dealer when her cover was blown. Wade is on vacation and Fallon hides out in his room to escape two goons. She goes into hiding at his house waiting to find the drug dealer. She doesn't know who to trust because somebody sold her out. Quick witted, sarcastic, sexy agent and a handsome sheriff. Very, very hot, edge of your seat suspense.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 46 reviews

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